Dawn of a Red Moon, Chapter 4:

Sasuke flexed his fingers and soon began to stretch his body. After limbering up some, he tried to take a step, but he fell down. He caught himself and quickly stood up once more. He cursed quietly as he shakily continued to take steps. Soon he was confident in his ability to walk and smiled. The joy he felt was so overwhelming he had to walk over to a tree so he could lean on it.

So many years... he had spent so many years trying to obtain a body with the sharingan. He had tried to take Itachi's body, but the boy had proven far stronger than he originally thought. Sasuke seemed like a success as he trained the boy and buttered him up, but he was betrayed in the end and lost. For three long years he lay dormant in the boy's body, and now... this great opportunity had been handed to him! He finally had the perfect body! He was finally free!

Orochimaru laughed triumphantly some more as he began to move. Occasionally he would stumble, but that was expected. After all, he had not been able to move for three years. Familiar body functions seemed fuzzy and distant to him, but he managed well enough. He would have normally rested and formulated ideas on what to do next, but he had been doing that ever since his forced confinement. Now that he was free, there was no time to waste! He had been sealed away for too long, and he needed to act on his plans! He grimaced as he thought about certain possibilities. That homunculus was on the loose, and he had managed to block out Orochimaru's ability to keep track of him. Kabuto's fate was also unknown, as was the state of the Sound Village...

But he would check up on them after his current task. He needed a way to empower himself even more. He did not have access to his old body, and while Sasuke had the sharingan, he did not have the experiments that his original body held. Normally, he wouldn't care, but his elasticity and ability to hide Kusanagi inside of him was a key element of his taijutsu fighting style... so he needed something to make up for it. And what better way to do so than by additionally hampering the hated Akatsuki?

So he headed off to Amegakure. Thankfully he had been in the organization long enough to learn of the location of their headquarters, but his plan still relied on luck. But it would have to do for now...

"I don't think you're going to appreciate this," Konan said as she entered the room. Pain was currently conversing with Madara's soul-in-a-jar, and as he heard Konan speak he turned his head towards her with a slightly agitated look on his face.

"What is it now? Is it that plant's antics once more?" Pain sighed.

"No... I've received news from many of our scattered agents that people are panicking about a series of explosions in the Fire Country..." Konan said sternly as she crossed her arms.

"Come on! We sent that boy on a simple scouting mission, and he can't even do that right!" Madara complained.

"Hush!" Pain ordered the Uchiha spirit, "I won't let you insult our members!" He then turned to Konan, "What exactly happened?"

"I'm not sure, but one of the explosions was quite massive. Deidara might have used a C-3 explosion..." Konan sighed in exasperation.

Zetsu's head then poked through the ground, "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.

"Not really... what is it?" Pain asked.

"Well, we kind of have some important news... uh... well, you see..." Zetsu began. His black half then spoke, "Deidara is dead."

Pain was standing the entire time, but those three words made him sit down in shock. He grit his teeth in anger and slammed his fist on the table close by. He stared at Zetsu, his Rinnegan now a blazing red color.

"WHO? WHO DID THIS TO HIM?" Pain shouted.

"Well, you see... Tobi has that information. He wishes to tell you," Zetsu said.

Pain's eyes slowly returned to their normal gray-blue color, "Very well. He may enter."

"Are you sure about that?" Madara asked, "None of the lower members have seen you."

"It's fine, Madara. No doubt Zetsu has already told them what I look like, and besides, this is not my body in the first place," Pain said, "Let him in."

Zetsu nodded as he sank into the ground. A few seconds passed, and a door opened up. Tobi and an unknown girl were with him, as was Zetsu behind them.

"Sorry, this girl insisted that she was to enter as well..." Zetsu said.

"So sorry, but Deidara was very important to me," the girl said as she bowed in respect.

"What happened, Tobi?" Konan asked.

"Well..." Tobi began, his voice low and quiet instead of the usual high pitched and child-like, "...we were scouting like you told us and Deidara saw Sasuke..."

Pain frowned as his eyes drifted to the floor, "So he attacked him because he killed Orochimaru. I take it that the Uchiha boy killed him?"

