A/N: Hey! So this interlude is a bit special. Basically, my good friend, Flareix (he has ffn account which you should totally check out if you like Digimon!(he hasn't updated his fic in years)) wrote like 70% of this give or take like 5%. And tbh, he is a better writer than me! He also greatly inspired the character of Ryujin so it's only natural that he has a part to play in his backstory writing.
This is a real new year treat for you guys! Enjoy~ :)

Daisugi Interlude 5: The Ninth's Reign

Eight years ago…

The reinforced steel door shredded like wet paper with a single swipe of Ryujin's hand. Bubbling red chakra rose under the surface of his skin as prominent, jagged whiskers grew on his cheeks. His eyes were blood red, turned to slits.

He entered the large room—more of a cavern, than anything. The pinned corpses to the walls, ages ranging from five to fifty, bothered him no more. He had already lost his dinner during his excursion in the underground complex.

He glared at the sole other soul in the cavern—red slits meeting gold. "Orochimaru," he spat.

"No more 'sensei'?" the Sannin asked, his movements snake-like as he studied his adversary. Ryujin knew he was calculating his best chances of success of killing him. He would have to do it in one attack, however, before Ryujin transformed.

He wouldn't be that fast, that Ryujin knew. Even though he felt safer under the cloak of the Ninth Demon, Ryujin didn't activate it just yet—he and Orochimaru both knew that the second he did, he would be under a timer.

Ignoring the question, Ryujin just responded with one of his own. "Why?"

Orochimaru sighed, making a disappointed tut-tut-tut sound as if scolding an ignorant child. "I thought you were better than that, Ryu—"

"Do not call me that!"

The Sannin rolled his eyes and Ryujin glared as if trying to burn the snake with his mere eyes.

"It's always why, with you like-minded fools," Orochimaru said with little heat. He seemed more exasperated than anything. "I thought you were different, but I suppose I have made a habit of overestimating you."

"Shut up!" The bubbles grew more violent.

"You will always be one of my greatest failures."

A crimson bubbly, oil-like cloak surrounded Ryujin entirely before he forced it back down.

Orochimaru gazed at him disdainfully as he started counting his fingers. "For instance, four years and yet you cannot even willingly form the Version Two cloak yet. Moreover, the mere fact it has taken you this long to figure it out—despite being so close to me—is honestly appalling and speaks volumes of your cognitive ineptness."

Ryujin growled, the sound being less human and more akin to the beast within.

"And of course," Orochimaru continued, "the nail in the coffin—as they say—is you coming here alone. Surely even you must realize how addle-brained and foolish that is? Why do you even hope to achieve here, alone and powerless?"

"Oh, that one was intentional," Ryujin said darkly, canine teeth shimmered the red of his cloak. "I came here alone because I wanted to personally grind your skull in myself."

"You really believe you can take me down? You?" Orochimaru asked with a mocking smirk.

Ryujin gave an identical smirk of his own. "I know I can."

Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation before reaching down his throat, and pulling out the blade of Kusanagi. "Then show me how strong your resolve is, my dear student!" he yelled, charging at Ryujin.

Ryujin dodged, drawing a blade of his own, and then master and student fell into a familiar dance of swordplay. For a second, Ryujin could almost believe that they were just sparring but no, the memories of the atrocities he'd seen flashed forward. This was no spar. Orochimaru was not his sensei. This was a duel.

More than that, it was clear that Orochimaru was not holding back as he often would in their spars. Even in the version zero cloak, Ryujin could barely keep up and the Sannin was quickly and surely gaining the edge.

But Ryujin wasn't holding back either, not anymore. Parrying another slice, using raw speed, he flashed behind the Sannin who reacted nigh instantly as a Rasengan slammed into him, causing a dust cloud to form.

Only the Kyuubi-enhanced hearing saved Ryujin from having his neck cut off as he dodged, seeing the dust disappear, and found several dead snakes where he hit the Rasengan.

"Predictable," Orochimaru said disappointedly—like a lecture—like he was still his sensei. Ryujin felt a surge of rage before biting it down. He grabbed his sword with both hands this time and rushed the Sannin once more.

Like before, Ryujin was quickly losing ground. He saw the growing boredom in Orochimaru's eyes, the fight being even less of a matter of life or death but rather a stale pastime. Ryujin could see how Orochimaru changed his grip on Kusanagi, expecting him to dodge and compensated—

—SLICE! Ryujin didn't, the Kusanagi stabbing through his right lung as an orb of blue formed in his left hand—"RASENGAN—!"

BOOM!

The Rasengan connected this time and Ryujin dissolved into fire before reforming, his wound gone. It was one of the Sannin's techniques, his special type of substitution. It costed a lot of chakra but if done quickly enough, could even reverse lethal damage.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who knew that technique as Ryujin saw a cluster of snakes gather before forming back into the Sannin.

