Tenshi's eyes stared at Madara's single which was unmoving. He glanced at Tenkei, and nodded.

Go to the others. I will attend to matter's here.

"I'm surprised, Tsunade sent you to do a man's job. A mere child."

Tenshi ignored the taunt, waiting for the older man to make his move.

"I am not afraid of death," Tenshi stated, placing a foot behind him.

"Then come."
Serpent, Boar, Dog, Horse, Tiger!

"Suiton: Teru Koto Pāmu! (Water Style: Shining Palm Technique!)" Water surrounded his arm, a swirling mass of chakra which rolled around his palm. He focused on the jutsu, letting the excess vanish. It didn't have the penetration of a technique like Raikiri, but it was an effective handheld technique. He shifted his wrist, blinding Madara, with the sun light. He dashed forward at that exact moment, throwing the technique with everything he had, missing his target completely. His foot struck ground, and Tenshi turned in time to slash sideways, his arc evaded by a single sidestep.

This technique won't work on him. Then… I'll use that jutsu!

He nodded in acknowledgement, dashing forward, thrusting a fist towards his opponent, wincing as the attack was caught, the wrist being cranked backwards.

"It's futile."

"LET GO!" Tenshi howled, spinning onto his hand, throwing a spin kick over his own arm, missing by a millimeter. He caught himself, and pulled free by kicking at the arm of his opponent, who phased the attack.

This guy. I have to attack him faster!

He bit into his lip, frustrated with the circumstances. He counted, continuing his taijutsu barrage.

One Full Wolf Cry. Five…Six….Seven…Nine. Nine times. If I use my eyes again…

Don't!

He ducked as a single foot shot over his head, missing him by a mere nanometer.

There's no time! No choice!

He reached behind himself, grabbing a kunai, and slashing upwards, the attack phasing through. He turned, only for the leg to spin slamming him through the wall, and out into the open. He rebounded in time, to block Madara who had teleported behind him. He spun, slapping the kunai away, and throwing his fist forward. A hand came from under, grasping his throat.

"Die!"

Not good!

The mirage shattered from the genjutsu, as Tenshi pulled himself upright from the ground and stared out the hole in the wall to his enemy.

"I do not have time to deal with you."

Madara's mask faded to nothing as he vanished.

Oh no! Tenkei!

I know!

"Incoming!"

Yuki glanced to the girl who had followed them, watching her eyes widen like dinner plates. Yuki returned her gaze to the forest which whipped past the five shinobi at a fierce rate.

Yuki scanned the area in front of her, catching sight of a wire which aimed to decapitate her a mere centimeter in time.

Dangit!

She spun backwards, only to see a foot an inch from her face. She didn't have time to ward it off, and turned her jaw to lessen the blow's effectiveness. She hit the ground hard, impacting it. She felt her heart throb in agony, and coughed in agony from the attack. Her vision blurred, her ears ringing. The damage wasn't surprising. She glanced at herself, and winced, as she started to move. She could feel and taste the blood pouring from her mouth. She shook her head to clear it, and started to stand, only for a foot to slam her back down into the ground.

"Give me the Nine Tails, or she dies," Madara spoke from above her.

"YOU BASTARD!"

She didn't even have a chance to prepare herself, as the foot sunk in an inch, shattering several ribs.

"UGH!" she howled, coughing up blood. She heard the footsteps slow down, and winced.

Why are you stopping, Kyuu-chan? Attack him!

"Kill me instead. Let her go," she heard her lover demand.

He's not going to.

As if on cue, he replied "This is not a debate."

Yuki ignored his overconfidence, and grasped at his ankle holding him in place.

"Too slow!" she yelled, releasing a surge of lightning chakra, which missed its intended target. She jumped up, aiming to return to her side, only to feel the ground leave her feet.

Oh no! Not good!

She shifted, and regretted it. Her eyes fell into Madara's as she was pulled towards his kekki genkai. She looked for some way to counteract his hold on her, finding nothing. A hand grasped her, throwing her away from danger, only for the girl to be absorbed a millisecond later.

"How unfortunate."

Yuki hit the ground with a thud, rolling back to her comrades' protection. She glanced towards Akira, who was shaking with rage. As the demon started to attack, Yuki shoved her back.