"...He was losing, but he refused to die to him. He used his C-O technique..." Tobi said quietly, "...I only survived because of my mangekyo..."

"So that's one less Uchiha to worry about," Madara said.

"I'm not sure, but he may have survived the explosion. I wasn't completely sure, but I thought I could sense faint traces of his chakra," Tobi said.

"Konan, go search the blast area to see if Sasuke is indeed dead," Pain ordered. Konan nodded and dispersed into several paper butterflies that flew away, "Now, girl, what is your story? Obviously you wish to join us, because you wear Deidara's ring on your right index finger."

"Um, yes," the girl meekly stated. She was quite unsure of how to make of this situation. She had heard stories of Akatsuki, but she never expected the leaders and higher-ups to look like this. She took a deep breath and continued, "I'm Shizuka. Shizuka Arashi. I was Deidara's student back in Iwagakure. I was searching for him when... when..."

She began to tear up. Pain closed his eyes, "I understand. You may join us. Make Deidara proud."

Shizuka wiped the tears from her eyes as she nodded and smiled, "Thank you, thank you."

"Hold on... we don't even know her abilities," Madara said distrustfully.

"I was his best student," she spat as she glared at the strange spirit, unknowing of the spirit's true identity, "Stone and wax are my tools of art, and my tools of destruction."

"That's quite an interesting-sounding set of abilities," Zetsu said.

"We don't even know the extent of her abilities," Madara said coldly.

"It doesn't matter. For now, she can be Tobi's agent and partner. If her abilities are useful and powerful, then we will surely notice. You are dismissed," Pain said.

Tobi and Shizuka bowed in respect as they turned to exit the room.

"Hold on, Tobi," Madara said, "We're not done with you."

Tobi stopped, "Well, I guess this would be the time to learn about your new home," he chuckled lightly.

Shizuka smiled and nodded, "I suppose you're right. I'll see you later!" She waved at Tobi as she left the room and closed the door.

Zetsu piped up, "I think I'll show her around the place. See ya." He then sank into the ground.

Tobi turned around, "What exactly do you need from me?" he asked.

"You realize you are an Uchiha, correct?" Pain asked. He knew what Madara wished of Tobi, and now was a good time as any.

"Yes... I'm Tobi Uchiha," he said with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"You're not Tobi," Madara said sternly, "This 'Tobi' is a result of your amnesia."

"Are you sure it's okay to just tell him?" Pain asked with concern.

"Amnesia? W-What are you talking about?" Tobi asked in fear. Even though he said that he did not know, memories of encountering Reiko three years ago were entering his head. He had broken down during that fight when a surge of foreign memories flooded his mind.

"Yes, amnesia. I required an Uchiha body in case something happened to me. But not just any Uchiha body. It had to be one related to me by familial ties. Reiko abandoned me, Itachi was too risky to obtain, and Sasuke was just a child. My son, Fugaku, married a woman named Mikoto at an early age. Mikoto was an early bloomer, and the Uchihas needed more numbers if their attempt to overthrow the leaders of Konoha was to succeed. At only eleven years of age, Mikoto gave birth to you," Madara explained.

Tobi began to visibly shake as Madara continued to tell Tobi of his true history as Obito Uchiha. Once Madara told Tobi of the rocks that crushed him, Tobi began to yell in pain and fear. He fell to his knees as he began to shake in agony and mental pain. Pain watched with a slight frown on his face as Madara simply continued.

"So I headed for the site in the Grass Country where your body lay. Even though your body was likely mangled by the crushing force of the rocks, it was my only choice. I knew the rubble was so tightly packed together that what remained of your body would not have suffered significant decay. So I began my work. Soon after I had melded your body back together, I imbued you with the souls of the fallen Uchiha. It brought you back from the dead, if not for a limited time. You have a limited life, Obito. Far shorter than most people. Your life depends on the souls of the Uchiha inside of you. Every minute you corrode away some of that energy."

Tobi had spent up all of his shock as Madara concluded. He shakily stood up as he removed his mask and felt his face. He could feel scars that would match those of a face being stitched back together. The memories Madara told him matched those that had flooded his mind three years ago... but something wasn't adding up.

