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Tailed Beast

Orochimaru landed off to one side, laughing as he watched the new clone grow. A moment later, they had formed into Naruto's Tailed Beast Cloak Version Two with four tails. Ryuu's gut dropped just as Orochimaru appeared behind the clone, shoving a kunai with a control tag into the back of its head. Then, the clone snarled, spinning and swiping at him, Orochimaru using his Quick Style to avoid the swipe, glaring at the clone with his two Dojutsu.

"Too late," Orochimaru said, forming hand seals. "You're mine!"

His chakra pulsed and the clone began to twitch and spasm, roaring angrily, the kunai falling out of its head and the tag burning away. Then, it spun, flashing across the distance to Hinata, fist cocked back. There was no time to react, and Hinata couldn't even scream before the punch flew. And then, it breezed past her head, Naruto's arms suddenly locked around her as he tackled her out of the way, allowing the clone to flash past harmlessly.

As it stopped, it roared angrily, turning back toward them, only for Ryuu's shell-encased fist to explode into its face, hurling it away. He looked back at Orochimaru, who was watching interestedly. He formed the Ram Hand Seal and a coffin shot up behind each of the reanimated shinobi he'd summoned, all of them being pulled back into the coffins before the coffins faded.

Ryuu turned back to the clone as it roared again. Then, it launched itself toward Dokku and the others, only for Guy and Lee to appear beside it, their feet crashing into its side and sending it blasting down the street away from everyone. As they stood, Ryuu appeared behind Orochimaru, who spun, his bone blade and Blood Sword clashing with Ryuu's Vacuum Blade rapidly for several long seconds before he leapt away just in time to receive a shallow gash across the abdomen. Then, as he landed, Hei and Lena landed behind him, both slashing. He used his Quick Style to avoid their strikes, but as soon as he stopped, Ryuu smashed a shell-enhanced kick into his face launching him. He flipped, landing on his feet, then huffed, burning away in seconds.

"Thanks for the help," Ryuu said. "Where's Yamato?"

"He sent Guy to help out here, since Guy can apparently use the Eight Inner Gates and, therefor, could help you against Orochimaru, if he hadn't left," Hei said.

"Since Yamato and Guy were fighting Hidan and Deidara at the time, Asuna stayed to help him," Lena said.

"They're fighting Deidara and Hidan!?" Ryuu asked. "How did I not know this?"

"They're probably out of range of your senses," Hei said. "They're also out of range of us seeing or hearing the explosions, so it's entirely possible."

Ryuu nodded, sighing, then looked back at the Nine-tails clone. "This is going to be a rough one."

"We'll be okay," Lena said. "Everyone's here."

Just then, as the clone moved to attack Hinata again, Kiba and Akamaru exploded into it in a pair of spiraling grey blurs, launching it away before Neji blasted it with an Eight Trigrams Air Palm, a massive blast of compressed air. The clone roared in rage, flipping, only for Choji to explode down on its back, then get yanked away by Shikamaru's shadow. It stood, roaring again.

"Everyone be ready!" Kakashi said, appearing beside Naruto and Hinata, Naruto unconscious again and Hinata in the process of transferring him her chakra. "This thing is-"

Just then, dozens of coffins erupted from the ground around them. Kakashi swore, yanking his forehead protector up as Ryuu and the two Homunculus with him leapt down to stand with Fu. Some of the shinobi he knew, like Inabi and Hayate, but most he didn't recognize. Sakumo wasn't present, fortunately, and it seemed most of them were basic soldiers. However, just as the reanimated shinobi began to charge, the clone exploded forward, punching Lee before he could react and sending him bouncing away. It skidded around and leapt into the air, using its extending arms and legs to strike at Guy before Ryuu and Fu both exploded into it, Ryuu with Isobu's shell around his forearms and fists and Fu in her own Tailed Beast Cloak Version Two with four wings and her tail. The clone roared angrily, exploding down on the beach, and Ryuu glanced down, seeing the others doing admirably fending off the reanimated shinobi.

"Lee, Guy, we'll deal with the Nine-tails clone!" Ryuu shouted. "Help the others!"

Guy nodded just as Orochimaru appeared in the air behind Ryuu. Ryuu spun, deflecting his bone blade with his shell, then twisted, drilling a fist into his face as he flipped, sending him exploding into the Nine-tails clone, which batted him aside instantly. Orochimaru flipped, landing on his feet on the water as Ryuu appeared in front of him, Fu crashing down on the Nine-tails clone and moving to try and keep it busy.