"Don't. You risk revealing your true nature, if you do. Let us handle it. Protect Naruto."

She stood back up, wincing in agony. This was nothing compared to her last fight with Pain, who had been merciless. She shook the pain off, and dashed forward, closing the gap in a nanosecond, forming her three seals in the distance. She dashed through him, slashing at his body, with a single Raikiri which he phased through. As she got to the perimeter, she launched several shuriken, while sliding to a halt. Yuki glanced at her target, and immediately started a nonstop barrage of shuriken, by dashing to a shuriken, and returning it towards Madara who walked through her attacks as if they weren't even existent.

I have to keep them away from her!

She turned, and let her hands form seals mid-dash to the next tool.

Ram, Boar, Serpent, Rooster, Tiger, Ox, Hare, Monkey , Rat!

"Katon: Genso no Noroi (Fire Style: Elemental Curse!)" she shouted, stopping in front of Naruto. She had captured each shuriken in hand and launched them all in a single wave, focusing on the spot where Madara stood. She closed her eyes, letting her chakra come up as the technique flowed through her very being.

Flames erupted in a massive funnel, while an electrical fox discharged from her hands, dashing into the conflagration that was her technique. Her eyes narrowed, and in rage, she formed four more seals.

Boar, Rat, Horse, Tiger!

She raised both hands and the flames turned from a mild orange to bright white, and the funnel, expanded beyond everyone, converting trees to ash. She prevented the inferno from hurting herself, and the others, by sheer focus. After a minute, the technique dissolved into nothing.

Did I get him?

She felt her strength fade with the jutsu, sending her panting to her knees. She ignored the stinging of sweat in her eyes. She shivered from exhaustion, only for a hand to close around her throat.

"Impressive. But I have become tired of the games. Naruto! Now." She struggled against the hold.

"Yuki-chan!" Akira called. The voice seemed to fade, as darkness started to envelope her.

"Pr-protect Naruto-kun!" she whispered, fainting.

Akira watched her lover as she was tossed aside like a piece of meat. The man she loathed with her absolute being was a few yards from her, and she had been told to stand down. She glanced to Naruto, and considered Yuki's words.

Why don't you want me to protect you, Yuki-koi?

She didn't even consider the possibilities, but noticed that she was at the rear of the formation as Tsunade placed herself before the pair.

"Let me fight, Hokage-sama!" she begged, starting forward.

"No! You are Naruto's last line of defense. If you love him, stay where you are. We can't outrun him, so fighting right now is the only way to deal with this."

Akira felt her rage at the situation reach a boiling point, only for a hand to touch her shoulder. She glanced back to notice the Akatsuki kid, was walking past her, aiming to return to the fight. He had done terribly. It shocked her to notice the girl who had saved Yuki, was not dead as she had thought. In fact, she was carrying Yuki back to the safety of the others.

"Tsunade-sama. Heal her. I can hold him off until then. Tenkei. Let's go," he said, without so much as a look over his shoulder.

Akira rushed to Tsunade's side, aiding the Hokage in healing her lover. A shot of fear rushed through her heart as she took in the sight of her battered lover.

A gasp from above, caused her to look up as Tenshi's partner stared at him in complete disbelief.

"No! Don't! if you do you'll lower your lif-" she was saying.

"I know. We don't have a choice! Get ready to back me up. We just have to exhaust him. He can only phase for five minutes at a time," came the emotionless response.

"If you can stop me for that long," Madara spoke.

Akira returned her attention to the girl beneath her, who desperately needed her attention. Minutes seemed like hours as the scent of flesh blood filled her nose, and the sounds of battle clashing echoed in her ears.

"Ak-akira-chan?"

Akira let out a sigh of relief as the girl's consciousness returned. The look on her face, let her know that-

"TENKEI-CHAN! YOU BASTARD! GET BACK HERE!"

Akira glanced back up at the two shinobi, her eyes widening , at the attack patterns of both. She watched in awe as Tenshi and Tenkei weaved in and out of Madara's grasp attacking and defending at the same time. She couldn't believe how in sync the two were. Each punch and kick was thrown with the intent to harm, and yet thrown so smoothly that defense seemed to be the true intent. She watched the two intently, when an explosion destroyed half the ground around Madara sending both shinobi flying across the ground. Tenshi flew through several tree branches and almost slammed into a mountain side, only for his partner to appear in time to take the impact off of him.