"My age... if your story is true, then I would be thirty-three. I am not thirty-three!" Tobi yelled.

"That is because corpses do not age. You are technically thirty-three, but your physical and mental aging did not resume until I brought you back," Madara said, "and now you shall finally fulfill your use to me, Obito."

"What are you talking about?" Tobi asked indignantly as he gnashed his teeth in anger and took a defensive stance, "Get away from me, demon!"

"Do not worry, Tobi," Pain said calmly, "Madara wishes only to obtain a body, and it is not as bad as you are likely thinking. As part of our deal, he will join us only if he can obtain a vessel, and it is restricted by blood. He granted you life, no matter how temporary, to fulfill this purpose. You are indebted to him."

"But... I never wanted to be brought back for this! I only wanted to confess my love for Rin!" Obito shouted.

"Hush, Tobi... it's oka-" Pain began.

"Why do you call me Tobi if that is not who I am?" Obito yelled, tears forming in his eyes.

"Because Obito died that day, when the rocks crushed him. What was brought back had only locked up memories of Obito. Your friends and your nation think you are dead, and for all intents and purposes, Obito is dead. For the past several years, you have lived as Tobi, and this knowledge should not change that," Pain explained.

Tobi took several deep breaths as he regained his composure, "I do suppose you're right, but... I'm not letting that fiend possess me!" he said with determination as he pointed at Madara.

"Now, now, don't be rash. It is not as if I will have complete control over you. This jutsu will not work that way. He will both join together, but I will not be the dominant one. I will only require your body during certain times, and it's not as if I can seize it from you. You have to voluntarily let me borrow your body, and even then, it is only for a limited time. And it's not as if you have a choice anyway. You have to trust me, Obit... Tobi."

Tobi sighed as he put on his mask, "If it must be this way, very well..."

Pain picked up the jar that held Madara soul as he undid the lid, "I'm sorry, Tobi, but it's for the good of the organization."

"I understand completely... and I am indebted to Madara. If he had not brought me back, I would never have met Deidara... or Shizuka. I am ready," Tobi said.

Pain nodded as Madara's soul floated out of the jar and hovered over to Tobi. Pain began to make some hand seals...

Orochimaru had to stop and catch his breath as he beheld the mighty city that was Amegakure. He had been to the Rain Country in the past, but he had never been close enough to the hidden village to see it. And of all of the thoughts he had on what the village looked like, it certainly wasn't this. Long steel buildings reached up to the sky, some of them having fearsome faces carved from stone that depicted demons with the Rinnegan.

Orochimaru smiled. His luck hadn't run out like he thought- it wasn't raining. And if it wasn't raining, Pain had no way of instantly knowing he was in the village. He would have to move fast- no doubt Akatsuki's agents were rampant in the city.

And fast he was. Orochimaru quickly leapt from surface to surface in a pattern that would confuse potential followers. He headed towards the tallest building, for that was the one where Akatsuki resided in. He decided to try out Sasuke's jutsus just to get a taste of them. A chidori formed in his hands as he landed in front of the entrance to Akatsuki's base and slew the two men on guard. He grinned as the lightning faded and he entered the building. Two men whirled around in shock upon Orochimaru's sudden entrance, and they were silenced as two chidori needles pierced their throats. Orochimaru continued his running, slaying any in his way.

Soon he reached a door with several guards. He used his sharingan to lock the guards in a fierce genjutsu that sent spasms of immense pain into the men. He threw open the door and descended the many flights of stairs as the walls of the building gradually gave way to earth and stone as he descended.

As he reached the bottom, he paused to catch his breath. He looked up and began to laugh lightly as he beheld the King of Hell statue. He was fortunate enough to have taken the body of a man some time ago that had impressive knowledge on the bijuu, and thus Orochimaru knew many things: the identities and histories of the nine beasts, how to seal them inside someone, and how to remove them as well...

Orochimaru cackled as he began to make many hand seals. He knew exactly what to do, but the bijuu could act in many ways. Some of those actions could easily complicate things further.