"Impulsive," the Sannin said simply but his voice no longer had the lack of inflection. He glared at his former student.

Ryujin gave a mocking smirk. It may have seemed like nothing was achieved, except… Ryujin breathed, calling forth the Ninth's chakra, and felt his own reserves replenish.

He was making progress.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue again, apparently having sensed Ryujin access the Kyuubi. "Really? Stalling? I did not expect a battle like this with you to be so… stale, Ryujin."

Ryujin glared. "Then how did you expect this to go down?"

"Like a true clash between monsters. Not a simple game of hit and run like a coward."

The Kyuubi's host hissed, "I'm no monster nor coward."

Orochimaru sighed. "I suppose that's true. You're no monster, you're weak. Without that demon, you're nothing compared to me. Ironically, I feel you were impressive before all this… Shame that Minato had to go and die—irritating as that fool was, he was at least entertaining to watch. I was excited to see how long I would've been able to keep up the guise under him…"

"Do not insult my Hokage!" Ryujin roared.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "I'm not, truly. As much as I loathed him, no one—not even I—could deny his skill." He gave Ryujin a piercing gaze. "I had high hopes for you—I thought, perhaps, I could mold you into the Second Flash, a worthwhile foe. But, no, you are just another disappointment."

Ryujin's aura flared as the bubbles fully enclosed him. "Am I now—"

STAB

The Sannin closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, stabbing Ryujin right through the heart. Before he could even react, Orochimaru stabbed him a dozen more times in every part of his body and Ryujin collapsed, blood leaking out of his countless searing wounds.

"Yes,," Orochimaru spat before turning around, muttering to himself. "Now, enough of that. I still have time to collect my more valuable projects. Shame Yamato's so far away, with Shimura. No matter, I'll be able to claim him once again in time… Shinrai, too. The little flash as well, if I'm able. Rendering Konoha Jinchuriki-less will be very useful…"

He snapped his fingers, grinning. "In hindsight, perhaps this is the best. I've always wanted to experiment with a Jinchuriki. One that is a descendent of both Uzumaki blood and Namikaze himself, with the Kyuubi sealed into him… oh yes," the Sannin practically purred, licking his lips. "I should have done this long before myself…"

Orochimaru walked to cross the threshold of the room, ready to leave when an eruption of fire blocked his exit.

"I'll kill you before I let you lay a hand on narUTO!" Ryujin roared behind him. Orochimaru looked back, seeing the Jonin completely woundless and covered in red chakra.

With three red, translucent tails spinning in tandem behind him.

"My, my, this is new," Orochimaru noted, golden eyes shimmering with excitement for the first time in the bout. "Are you angry, little ash~? Don't be, you won't live long enough to regret it!" He stabbed forward, Kusanagi extending and crossing the distance in a blink.

Ryujin caught the blade with his hands—no, claws and stopped it from impaling him. It could not even pierce his chakra cloak. He growled.

"Oh!" Orochimaru cackled. "This will do, this will do indeed little Ryu."

Ryujin's response was an earth-shattering roar. The very room cracked with rocks and dust tumbling down from the ceiling. Like the snake he was, Orochimaru coiled around Ryujin's cloak—seemingly abandoning the blade of Kusanagi. Searing and the smell of burning flesh assaulted Ryujin's enhanced sense of smell.

Fire blew from Ryujin like a nova—another nova of water attacked the fire—overcame it—pierced his cloak. The water seemed to be battling against the very nature of Ryujin's cloak—the Yin battled with the Yang.

Orochimaru appeared again and Kusanagi glowed, in his grip once again. It barely pierced the cloak. A clawed hand of pure chakra punched Orochimaru clean through the chest. From behind Orochimaru appeared and sliced at Ryujin—a tail slammed him into the cave walls.

A crimson flash and Orochimaru's head was reduced to mush. Ten Orochimarus sprouted from the ground, weaving hand seals in tandem. "This should seem familiar to you, Ryu."

He growled, striking at the Orochimarus—only for them to fade into nothing. Genjutsu!

"Adamantine Serpent!"

From above, a snake of pure gold appeared from a seal and slammed into Ryujin's back. It snapped in two with his cloak losing all boil, turning flat. Orochimaru turned on Ryujin, cutting his blade arm off his body—through the cloak.

Ryujin screamed, the arm barely regenerating as Orochimaru kicked his face in. He felt his very brain jostle within his skull with incredible strength—like that of the Slug Sannin. The leg Orochimaru used to kick Ryujin was nothing but dangling mush.