"Tenshi-kun!" Yuki cried out, dashing forward.

"Enough." Madara vanished, appearing in front of Naruto.

Not today!

As his hand touched Naruto's skin, Akira was there, her claw slashing downwards. A kunai slid upwards, shattering as her nails broke them.

"You won't have him! OVER MY DEAD BODY!" She screamed turning and slashing again. Madara backed up, and she pursued him, spinning her foot, watching it simply slide through his mask.

I'LL KILL YOU! NEVER WILL HE BE YOUR SLAVE!

She thrust her foot through his chest, and flipped slamming a claw into the ground which created a crater several meters wide. She watched him land at the edge of the impact, watching her. Every fiber of her being was on edge, and she stood in front of Naruto, her forehead bleeding from where the shattered ninja tool had nicked her. She ignored the red tint that colored her vision. She wanted this man's dead so bad…she could taste it. She started to return to combat, only to glance behind her and see Naruto.

I…I won't leave him defenseless. I love him too much.

Her eyes shifted at the silence of the area before her.

Hmm? Where did he go?

Her eyes shifted to her right, as her side became warmer. She watched her lover, who fought fire with fire, using her own Fireball Technique to counter Madara's. She watched the flames, unable to tell who was winning. The flames engulfed Yuki, and her eyes widened in fear.

"Yuki-chan!" she gasped, starting to run, only for a hand to grab her.

"Stay with Naruto!" Tsunade said, as she dashed forward.

Akira felt her overprotectiveness of her territory rise up, and a low growl escaped her throat. She glanced back at Naruto, who was watching the fight, his eyes shining with admiration. An explosion filled the area with smoke, lowering her visibility further.

"Naru-kun…"

"She's right. You know she is," he replied.

Her heart pounded and she nodded in acknowledgement. He wanted to join the fight as well, but wouldn't be able to do much. He'd end up getting captured, so for now, he stayed. She glanced back to the other two, noticing Tenshi and Tenkei, were highly wounded. She could smell the massive quantities of blood pouring from both of their bodies. They had barely escaped the blast of his jutsu.

"Akira!"

Her head jerked, in time to lean back as Madara slashed at her hair. She flipped onto her hands, glancing back to Tsunade, who was on the ground, holding her chest, and clutching her left thigh in pain. In a single glance to Yuki, she could tell something was wrong. The girl was shivering terribly, and her eyes were blank.

Genjutsu! And I can't help her!

She backed up, a fireball appearing from above her. She shifted her feet, and let her chakra flow into a small cloak to shield her from the harmful effects of the technique. As the flames faded from view, he was there, his fist coming towards her. She blocked it, and held her ground, throwing a punch of her own, which he caught. She pressed forward, her feet grinding into the dust. She pulled back and threw her foot, missing by a millimeter.

Damnit!

She felt him grab the back of her leg, and aim a kick at her kneecap. Akira jumped and spun, throwing a second kick which he dodged. She gritted her teeth, landing on her hands, only to watch as he dashed past her towards Naruto.

I won't let you!

She held a single hand up, and slashed, releasing a huge gust of wind which encircled Naruto, preventing anyone from coming close to him. She finished the cartwheel, watching Madara phase, vanishing in an instant. Her eyes widened, as a single hand grasped her left arm, folding it behind her, and another pulled her off the ground, choking the air from her.

"Akira-chan!"

She watched tears of disbelief flow from the eyes of the only man she'd ever truly loved, and tried to fight, only for the hold to tighten. Black spots emerged from her eyes, and she gasped as her lungs burned for oxygen.

"Let her go!" she heard a familiar voice cry out.

"Naruto for the girl," he replied. She tried to tell him to go to hell, but she could barely even breathe, much less talk.

"Never." She recognized now who was speaking. It was HER Yuki. What surprised her is that she didn't give in...

Why?

"Then she dies."

At that the pressure on her spine increased to the point, she felt the world slipping from her grasp. And like that, the pain was gone. Her vision returned, and she gulped in air gratefully. She looked around unable to see anything but a sphere of blood which held her suspended in the air.