Chakra began to flare from Orochimaru as he continued the hand seals. He knew the beast would easily exit the statue. After all, it's the very nature of the beasts to want to roam free. It was the immediate resealing that would be the problem.

The statue began to emit a groaning sound as its mouth opened further and one of the eyes began to close slowly, as if some invisible force was attempting to close it and the statue was struggling to keep its eye open. Dark green chakra began to pour out of the statue's mouth. Orochimaru eyed the chakra intently... if he were to pull this off successfully, he would need to start his sealing jutsu at the moment the animal aspect of the bijuu became noticeable...

There! Orochimaru noted an eye of a snake manifest itself. He quickly began to perform the hand seals needed to seal the bijuu inside of himself. The felt the beast's chakra begin to flow around him, and soon it began to enter. He kept his eyes closed in immense focus as he ignored the beast's curses. Soon, it was over. He felt a new power inside of him. He laughed triumphantly as the power began to course throughout him. He blocked out the eight-tailed serpent's words as he began to flee the base. Now his destination was Otogakure...

"Did it work?" Pain asked Madara, who now inhabited Tobi's body. Tobi flexed his fingers a bit as the mouth under the mask grinned.

"It did, and I cannot thank you enough, Nagato," Madara said, "There are so many things that I can now get to doing! I need to write down all of the thoughts I had while I was a soul, and I-"

"Patience, Madara. Do not be so hasty," Pain said, "Realize that you are in Tobi's body. Tobi is the dominant one, not you. Respect his body, his mind, and his choices. Do you understand me?"

"Very well... I need to rest, anyways. Synchronizing with this body will take a while," Madara said. There was a moment of silence as Tobi shuddered briefly. He then looked around, presumably confused.

"What just happened?" he asked. His voice sounded higher and more innocent than when Madara spoke through Tobi's body.

"The ritual was a success, and Madara is now inside of you. Now, Tobi... I know you're unsure about this. I had to do it as part of a deal Madara and I made. However, I will not tolerate any infringements of your comfort. I may respect Madara greatly, but I do also care for the members of Akatsuki. If Madara seizes control of you against your wishes, tell me when you regain control. I will not hesitate to rip him out of you, okay?" Pain said.

Tobi nodded, "Understood. Thanks for being so kind. Well, I gotta go find Shizuka now. Thank you again!" he exclaimed as he ran out of the room.

The familiar sound of rustling paper was then heard. Pain turned around to see a multitude of paper butterflies coalescing and changing shape, color, and properties into that of a woman.

"And?" Pain asked, eager to learn the results of Konan scrying the blast site.

"Sasuke Uchiha's body is not there," she stated coldly.

"Then his body must have been completely destroyed by the explosion," Pain concluded.

"That's... not the case," she said lowly.

Pain raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"I could sense the chakra used during the fight. Deidara's chakra led to a source in the blast area: the spot where he detonated himself. Tobi and Sasuke did not have a source there."

"He's alive? How? Even if he miraculously survived the blast, he would no doubt be unable to move from the severe injuries!"

"I'm not exactly sure..." Konan sighed.

Zetsu then emerged from the ground with a panicked look on his face.

"Reeeaaaalll bad news, guys!" he exclaimed, "Someone shot in here and killed everyone on the way to the underground chamber!"

Konan and Pain's eyes widened in shock.

"What!?!" Pain indignantly exclaimed.

"The eight-tailed serpent has been unsealed and resealed into the body of the intruder... and he's nowhere to be seen," Zetsu continued.

Pain grit his teeth tightly as everything suddenly clicked in his head. He cursed as he slammed his fist into a wall, causing a small crater to appear in it.

"The reason Sasuke is alive is because Orochimaru possessed him! That vile snake sealed the tailed beast within himself!" Pain yelled in anger.

Zetsu and Konan were taken aback by this.

"I'm heading to Otogakure," Pain said with anger.

"B-But God, you can't!" Konan exclaimed. Pain shot his head towards her with a vehement glare of rage.

"YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" he screamed as he thrust his palm at her. Konan let out a cry as she was pushed into the wall by a sudden rush of gravity in her direction. Zetsu rushed over to help her as Pain leaped over the balcony and fell to the ground below, determined to regain the tailed beast that was stolen from him...

