Tenzo (part 2)

"Leave us alone!" Yukimi yelled.

"I'm trying to save you!"

"We don't need you to save us!"

Tenzo stood in front of Yukimi.

"Hm ha haha…" a chilling voice laughed at their bickering.

"And here I was, thinking you'd let me walk free…

I should've known you'd be too stubborn to allow that, Ryuu-Kun…" Orochimaru came from the ground, grabbing Yukimi's feet.

"Yukimi!" Tenzo went for her but he was too slow and her whole body got pulled into the ground.

"This time I won't let you go, she's out of bounds, Orochimaru!" Ryuu made a hand sign.

"Wood style: Forest destruction!"

Multiple trees rapidly grew from the ground, rising and raising Orochimaru and Yukimi.

Ryuu made more trees and controlled the forest to surround Orochimaru and them.

"You already have everything you want! Why her?" Ryuu asked.

"Mere experiments, she's nothing but another project that hasn't been finalized, but with her blood, everything will go according to my plans…"

Orochimaru licked his lips, looking at Yukimi.

Just as he was about to shove a syringe into Yukimi's neck, Ryuu teleported behind Orochimaru and kicked him, sending him flying through the trees.

"Yukimi, are you alright?" Ryuu held her in his arms.

Orochimaru knocked her out, and her curse mark was glowing.

'I can't worry about this right now, Orochimaru will get away.

But, this curse mark is an issue, if I don't help her now, she's done for.'

"Nobu, can you seal her curse mark while I go after Orochimaru?"

Nobu came from Ryuu's body.

"Alright, I'll send a clone." Ryuu nodded.

Fire stretched from Ryuu's body and a clone of Nobu came out.

"Go!"

Ryuu entered lightning chakra mode and raced toward Orochimaru.

Orochimaru had woken up and slowly stood up.

"Orochimaru! I gave you a chance to leave! You should've just left.

Or is this another one of your games?!"

"You just couldn't stay without helping…" Orochimaru stood in front of Ryuu with a grim expression.

"In that case, I guess I should only get used to my limited resources." Orochimaru started melting.

"Another clone." Ryuu clenched his fist.

"Tch!

You've already crossed the border." Orochimaru's clone nodded before melting into white goo.

"Yukimi!" Tenzo had reached Yukimi.

"We have to get her inside, I think I can save her." Ryuu teleported both Tenzo and Yukimi inside the tree.

Nobu appeared beside Ryuu.

"Ryuu, I've sealed the curse mark away." Ryuu nodded.

"So, why is she not waking up?"

"The effects of the curse mark on her kekkei Genkai are causing internal pain, and that's why she's still not awake."

"Is Yukimi going to be alright?" Nobu shook his head.

"The curse mark has already done its damage.

Even if we remove her curse mark, she'll only get unstable and turn into smoke unpredictably." Ryuu frowned.

"Yukimi…" Tenzo watched from behind, he heard everything they said.

"You can't save her?" Ryuu shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Tenzo…"

Yukimi turned to smoke, and the smoke floated upwards, almost escaping the tree.

"No!"

"Wood style!" Tenzo tried to contain using wood style, but it would escape every time.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, smoke started appearing, all different colors and shapes.

'The Iburi clan.' Ryuu looked at the smoke, and so did Tenzo and Kakashi.

They formed a tree of smoke, recreating the tree that was once been their home, and then they all dispersed into the wind.

"Kakashi, start heading back, I'll be right behind you."

"And what about him?"

Ryuu looked at Tenzo.

"You could join the Anbu.

It's not too late, you know."

"Thanks for the offer but…

I can't join just yet, Danzo-sama truly wants to help Konoha."

"Danzo is partially to blame for your upbringing in the cold lab.

At least think about what I'm saying, you know."

Tenzo didn't respond.

"I'll drop you off a bit far from Konoha, or else Danzo will think I'm attempting to sway you towards my side.

I have better things to do other than worry about Danzo and his schemes."

"Thanks." Ryuu nodded.

Ryuu teleported him outside the village, and then he teleported to Kakashi.

"He's that loyal to Danzo, huh?"

"Yeah, but I have a feeling he won't be for so long, you know." Kakashi nodded.

"Hold on a minute." Ryuu stopped running.

"What?"

"I need to call off the other Anbu."

Kakashi nodded.

Ryuu made a hand sign and closed his eyes to concentrate.

'Mind transmission jutsu.'

"Calling off all Anbu, Orochimaru has escaped, let's go back to the village and regroup. We'll make another plan."

Ryuu disconnected.

His nose was bleeding.

'There he goes again, pushing his limits again.

Sigh.'

Kakashi looked at Ryuu as he wiped his nose.

"Let's get going." Kakashi nodded.

"Right."

They entered lightning chakra mode and left.

Ryuu and Kakashi appeared in the Hokage's office in a second.

They kneeled and told Sakumo what happened.

"Orochimaru is crafty, by now he already created multiple clones of himself so Ryuu doesn't differentiate," Sakumo stated.

"What about your seals? Why can't you use one of them to track the real one?"

"Do you remember those white creatures during the nine-tails assault?"

Sakumo and Kakashi nodded.

"Well, Orochimaru and I used to perform experiments on those things, we developed the perfect clones and bodies, able to survive without eating, and adapt to weather and other things too.

While the village was recovering, Orochimaru probably performed his jutsu, which allows him to transfer his soul into another body.

That makes my seal useless because I didn't place another one after he did that.

But that also means, as of now, Orochimaru is stronger than ever and he'll get even stronger because now he's damn near immortal."

After saying that, Ryuu and Kakashi left Sakumo's office and changed.

"Hey Kakashi, do you want to go for a quick spar or something?" Ryuu looked beside him and Kakashi had vanished.

"How rude." Ryuu put his hands in his pockets and walked off.