Ignoring all of his wounds, a roar, and a blazing charge incinerated everything in the cave as if it was engulfed entirely with fire. "Fire Style: Infernal Hellscape!"

Another mass of water blasted Ryujin's fire into non-existence.

Orochimaru was there, unscathed with a sadistic smirk on his face. Agonizing growls of guttural fury rumbled the cave. More debris collapsed from the ceiling. Orochimaru's tongue wrapped around the Kusanagi, ingesting every drop of Ryujin's blood that was on it.

"Okay, Ryu… I think we can afford to dance for a little longer."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

The Third Hokage, in his battle attire, ran across the rooftops of his village with speed that did not match his age. He hoped he was wrong, truly, but the evidence was too damning. Keeping pace with him was his student, the Toad Sage Jiraiya and the third member of their group was Miya, her Eight Inner Gates and Adamantine allowed her to keep pace.

It was times like these when Hiruzen cursed his old age. There was so much time lost as he wasted away in his deteriorating body. None of them could afford to waste a single second. He couldn't even take the time to enter Sage Mode. Why, Orochi, why…?

Especially with Ryujin ahead of them, doubtlessly acting recklessly. It took them minutes—minutes they could not afford—to reach the complex. The entrance was already blown down, a circular crater in the otherwise steel door.

"Rasengan," Jiraiya muttered with a narrowing of his eyes. Hiruzen nodded and noted that it was stronger than any of Ryujin's normal attacks should have been. He must have been using the Kyuubi.

"Make haste, we cannot afford to stop here," Hiruzen said instead and the three shinobi flickered into the hidden base. A base that, despite being in Hiruzen's own territory or village, he had no idea existed until only recently.

There were a lot of things he didn't know until recently. It took them only a few minutes to traverse through the compound, following the trail of destruction and bodies Ryujin left. Miya had to stop for a second at all the carnage and atrocities that went down. Hiruzen went to console her, but she couldn't listen, too horrified.

It was only when Jiraiya yelled at her, something he'd never done before, that she snapped out of it. That was the last hiccup before they joined the battle in the final room. Ryujin was more animalistic than he ever was before, more beast than human. And Orochimaru… Orochimaru was laughing.

"Come on! Is this the best you can do, little ash?!" the Snake Sannin demanded, dodging a violet Rasengan.

The two combatants froze upon sensing the three arrive, though it seemed to take physical exertion on Ryujin's part.

"And now the cavalry's arrived," Orochimaru nearly growled, seemingly miffed at having their duel interrupted.

"Orochimaru…." Hiruzen started.

"Don't. Let's cut the preamble, I already know what you're going to ask and all I have to say is that you would never understand. None of you would." His former student waved him off as if they were just a simple afterthought.

Jiraiya, predictably, did not appreciate this. "Then how about we skip the hard part too?!" he spat, his voice carrying an uncharacteristic venom. "You know you won't be able to escape, not against all four of us."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru said, seemingly undisturbed. With growing dread, Hiruzen realized he could not tell if the nonchalance was faked or not. His student turned to Ryujin. "And here I thought you wanted to win personally. Will you really accept help in this endeavor?"

For a second, as much as Hiruzen hated it, he felt a stab of fear, questioning if Ryujin would actually—

The Jinchuriki snorted. "You really are worried, if you're being this transparent." Instantly the nonchalance disappeared in a flicker of rage on the snake's face before returning back.

Even still, the venom in the snake's eyes seemed to bleed gold. "Transparent, eh? You're calling me transparent? Of all the irony…" The remnants of irritability curled Orochimaru's face into the widest, most unsettling grin any of them had seen.

All of them stepped back—besides Ryujin. A despicable presence warped their minds—killing intent of the most sadistic nature even outmatched Ryujin's with his Kyuubi-fueled cloak. The minds of everyone there were warped as if their own chakra wasn't their own—their own mind wasn't their own… merely Orochimaru's plaything.

It didn't take long for Hiruzen to get a hold of himself—Jiraiya was still fighting—Miya was losing—Ryujin was—Orochimaru's serpentine fangs dripped with golden venom as he finally spoke. "If I am transparent, then you're as see-through as the very air between us.

"All of you are so angry because you refuse to forsake the meaningless, those so-called bonds. The trauma of the Kyuubi's attack affected you all so deeply. All of you regressed to the most pathetic versions of yourselves!"

Orochimaru cackled, the dropping venom seared the floor like acid. "The life of Minato Namikaze meant nothing if it was snuffed out so quickly. Power with no purpose. The same applies to his pathetic wife, that utter failure of a Jinchurki Kushina Uzumaki.

"A woman so pitiful that she was unable to raise her own child."

"HOW DARE YOU—!" roared Miya, stepping forward with just her foot making the cavern shake.