"Where are we?" Niomi whined. She slouched as she walked, her lip sticking out in a childish pout. With her exaggerated steps, the pigtails she had put her hair into waved to and fro.

Zhale sighed, "I've already told you... we're in the Land of Iron."

"Can't this jean-choo-ricky guy show up already? I'm bored," Niomi protested.

Zhale sighed even more. Niomi was a very useful assistant, but it was times like these which made him curse the choice of taking her in.

"You should be thankful of my abilities, Niomi. If I did not have the Sen-Long clan kekkei genkai, it would take much longer to extract information from people, not to mention tracking down a single person. It only took us two days to find the location of this man, and it would take normal people months," Zhale said.

"Yeah, that's cool and all, but can't he show up now?" Niomi complained.

Zhale groaned as he decided to "comply" with Niomi's demands. He used his psychic abilities to grab her by the collar of her Akatsuki robes. He then suddenly took off, flying towards the jinchuuriki of the artificial two-tailed beast. Normally he wouldn't perform such a task, as grabbing someone with his mind and propelling himself psychically towards someone wasted chakra, but he would make an exception to stop Niomi's annoying complaints.

If only Zhale could have seen the face of the jinchuuriki when a floating man and a screaming floating girl shot in front of his path, then maybe he would have felt better. Niomi fell to the ground as Zhale slowly descended to the earth despite the fact that he was just a few inches from the ground.

Instead of seeing the initial shock on the jinchuuriki's face, Zhale saw a tired-looking face that blinked a few times in disbelief. A cigarette was in the man's mouth, and the smoke that wafted from it matched the color of his hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. The man was quite muscular and he was a few inches taller than Zhale. He wore some simple clothing, but the two sheathed blades at his side, the tears and red stains on his clothing, and the scars on his body betrayed the concept that this man was an ordinary traveler.

The man squinted his eyes, his heavy brow lowering, as he stroked his stubbled chin.

"Now, where have I seen that design before..." he muttered to himself, his voice low and gruff.

Niomi slowly stood up, her countenance consumed with sorrow.

"Why did you do that, Zhale..." she said in a low and defeated tone.

Zhale growled, "Because you were complaining earlier! Oh, forget it, you're hopeless. And you!" Zhale pointed at the man, "You don't know what Akatsuki is?"

"Aka-whatnow?" the man asked, "Is that some sort of shinobi thing?"

"This is the Land of Iron..." Niomi sighed, "...there aren't any ninja here."

"I know that, you worthless twit!" Zhale cursed at Niomi. Obviously his patience had exhausted itself with Niomi's constant bickering. Niomi began to quietly cry and shrink away from Zhale. All of this was very confusing to the jinchuuriki.

"What exactly do you two want?" he yawned, "'Cuz I'm getting tired of people pestering me," he added with a threatening undertone.

"Don't threaten Master Zhale!" Niomi spat at the jinchuuriki. This made the man more confused. How could this girl still be loyal to the man that brought her to tears?

"It's fine, Niomi," Zhale said to the girl. He then looked at the jinchuuriki, "and we're here for that beast you have inside of you."

"Oh? You know about that?" the man asked, his face gaining a grin of anticipation. He unsheathed a blade and held it at the ready, "Now, were has someone heard of the secret Iron technique?"

"The what?" Zhale asked with suspicion and confusion.

"The secret Iron technique! The samurai of the Iron needed a powerful warrior, so they poured their chakra together to make a fearsome beast that was sealed within me!" the man boasted. "But I left them! They now hunt me down to use me as a weapon, but I, Ryota, am too strong for them! I am the only one of my kind, and I assume they hired you to kill me?" the man inquired defensively.

"Hired? Nooooo~! We're here on Akatsuki's behalf!" Niomi exclaimed in a sing-song voice. Her melancholy had suddenly vanished.

"You're a sheltered fool," Zhale said to Ryota, "you're not unique at all. There were at least nine others out there like you, only they had natural chakra beasts sealed into them instead of whatever was made by those samurai."