Tenshi's will clashed with his body, which was consumed in agony. He'd saved Akira not a moment too soon. His chakra levels were empty, and he barely had the stamina to keep his kekki genkai activated. He was exhausted, and only wanted rest, but it just so happened that this fight was far from over. He'd recognized the signs that Madara was at his breaking point . At one point in their relationship, Konan had revealed Madara's weakness in his jutsu to him. He'd kept it a secret, and promised the woman that if given the chance that he would take Madara down.

Not done. Have to keep fighting.

You've already used up your chakra. What now?

I will use my Full Wolf Cry.

I...You have already shortened your lifespan to five years! Just keeping your kekki genkai activated is weakening you. If you use your Full Wolf Cry...

I know. I don't have a choice. If I don't stop this fight now, than he could end up winning. I have to take every chance I can to stop him.

The Full Wolf Cry though? You've only used it once!

You and I know why that is. It shortens my lifespan by twenty five years. So that being said, this conversation is over.

I-Don't! Please? I'm begging you. I can't-

Can't what?

I just don't want you to overdo it.

I won't. I promise!

He smiled grimly reaching deep inside him. He was already dying. so what did a couple years matter? He didn't want a wife or kids, and as far as he was concerned, there wasn't a single reason why he should live.

He focused the final ounce of chakra in his body into his eyes, activating the final form of his kekki genkai. He felt his chakra reserves refill, and his wounds heal, his body's natural healing process sped up beyond human capabilities. He shifted as the broken bones reset themselves and healed. As the gash on his cheek finished healing, he checked his chakra, and strength. He was almost running at full capacity. The wounds had taken a grievous amount of blood from his system. He shook his head, slightly dizzy. He had to focus. The Full Wolf Cry Eyes, lasted as long as he had blood in his body. By spinning the pupils in his eyes he could build chakra for jutsu and Blood Release Techniques took an eighth the standard amount of fluids. The cost of such a technique though was his lifespan, essentially was halved. Twenty five years taken away. The worst part was knowing that everytime he'd used his Half Wolf Cry Eyes, his lifespan had been shortened by five years. The poison granted him some immunity to all other poisons, but was killing him.

No wonder the Yusrai don't use their kekki genkai.

He shivered and then bit into his wrist aiming for the vein. As the rusty taste of blood filled his mouth, he focused his chakra. He started with a barrage of blood senbon which phased right through Madara.

"You know you cannot hurt me."

Tenshi smilled, and pointed down at the ground, where Madara stood. He watched his eyes widen in shock.

"Enjoy!"

He clapped his hands together, closing his eyes. He upper cut his hand, blocking with his other, feeling as the entire field in front of Tenshi became swamped in blood.

"Tenshi-kun!"

He smiled as his jutsu rushed towards himself, and the others. He swiped his hand outwards, watching as his jutsu stopped a mere inch in front of him.

"You must know this is futile."

Tenshi smiled, knowing that Madara had a single drop of blood on his cloak, which meant he could not vanish anywhere as long as he was wearing his cloak. Placing a hand to the wall of blood, he focused.

Die!

The water coalesced into a sphere the size of a basketball, compressed. He felt Madara squirm attempting to free himself, and focused harder on the technique, two chakra's fighting against each other. Tenshi's stamina versus Madara's. He glanced at Tenkei , nodding to Tsunade and the others.

Heal them.

I'm on it.

Tenshi focus dropped for a second and he followed Madara as he dashed toward him. He raised his fist, throwing it forward, watching as a wall of blood rushed at his opponent who jumped over it.

"Not done yet!'

He pointed at Madara, two blood hands grasping his ankles and throwing him towards the ground. The clone exploded, and the real one appeared at his left, attacking him. He didn't have time to react the fist breaking through his face.

"You bastard!"

The clone exploded, spraying blood all over Madara. Tenshi focused again, reabsorbing Madara into his prison technique.

Tenshi! Slow down! You're using this too fast.

I can't afford to ease up!

"Tenshi-san. You're using up too much blood. You'll pass out soon, if you keep going like you are," Tsunade stated, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He gritted his teeth and tried to finish Madara before his strength gave out. He knew it was unavoidable, but he had to keep pressing himself to win this fight.