Orochimaru turned his seething glare to her. "And what have you done to fill that? You failed to be the Jinchurki. You failed to be there for Naruto. You're equally disgraceful as she was."

Hiruzen had to hold her back from making a foolish attack. To Hiruzen's surprise, Ryujin kept his cool; he didn't attack. The mind games weren't having a strong effect on him—hopefully.

That didn't stop the churning boil of his cloak.

Hiruzen's grip on Miya's shoulder was tight, stern; she didn't look his way, keeping her Adamantine gaze on Orochimaru. "He's playing you! Don't fall for his game!"

"You… Sensei," Orochimaru spat the title. "You're the biggest disgrace of all. In all of your years, in all of your experience and your power. All you've done is make mistake after mistake. You allowed your beloved Sannin to fall apart at the seams. You started two Shinobi Wars, allowing for the death of countless Konoha Shinobi.

"And now, you fall apart with your old age. Wasting away into dust."

"Is your fate truly much better, Orochimaru?" asked Hiruzen, unphased by the truth. "All you've worked for will end here. You will become a waste. You will die and your life will have become meaningless. All because you refused what was right and chose the path of evil."

"Oh… is that right?" asked Orochimaru… slowly… methodically… sadistically. "I think there's a different evil you should worry about."

Hiruzen's heart dropped. The Kyuubi—

The Kyuubi's chakra exploded but it wasn't from Ryujin—his crimson eyes were wide as he looked at—Hiruzen whirled his staff. "OROCHIMARU!"

Miya snarled with the agony of a burning blade in her chest. A crimson-glowing Kusagani impaled her. Both Jiraiya and Hiruzen dashed at the same time Adamantine chains sprouted from Miya's back—

—An eruption of evil quite literally froze Jiraiya, Miya, and even Hiruzen. Orochimaru watched on with sadistic pleasure, drawing his blade from Miya. The pressure, the sheer maliciousness was enough to make even those battle-ridden, war veterans pause. There was only one aura that could ever hope to achieve that.

The aura of the Ninth Demon.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Helpless, he was helpless—weak, child—

Malevolence incarnate roared—

His chakra, the Kyuubi's chakra flared—

Impaled, his two stars bled red—

—coughing, his only family bled red—

The claw pulled back—the sword retracted—

—Yellow and red fell over, like candles snuffed out—

—Black and red stumbled, frame weak, chakra fleeting—

No, no, not again PLEASE!

Miya screamed—

—Kushina screamed

Blood poured from her mouth—

—Blood spat from her throat.

The life drained from Miya's adamantine eyes—

—There was no life in Kushina's eyes.

"NOT AGAIN!"

A roar like a tidal wave.

A scream of evil.

Crack. Like glass, his mind fractured…

…and the Kyuubi seized the pieces.

Give into me… and it will never happen again.

His vision swayed... Never…

Power like never before flooded him.

…again?

The Kyuubi's claws dug into his soul—and so did Orochimaru's fangs.

Never again.

Crimson slits churned soulless white.

The black of his mind bled…crimson.

Ryujin let go.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

There was an axiom, that all shinobi who fought the Bijuu or their Jinchuriki knew. The protocols, if you will, to handle a Bijuu attack:

You overwhelm the Ichibi, take it out quickly before it can drown everything in sand.

You limit the Nibi's movements, keep the civilians away, and wear it out; limit the dead.

You flay the Sanbi, evaporate its water, and keep it away from the sea.

You harass the Yonbi, destroy its pillars, and prevent it from gathering natural energy.

You blind the Gobi, limit its ability to identify who it's fighting, and tag out frequently; never let it adapt.

You trap the Rokubi and its Namekuji, preventing it from spreading its acid and from decomposing the earth.

You chain the Nanabi, preventing it from reaching the skies above; keep it anchored to the earth.

You blitz the Hachibi, damage and cripple it before it reaches full strength.

But for the Kyuubi? For the Kyuubi...

For the Kyuubi, you pray.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

As one, the four turned to Ryujin. His skin was completely peeled off, smoke fading off of him, the smoke of his charred flesh. The red cloak was so dense that it was no longer translucent but opaque. Dark. Evil.

And the most damning thing of all was the fourth tail that lazily swayed behind him.

"Version Two…" Hiruzen heard someone mutter. He couldn't place a name on the voice, too shaken as his mind flashed back to the painful, tragedy-filled night four years ago. "R-Ryujin…?" the Hokage managed to ask, his voice shaking.

The thing looked him directly in the eyes, white holes where Ryujin's eyes should have been, and smiled, inside of its mouth pure white and wrong.