"Eh? That can't be! I'm the only demihuman!" Ryota indignantly exclaimed.

"Believe your ignorant claims, but they are false! Akatsuki has killed and sealed six of these beasts, and our leader has told us to take these artificial beasts, too. So enjoy this battle, for it will be your last," Zhale threatened.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! If you want my power, show me what you're made of!" Ryota shouted as he sprinted towards Zhale with great speed. He stabbed at Zhale, and the blade connected against Zhale's psychic barrier. Zhale preemptively smirked at the man's failure to injure him, but he soon became shocked as cracks began appearing on the thin blue dome around Zhale.

Ryota then yelled as he was thrown back by an explosion from one of Niomi's bombs. He quickly stood up and glared at the giggling girl that held another bomb in her hand. His eyes quickly shot towards the man with the strange powers. The invisible shield around him... the cracks were slowly vanishing.

"We are quite a formidable force. Niomi's bombs won't injure me, for my barrier will endure everything in her arsenal," taunted Zhale as he pushed his glasses up to his face. Ryota smirked slightly. So that means that whatever the girl had wouldn't be as strong as his brute strength.

"Yeah, I figured that much out already. I say, out of all the shinobi I've thought, none of them have used explosives or strange techniques like that," Ryota said.

"That is because Niomi is one of the few explosives experts in the world, and I am the last of the Sen-Long clan of the Cloud," Zhale boasted.

"That's nice," Ryota monotonously replied in an uncaring tone.

Zhale scowled at Ryota as a fireball formed in his hands. He launched the projectile at the indifferent man, who easily avoided it.

"No hand seals, either? Man, you sure have a bag of tricks, don't you?" Ryota smirked as he leaped into the air and swung his blade down onto Zhale's barrier, causing more cracks to form. He readied another blow that would puncture the shield before it repaired itself, but a few explosives from Niomi knocked him back.

"Man, you guys sure are annoying..." he mumbled as he rubbed his left side, which was caught in the blast. He didn't appear to be harmed much by the explosives.

Interesting... normally, those blasts would at least burn the skin... what sort of tailed beast do you have... Zhale thought as he scryed the man's appearance for any marks denoting an animal. Around the jinchuuriki's neck was a marking that was a ring with several bear teeth hanging from it.

"That's certainly a complex tattoo you have there..." Zhale said with a grin on his face, "So, how many tails does this bear have?"

"Quite an astute observer, aren't you?" Ryota grinned back, "You'll get to see if you keep pushing me some."

"Okay! Pushy pushy coming up~!" Niomi exclaimed as she reached into her robes and produced several small metal orbs that rested between her fingers. She stuck her tongue out, which had a sort of flint-like stone over it. She struck the fuses of the bombs against her tongue, setting them aflame. She quickly tossed the metal bombs rapid-fire at Ryota.

Ryota charged towards the girl, batting away a few of the bombs, while others hit him and exploded on contact. The shrapnel simply bounced off of Ryota's muscular form, while a few bombs that exploded near Niomi had their shrapnel pierce her.

Ryota grinned sadistically as he raised his sword and brought it down. Niomi moaned in ecstasy as the blade dug itself into her right shoulder, easily cutting through the petite girl until the blade lost momentum halfway into her shoulder. Ryota withdrew the blade and eyed the girl as he took caution. She began to laugh as her right arm hanged limply at her side, blood pouring from the deep cut on her shoulder.

Ryota suddenly gasped as Zhale used his psychic forces to knock Ryota towards Niomi. Ryota grit his teeth, mentally cursing himself for foolishly ignoring his other opponent. The girl smiled seductively as Ryota fell to her feet. She embraced the man quickly before leaping back.

"Ugh, gross..." Ryota grumbled as he stared down at the blood that leaked onto him. He turned towards Zhale. That girl would soon bleed to death from the severity of the wound... she would just be a nuisance until that happened.

He heard the girl giggle before clapping her hands. Ryota cried out in pain as the girl's blood on his chest violently exploded. He began to growl. He was fed up with the tricks of the duo he was facing. Gray chakra began pouring out of his body as he straightened himself.