"You have a lot of faith to allow her to fight such a powerful opponent without you while she's pregnant," Orochimaru hissed.

"Right now, there's no other choice," Ryuu said, Isobu's shell spreading to just below his shoulders, also covering his legs to just below his hips. "I'm not going to warn you twice, Orochimaru. Leave now, or I'll crush you."

Orochimaru laughed. "So severe. I think I can handle you."

"Are you ready?" Ryuu asked.

"I can give you five minutes of Taijutsu in Version One," Isobu said.

"Plenty," Ryuu said just as boiling red chakra surged from his skin, forming a cloak over him instantly.

Orochimaru swore, just before Ryuu's fist exploded into his side, his crystal armor all but exploding before he bounced away cross the surface of the water. He flipped, skidding backward on his feet and stopping himself just as Ryuu appeared in front of him. He hissed angrily and moved his bone blade into the way at the same time as he exhaled a massive wave of lava. However, Ryuu's fist exploded through his blade, shattering his ribs and sending him bouncing away again before Ryuu appeared behind him, free of lava. Orochimaru flipped, bone gauntlets forming over his fists and forearms, hardened to a dark grey by his Steel Style before his fist met Ryuu's. A massive shockwave exploded off of their fists, but Orochimaru's bones held this time. However, before he could counter, Ryuu's tail exploded down on his back, sending him flashing through the water and exploding into the ground. Ryuu formed hand seals instantly, making sure to use only his own chakra before Orochimaru exploded back out of the water blood trailing from his lips as the Water Dragon Wall that had blasted him faded.

Orochimaru flipped, his rope belt forming into a set of wings before he shot forward, shouting in rage and punching at Ryuu, only for Ryuu to deflect the punch, his own fist exploding into Orochimaru's face, teeth and bits of bone spraying out of his mouth as he shot backward. He crashed to the ground hard just as Guy and Lee activated their Eight Inner Gates up until the fifth, from what Ryuu could tell, and began to play pass with the Nine-tails Clone. Fu landed off to one side, her Tailed Beast Cloak back to Version One now, and she was breathing hard. Ryuu appeared over Orochimaru, only for him to sink into the ground. Ryuu flashed over to Fu, and she smiled.

"Nice cloak," Fu smiled. "I'm alright. Fighting this hard's just not as easy right now as it used to be."

"That's alright," Ryuu said, looking around for Orochimaru, though he couldn't sense him. "I'll take over until Orochimaru shows back up. Guy, Lee, protect Fu from Orochi-"

The Nine-tails clone exploded out of the building they'd sent it crashing into, heading for Naruto. It crashed down hard and Hinata turned to face it, only for it to backhand her, sending her flying.

"Hinata!" Naruto groaned, barely conscious.

Neji caught her just as the clone drove its claws down into Naruto's gut.

"More power!" the clone demanded in a distorted version of Naruto's voice.

Suddenly, it began to grow rapidly. Ryuu's eyes widened as it growled, the sound vibrating the ground. Orochimaru rose off tot he side and Ryuu turned toward him, only for him to hold up a hand.

"It's taking more of the Nine-tails' chakra to increase its own power," Orochimaru said. "It's become too dangerous to be allowed to continue existing. Kill it."

"I don't take orders from you," Ryuu said.

"Then I'll make you a deal," Orochimaru said. "Kill it, and I won't activate the remote activation seal I placed in Fu while you were my prisoner."

Ryuu's eyes widened.

"It's similar to the one I placed on Lena, but it'll be vastly more painful," Orochimaru said.

Ryuu grit his teeth before turning to the Nine-tails clone. However, before he could leave, Itachi and Sasuke landed on either side of Orochimaru, both glaring at him with their Mangekyo Sharingan.

"I see," Orochimaru said, eyes narrowed. "It seems my time here is up, then."

He sank into the ground just as the clone roared, a Tailed Beast Ball forming rapidly.

"Oh shit!" Ryuu swore just before it flashed away, missing the village but ripping apart several buildings with its tailwind, then blasting through a mountain.

Then, the clone hurled Naruto, who crashed down on the opposite of the village from the clone.

"Shit!" Ryuu said as his tailed Beast Cloak faded.