Fear spiked like never before in Hiruzen; that smile, it was not righ—

SLITCCHK

Miya screamed and Hiruzen whipped his head back to see the Uzumaki's stomach torn open, guts spilling out. The Kyuubi grinned in front of her, moving its claw to slice down her neck. Feebly, Miya tried to conjure some Adamantine Chains to save herself but could not even form a single gold chain.

Only Jiraiya's quick timing saved her, Rasengan slamming into the Kyuubi. Hiruzen saw the red pigmentations around his student's eyes, his elder toad summons on his shoulder, and felt hope—

Jiraiya screamed, the Rasengan turned to less than even dust and the Kyuubi grabbed his arm, completely unharmed. Mere contact burned Jiraiya's skin, blistering it. With a casual afterthought, the Kyuubi crushed Jiraiya's hand with a sickening CRUNCH.

Finally, over his stupor, the Hokage rushed the Kyuubi, drawing several handseals as he did.

Several things happened at once: Jiraiya yelled at all of them, warning them Orochimaru was escaping. The Kyuubi threw Jiraiya at his sensei. The Kyuubi slammed down onto the floor, cracking concrete and forming a dust cloud—obscuring everyone's vision.

Hiruzen caught his student and whirled around at the sound of a scream. The dust settled and Orochimaru's left arm was cut off, half his chest charred as the Kyuubi blocked the exit. The smile widened, taking up over half its face in an unnatural way.

That smile was his last sight before a crimson blur.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Red, all she saw was red, coughing out her own intestines. The Kyuubi's jutsu finished as a red cube trapped them all. A barrier. Orochimaru wasted no time in stabbing it with his Kusanagi. The tip of the blade chipped off, the barrier completely pristine.

Miya's vision swayed as she stumbled. Is… is this it? She wondered, strength leaving her body. A laugh almost escaped her, coming more as a bloody cough. When I said you'd… be the death of me, this… isn't what I meant, R…yu.

Miya fell.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"MA! GO!" Jiraiya roared as he blasted white-hot flames at the monster. The female elder toad wasted no time in rushing toward the fallen Uzumaki, hands glowing with medical ninjutsu. Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay—

A claw slashed toward him and only Sage Mode's precognition saved Jiraiya from getting his head severed. In that same motion, an Odama Rasengan slammed into Kyuubi. The chakra orb itself took more damage than the Kyuubi itself.

Still, it bought them some time, and with Sage Mode's senses, Jiraiya grinned upon realizing Hiruzen had summoned Enma. He turned back to the still-trapped Kyuubi. "RYUJIN! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE BRAT! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS, DON'T LET THE DAMNED KYUUBI TAKE OVE—!"

An extended crimson claw tore through the Rasengan and cut straight through Jiraiya's stomach. He coughed up blood, just as Hiruzen charged in with the Monkey King Enma by his side, his Adamantine Staff in hand.

The Kyuubi dodged, grinning at them, its awareness clear as day. He tore through Enma with a swipe of his claw, causing him to puff away with a scream.

Jiraiya paled, trying to use a meager medical ninjutsu to close his wound. We're fucked, we're so fucked—the kid's completely gone. A glance at his sensei showed he had reached the same conclusion.

The Kyuubi took a step forward—

—Jiraiya stepped back in fear—

—the Kyuubi disappeared.

Orochimaru screamed behind them, now armless as his Kusanagi was shattered in two. The Kyuubi pounced on him, just pounding on the Snake Sannin over and over and over as a creator formed from each blow.

The snake's screams of agony were deafening. Jiraiya shared a look with his Hokage and saw the conflicting desire to help the monster, once a teammate. A look he was sure was reflected in his own pigmented eyes.

Somehow, Jiraiya forced himself to shake his head. No, he deserves this. This is our only chance. Grimly, Hiruzen nodded.

Chakra whirled in Jiraiya's hand, a giant Rasengan forming.

The Rasengan screeched as it shrunk. Beside him, Hiruzen created four clones, the five all weaving hand seals. The Hokage called and the elements answered: wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning all surrounded the five doppelgangers until they condensed into a single point—a line.

A blade.

Jiraiya's own technique was now complete: a tiny sparkle like Rasengan, smaller than even the normal one.

But infinitely more powerful.

Had it not been for Sage Mode, the sheer weight of the jutsu would have crushed his arm.

With one look at his sensei's, the six Kage-level shinobi charged.

The Kyuubi finally looked up at them, Orochimaru's form now little more than a mangle of burnt flesh and paste. It actually frowned, getting up to mov—

Two dozen golden chains erupted from behind the beast, holding it in place. The Kyuubi roared, several chains shattering but it was enough—

"Sage Art: Neutron Rasengan!"

"Five Elementals: Blades of Nirvana!"

The Kyuubi screamed in pain, five chakra blades impaling him from all sides as Jiraiya slammed the neutron Rasengan straight into its chest.