"Good, good! Show me your bijuu's power!" Zhale exclaimed. Ryota darted towards the spectacled man with his sword at the ready, but Niomi leaped in the way with a manic look on her face. Her hands were dabbled with her blood, and she quickly slapped Ryota several times before bouncing off of his back and landing behind the bear jinchuuriki. She began to applaud and laugh, causing the blood on Ryota to detonate.

Ryota ignored the pain to the best of his ability as he unsheathed his second blade and rushed at Niomi with great speed. The joy on her face was replaced with shock as the two blades were shoved into her belly. The sheer overload of the pain was enough to render the girl unconscious. Ryota spat on her as he removed his swords.

Zhale growled as he detestfully eyed the jinchuuriki. He had severely wounded Niomi. If he didn't finish this up quick, she might die...

Ryota turned towards Zhale with a grin as he rushed towards him, his swords ready to strike. Two fierce blows against Zhale's barrier were enough to shatter it. Zhale took a few steps back as he thrust his palm outward. The familiar force slammed into Ryota, pushing him back. Zhale held out his hands, one of them becoming encased in fire, the other electricity. He thrust both hands out, launching the two elemental beams at the jinchuuriki.

Ryota charged straight through the beams, suffering minor injuries. The gray chakra around him was now in a bear shape with a single tail, and it appeared to be more solid than normal. Zhale grimaced as the man charged at him. He used his telekinetic powers to remove Ryota's swords from his hands before bringing them down on the jinchuuriki's back. Ryota grunted as the blades became stuck in his back.

"I won't need those to kill you," he said as he punched at Zhale. Zhale's barrier had reformed, but the force of Ryota's fist was enough to shatter the barrier and send Zhale flying back somewhat.

"You see, you rely too much on your special powers. You have no strength behind your attacks... that's why you hide behind that little shield of yours," Ryota said with a grin as he rushed at Zhale to punch him once more. His fist connected with Zhale's gut, causing him to cry out in pain as he was launched back by the bijuu-empowered shockwave from the blow.

Zhale struggled to breathe through his current winded state. He looked up at the smirking jinchuuriki and pointed at him, launching a torrential blast of fire at Ryota. Zhale shortly recovered and began to smirk upon hearing cries of pain from the jinchuuriki, but a fierce roar knocked him back into a tree.

The smoke rushed away from the chakra-enforced roar, revealing Ryota on all fours. The bear shape was prominent now, and the chakra was condensed about Ryota's body, appearing more like a shroud of steel than gray chakra. Two tails flicked about as the bear growled at Zhale. Zhale grinned as he shakily stood up.

"Two tails, hm? That's all?" Zhale asked, "Well, what a disappointment..."

The bear roared in disapproval, sending another shockwave at Zhale. He smirked as he raised a hand and sent forth of wall of telekinetic energy, which easily overpowered the shockwave. It slammed into the jinchuuriki, knocking him back, but the bear straightened himself shortly. Zhale used his psychic forces to lift a slab of the earth and throw it at the bear, but it shattered upon contact with the immensely hard shroud of chakra about Ryota's skin.

Ryota rushed towards Zhale, ready to strike with the claws that had formed about his hands. Zhale glared as he realized that those chakra shockwaves probably injured Niomi even further. He let the bear charge at him as he slammed his palm onto the iron-hard chakra about Ryota. He let loose a massive discharge of electricity and sadistically grinned as Ryota cried out in pain. The gray chakra began to fade, and Zhale persisted until Ryota fell to the ground, unconscious and with a blazing red imprint of Zhale's hand on his back.

He briefly basked in his victory before rushing over to Niomi. The girl lay against a rock, haphazardly thrown against it by the shockwaves from the jinchuuriki's roars. She was deathly pale and was bleeding tremendously. Zhale bit his lip in anxiousness as he began to carefully mend her bones and wounds by speeding up the regeneration of the girl's cells. Soon, Niomi was safe, but she would need lots of rest and further medical attention to fully recover. Zhale lifted Ryota and Niomi with his mind before he lifted himself. He then began to fly towards the Akatsuki base, fearful that the jinchuuriki would awake...