I can't lose!

Tenshi-kun!

Not...not...

His breathing slowed, and he shivered, suddenly unable to feel his extremities. He fell to his knees, holding a single hand up to keep the jutsu in place. He winced, as his vision blurred causing him to see triple.

I'm...gonna...

TENSHI!

A sudden presence filled his being forcing him to release the technique and laying him down.

Akira watched in silence, her eyes unwavering from the shinobi in front of her. He was only fourteen and yet had managed to surpress and damage somebody as strong as Madara. If only for a minute or two. She glanced at Madara, able to smell the fear coming off of him. She would kill for a chance to attack him, but was afraid to leave Naruto's side. The fight was far from ov-

"You'll PAY!" the girl in front of her whispered. An explosion of wind erupted, throwing everything around her in disarray, before sucking debris in, destroying it on contact. The only person able to remain standing during the blast, was Akira, who watched in shock.

Where did this power come from?

"Hmmm?"

"I'll KILL YOU! AS LONG AS THERE IS STRENGTH IN MY BODY THERE IS NO WHERE TO RUN!" she screamed.

A flash later, she was gone. Akira followed her to a tree, and then towards Madara, who phased the attack with seemingly no effort. That is until a single attack shattered the right side of his mask.

Akira watched as the girl vanished from view again, a single shuriken flying towards where she was only to be deflected.

There was another explosion, as the girl dashed toward Madara, throwing air senbon which destroyed the forest around them, and ripped the ground up. Before soon, there was simply a cloud of dust that filled the air, surrounding them. She glanced to the boy, noticing that though everyone was inhaling dust particles there was a small bubble of air that surrounded his body.

Such care...and rage.

She returned her gaze to the fight, noticing that Madara had emerged from the dust, high above the trees, being pursued by Tenkei. Both combatants look worn, and blood covered the female's clothes, which had remained rather clean throughout the fight.

"She's been killed a couple times in that little time? She's extremely upset. Even animalistic I would dare say...No wonder, Tenshi chose her," Tsunade spoke, her voice quivering.

Fear? Why woul-?

The thought never completed itself, as a huge burst of heat surged the air. She glanced up seeing Tenkei covered in black flames, and still pursuing Madara. The fire did nothing more than enrage her, and she watched the girl, continue her pursuit, slashing with a single hand, destroying a good section of the forest behind him. Both combatants landed, Madara gasping, and Tenkei roaring her defiance across the barren and scarred battlefield.

"It seems I underestimated you, brat. I will return...at a later time. Until then, Uzumaki."

The mask swirled once, and Madara was gone. Relief surged through Akira, and she ran to her lover, kissing him deeply. That he was still here and alive, made her happy. She moved her mouth to his ear and hugged him tightly, until a wail of sorrow, ruined her happiness. She turned around to notice that the girl was watching Tenshi with fear. She was trembling and her hands moved to his wrist, healing his wounds.

"Te-tenshi-kun! Why? WHY?" she howled accusingly.

"I had to protect...my...village."

Akira's eyes widened, and she watched him, suddenly overcome with sorrow. Naruto had attacked him the moment he had come into the village. She'd heard the nasty stories of what he'd done. And yet, through it all, he was still loyal. Loyal enough to die for people he'd never met. She glanced to Naruto, noticing his eyes were sad and downcast. She looked around at the ring that formed around the boy. Yuki was crying, Tsunade's face was grim, and taut with emotion. Every person around the boy felt it. A coldness had descended, signalling death's approach.

Icy numbness creeped its way up Tenshi's extremities, his organs failing slowly one by one as he finally succumbed to the poison's effects. He shivered violently and searched for something to hold onto in his last minutes. Anything! Desperate he reached out to the only person who cared about him, reading her mind and thoughts. The many things they had shared. The distinct flavors and feelings that ran through her. He could taste the despair like an acid on his tongue and see himself through her eyes. He looked terrible he had to admit. He felt new thoughts and memories impress themselves upon him, and he gasped in shock. She had kept a few thoughts completely obscured from his view, and now...on his deathbed, had chosen to reveal them.

This may be the f-final time I get to speak with you. If only I had more time! DAMNIT ALL!

What is this...this warmth? This passion...