Skins of chakra flayed off and the screeches of agony continued but Jiraiya didn't stop. It would kill Ryujin, he knew, but he had to—

—there was no other way—

A fifth tail erupted behind the monster.

The blades shattered. With one swipe, all of Hiruzen's clones were torn to shreds, the real one's lung completely ruined and visible for all the world to see.

And as for Jiraiya?

The Neutron Rasengan exploded, shattering every bone of his right arm, rendering it utterly useless.

Jiraiya was thrown back as only Sage Mode's increased durability saved him from total oblivion. Hiruzen, however, was less fortunate, wheezing as his spine was cracked upon hitting the wall. The old man wheezed, spitting out blood.

The Hokage fell, his head lolling to the side, limp.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

This is the end, Miya thought, watching their final gambit fail before her very eyes. The Hokage was out for the count completely, if not forever, and Jiraiya was no better.

She didn't even try, arms falling limply by her side waiting for the demon that was once her cousin to drag her to Hell.

But. The Kyuubi didn't. It was subtle at first but Miya realized it, all the same, the heaving breaths of the monster, the weighed movements as if in pain.

Her eyes widened. It's too much—The power, Ryu can't—

The sound of a sword slicing the air cut her thoughts as Orochimaru, sweating and breathing heavily but otherwise seemingly unharmed, charged the beast. Clones erupted next to him as hundreds of snakes poured from the Sannin's' mouth, slithering toward the Kyuubi.

A single swipe.

A single swipe of the Kyuubi's arm and all the snakes, all without fail, were rendered into a mess of scales, flesh, and blood. Orochimaru spat, snarling at the Kyuubi. "It seems that I've underestimated you…" The Kyuubi grinned back with its white void of a mouth. The Sannin tried a different approach, exuding poisonous gas.

The Kyuubi roared, vaporizing the gas instantly, and severed Orochimaru in two. "ARE YOU GOING TO JUST STAND THERE, YOU USELESS WOMAN?!" he roared, reforming from a puddle of snakes.

Miya was tempted to do just that, leave the Sannin for the Reaper to claim, but logic won out and she knew their best chance was if they all worked together. Forming her hands into a familiar plus shape, two dozen doppelgangers of herself appeared.

Golden light filled the room as over nine dozen Adamantine Chains shot toward the Kyuubi. Exactly half vaporized on contact but the other half stabbed the monster, trying to restrain it. Orochimaru took the opportunity to create five clones, each of which coated their broken Kusanagi in elemental chakra and stabbed the almost restrained Kyuubi.

The fox roared in pain and the real Orochimaru moved to cut off its head, causing Miya to scream, "NO!"

But she needn't be worried as the Kyuubi closed its eyes…

And a second Kyuubi, five swirling tails and all, grew from the original like a fermented limb.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"Jiraiya, Jiraiya! Jiraiya-boy, you have to wake up!" On the other side of the cavern, the Toad Sannin groaned, opening his eyes with herculean effort. Fukasaku stood on his chest, urging him up.

"Wha-what?" the Sannin groaned. "What… happen—" His memories flashed back and Jiraiya's eyes widened. He immediately tried to get up but let out a scream of pain as his entire body felt like it was on fire.

He couldn't move his arms. His left eye was weak, blurry. His nose, crushed—he couldn't even smell the rising smoke or ash. Blood trailed down his face from the slash that cut almost to the bone of his skull.

Worst of all, he was out of Sage Mode and thus couldn't tell what was happening on the battlefield, nor could he see from his current posture. "How… how's it looking?"

"Bad, Jiraiya-boy," Shima answered. "Your old teammate and the girlie are barely holding it together… they're only alive because that monster is toying with them…"

Jiraiya cursed. "Then… then this is our only chance, before… before it gets bored."

"What can we do, Jiraiya-boy?" Fukasaku asked with a shake of his head, "We're outmatched, plain 'n simple. And ol' Minato-boy isn't here to bail us out this time…"

Jiraiya ignored the stab of pain in his heart, completely unrelated to his physical condition. He shook his head. "He's not… but that's why it's up to us, n-now…"

"What can we do?" Shima repeated.

"Heal me," Jiraiya said, "I just need to move, that's all… I got an idea…" He groaned, forcing himself up, and explained his plan, looking over at the downed Hokage.

Fukasaku's eyes widened. "But Jiraiya-boy, we haven't perfected that yet! It could kill him!"

"He's going to die regardless if we don't do anything!" Jiraiya snapped back. He took a deep breath. "Please. It's our only shot."