"Sorry," Isobu said. "I misjudged the time when you have to use your Teleportation Jutsu."

"That's fine," Ryuu said, glancing at Fu, then the clone.

"Remove the seal," Itachi said. "We'll keep it busy with our Susanoo. Join us as soon as you're done."

"I will," Ryuu nodded, kneeling instantly and beginning to channel chakra into her to find the seal.

As he did, both sped toward the clone as its tails began to swing around, ripping the village around it apart. Then, both of their Susanoo formed, both of them appearing like they were wearing robes of some kind that turned into pants at the waist and both having faces cocked off sideways and eyes glowing from inside the faces' mouths. Ryuu dropped his gaze back to Fu as he finally found the seal. It was inside of her womb. He swallowed hard.

"What is it?" Fu asked, frowning.

"Fu," Ryuu said. "While I was in prison, were you raped?"

"No," Fu said seriously. "It's in my womb?"

"Yes," Ryuu nodded.

"Can you get rid of it without harming our child?" Fu asked.

"I'm going to try," Ryuu said, closing his eyes to focus.

After several seconds, his chakra began to seep into the seal, killing all of the thousands of serpents inside of it before the seal rose to her skin, appearing on her abdomen. He slid his hand slowly to the side and the seal followed, crawling across her skin to the sand before he released it, quickly using his Medical Ninjutsu to check on their child while also searching her for any more seals. After several long seconds, he sighed, sitting back and nodding.

"You're clear," Ryuu said.

Fu nodded, sitting up and kissing him. "Now go and help you brothers."

Ryuu nodded and turned, launching himself into the air before manifesting his own Susanoo, instantly smiling when he found that it didn't hurt now that he had his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and the drain on his chakra, while still massive in comparison to any other jutsu he knew, wasn't anywhere near what it had been before. He could probably use it for a couple hours before getting tired out. He looked around, inspecting his Susanoo. While theirs both looked like they were wearing some odd kind of odd robe-like armor, his looked the same as it had before but with the inclusion of legs, both of which had six fins around their shins and calves like his Susanoo's forearms. He, like Sasuke and Itachi, hovered in the center of its chest

As soon as he'd formed it, he shouted in effort, his Susanoo's fist exploding into the side of the clone's head as it was lunging at Itachi's Susanoo, Sasuke currently pushing himself up and reforming his. The impact sent it exploding out of the village, and it pushed itself up, roaring, its seven tails swishing angrily behind it.

"Sorry I'm late," Ryuu said.

"Not at all," Itachi said, his Susanoo extending its Totsuka Blade.

The clone roared, lunging toward them, only for the chest of Ryuu's Susanoo to open, a glowing orange tomoe inside.

"Susanoo Tsukumo!" Ryuu shouted, green chakra senbon as long as Ryuu was tall and as big around as his arm spraying out of his Susanoo's open chest instantly, flashing across the distance the the clone and stabbing into it.

It roared in pain, rearing back before opening its mouth and sending out a Tailed Beast Shockwave, scattering the senbon and making them fade before slamming into the three Susanoo and sending them skidding backward, their feet tearing through the ground. However, before Itachi could try to seal it, it reared up, shrieking one final time before rapidly shrinking back down to its four-tailed form. Then, a massive orange snake burst up from the ground below it, swallowing it hole before retracting just ahead of Sasuke's Susanoo's arrow. Ryuu sighed, letting his Susanoo fade before flying back to Fu, who had moved to the Village Chief's house where the others had all set up a triage center for everyone who was hurt in the fight. Ryuu and Fu joined Sakura, Ino, and Hinata in treating the injured, and Sasuke and Itachi went to go and fill Kakashi and the other Jonin who weren't present what happened.

"Where's Naruto?" Ryuu asked.

Hinata grit her teeth instantly, swallowing hard. "Orochimaru took him. Along with Dokku."

Ryuu nodded. "They're going to be okay. Naruto's not going anywhere."

"Orochimaru's with the Akatsuki," Hinata said. "We were supposed to go tot he Land of Lightning to keep them from getting their hands on Naruto, but we failed."

"No," Ryuu said. "Orochimaru's after something else. He won't hand Naruto over to them. Not yet, at least."

Hinata nodded and Fu finished treating the patient she was working on before moving over and hugging her, Hinata beginning to cry instantly. Fu led her away to find somewhere she'd have privacy, and Ryuu returned his focus to the injured civilians.


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