Fukasaku and Shima looked reluctant but after a moment's hesitation, nodded. "We'll do it."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✦ .⋅} ────── ⊰

The second Kyuubi ripped Orochimaru's arm off and roared, dispersing half the clones. Its tails extended toward the original, shattering the chains and swords pinning it down. The two demons roared in triumph.

"Nice going, fucking genius!" Miya yelled at the healing Orochimaru as he ducked under the swipe of an extended claw.

Orochimaru hissed at her as he reformed a ways away, creating a clone. Simultaneously, the two snakes began weaving seals. Blasts of water and wind hit the two Kyuubi's, creating a prison of ice.

The Bijuu were slowed, but hardly. Still, it gave enough time for Miya to—

"Adamantine Spear!" A spear of Adamantine chains stabbed into the second Kyuubi who snarled before ripping the chain in two.

Barely, she managed to block a claw with her chains—they were ripped in half. The excessive Adamantine chakra gave her the perfect opportunity to—"THIRD GATE! GATE OF LIMIT! OPEN!" A golden blast of chakra flickered across the arena. The second Kyuubi ripped her back open—through her chakra—like it wasn't even there.

Chains sprouted from her back and grabbed it. Kyuubi shredded them. A pit of white snakes churned and attempted to suffocate the twin devils. In nothing but a roar, they were ash. Miya focused her sights on the Kyuubi in front of her—Ryu. A scream tore at her throat and her Adamantine aura exploded.

"ADAMANTINE DRAGON FIST!" A dragon of nigh-indestructible chakra formed as she bolted toward Kyuubi. A devilish smirk crossed its face. It made her sick but she powered forward. The dragon whirled around her and struck Kyuubi in its—Ryu's—face. The dragon shattered into Adamantine mist.

A sickening feeling sank in her gut. Time slowed down for Miya as her head went empty, no thoughts or flashes of life as the point-blank Bijuu Bomb was about to turn her into ash—

THWACKK.

A kick sent the Kyuubi flying from one end of the cavern to the other. The cloned Kyuubi turned to face the aggressor from turning Orochimaru to mush and had its face slammed into the ground. Miya gasped as her Hokage stood ahead of her, strong and fixed like the warriors of the old. He turned to face her, Sage Rings surrounding his eyes and Fukasaku and Shima on his shoulders, their eyes strained close in pain.

Her eyes widened. "L-Lord Hokage—"

"Do not worry, I am here," he said, his foot over the cloned Kyuubi—keeping it immobile. "Worry not Miya, I shall take care of this."

Even without any dojutsu, Miya could see the strain on his body—his chakra. It was ripping itself to shreds. It didn't mean a damn thing to The Professor.

The real Kyuubi shot a chakra laser at the two but Hiruzen spun his Adamantine Staff, chakra coating it and blocked the attack. The second Kyuubi roared and grabbed the Hokage's leg, trying to tear it off but the Professor simply threw him into the original.

Knowing they were outclassed, the two Kyuubi's merged back into one but that didn't deter the Hokage as he rushed forth, staff meeting claw. Chakra arms grew out from the Kyuubi but they missed their target as the Hokage dodged them without issue.

The Kyuubi appeared in front of Hiruzen and their fists clashed, the shockwave forming a crater below. The Kyuubi snarled, throwing the Hokage back. Four heads, two on each side, grew out from the original; five in total. The hydra-like Kyuubi roared five times over, an elemental blast forming in each mouth.

"Cataclysm!" Hiruzen cursed, trying to dodge but an unseen force held him in place, like gravity itself denied him movement. Grimacing, the Hokage went with his only other option and formed four clones, each preparing an elemental jutsu.

The elements answered and they breathed in gently and roared—

"SAGE ART: FIVE ELEMENTALS! DRAGONS OF NIRVANA!" A dragon of each element flew through the air, clashing with the Kyuubi's elemental Cataclysm. An explosion of light ensued as both fighters were pushed back, the attacks canceling out.

Miya's eyes narrowed from the flash. I can't just keep standing here—her Adamantine Aura roared and she weaved hand seals. "Constriction Seal!" Golden ink spread across the floor and wrapped around the Kyuubi—saving Hiruzen from a claw. Adamantine Chains sprouted from the seal and constricted it. More seals sprouted—so did more chains—an infinite loop.

Of course, Kyuubi eradicated that loop. It even had enough time to catch Hiruzen's staff—jabbing it into the Hokage's gut. It was a miracle he wasn't impaled.

"Land Style!" began Orochimaru, slamming his hands to the floor. "Serpent's Bog!" The ground sank—bringing Kyuubi with it. White snakes the length of a house snapped their fangs against its hide. Immediately, Miya weaved hand seals.

"Water Style: Adamantine Jet Helix!" Golden waves whirled into a golden liquid helix that struck Kyuubi in Ryu's face. It was pushed into the waves—Hiruzen was above, concluding his own set of hand seals.

"Lightning Release: Tri-Thunderous Dragons!" With a thunderclap clap, three dragons bolted in a flash. Miya's Adamantine water jolted with voltage. It combined with Orochimaru's land to result in a shattering eruption of three enhanced elements.

Bloody red chakra grew from the resulting crater. Nine half-body Kyuubi phantoms raged. All nine rasped in tandem, "Shinra Tensei."

Miya barely had time to register anything as she was blown to the opposite side of the cavern. Her head slammed against the wall—Adamantine protected her—all she could think was. That was Ryu's voice…

Hiruzen's scream broke her from her thoughts—his lung flew across the cavern, drenched with blood. Another uttering of Shinra Tensei flung Hiruzen into the barrier's wall. Miya yelled, "Wind Style: Fujin's Golden Wind!"

At the same time, Orochimaru shouted, "Blaze Style: Serpentine HELL!" Black-ish red flames burned in the form of a pit of serpents. He and Miya's jutsu burned together—fires of equally black and white churned in a hellish blaze.

Kyuubi swiped it away with a single claw.

The redirected hell burned everyone present—Miya growled as she doused herself with golden water. Orochimaru did the same with his own shade of liquid. Kyuubi looked at Miya— her breath hitched and fear steeled her frozen. She heard Ryu's voice again. This time, he said, "Bansho Ten'in."

An ethereal force pulled Miya in—the inside of her torso burned as Kyuubi's chakra seared through her chest. Her chest—there was a hole in her chest—he impaled me! With all the self-control she could muster—another constricting seal wrapped the Kyuubi hundreds of times more with the sheer force of Adamantine. Her chakra's existence was the Kyuubi's weakness and she used that.

She screamed through the pain and agony as floods of Adamantine poured from her body, through the seal, and onto the Kyuubi. A pillar—no, a staff—embedded itself into the Kyuubi's back. The staff pushed against the ceiling of the barrier, thrusting down and holding the Kyuubi in place.

"Earth Release…! Swamp of the Underworld!" barely yelled Jiraiya, creating a swamp that the Kyuubi sank into.

Kyuubi looked Miya in her golden eyes. The spike of fear only drew more Adamantine from her—further suppressing the Kyuubi's power. It screamed out and a blade of chakra shot out at Miya's throat—to take her head off.

It stopped mere inches from Miya's neck.

From the other side of the cavern, Hiruzen's hands were in the Mind Seal before he and the rest of his body fell limp to the floor. Two clones from either side—of Hiruzen—weaved the Shadow Seal. "Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!" The shrouded cave turned against the Kyuubi and constricted him entirely with Adamantine and Shadow.

Orochimaru… wasn't anywhere to be seen.

It was sudden—Hiruzen yelled and the Kyuubi screamed—Ryu's scream, his voice, his consciousness. He yelled out and the chakra blade near Miya's neck pulled back. It was a moment of weakness, heavy suppression held the Kyuubi down, and Ryu found himself able to fight back.

"FINISH IT MIYA!" ordered the lung-less Hiruzen, barely gasping for air.

She was hardly able to weave hand seals but she forced herself too.

Before she could even start, the snake found his time to strike.

His lower body that of a white serpent, Orochimaru blitzed forward—slithering into Jiraiya's swamp, right where Ryu's seal was. Cursed flames of violent violet struck the Eight Trigrams of the Kyuubi's prison. The Kyuubi screamed out—bursting the eardrums of all present. Cursed marks suffocated the five-tailed cloak before it was pulled into the seal.

Version two chakra seeped into Orochimaru's hand as he chuckled darkly. What was left of Ryujin was a smoldering, skinless half corpse. The snake simply threw him out of his way and rose out of the swamp. His white snake's tail melted off, and human legs came out. Orochimaru leisurely walked out of the Kyuubi's falling barrier.

He looked back. "I admit, Sensei, Jiraiya… it was quite nostalgic fighting alongside you one last time. But, the Kyuubi has been taken care of, so we can no longer call ourselves allies."

"Orochi…maru…" rasped Hiruzen, vomiting up heaps of blood.

A smirk slithered across his face. "Goodbye, Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru sliced off his own head—the corpse fell in a heap.

They all knew Orochimaru wasn't dead. Just gone.

Miya gasped for air—her Adamantine faded and so did the power of her gates. Ryu's arm was still inside the open wound through her chest. His arm was nothing but smoldered and shredded muscle. She didn't have the strength to move. She was forced to look at his hollow face—his teeth were seared black with no skin to hide it. He had no eyelids to cover the horrific image of his melted eyes.

All she could do was look until she lost consciousness… and what she expected to be her life.

⊱~fin~⊰