The Willow Maiden [Naruto]

{53} The Ultimate Maiden, Madara Rises

Ruka fought alongside the shinobi forces, fighting the army of White Zetsu's. She used the roots from beneath the ground to strangle them, use her thorns to tie them down, and uses her Wood Style Jutsu to protect her comrades. 

"Way to go, Ruka! Keep it up!" Kiba called out to her as he fought one of the White Zetsu's. 

Ruka merely nodded her head as she continued fighting with her comrades "Ruka. . . Why are you doing this?" Zetsu smirked at her, making her glare at him. "I thought you were one of us. Do you resent us?" 

"That will not work on me." Ruka slammed her palms on the ground and thorns shoot out from the dirt, then impaling the 2 Zetsu's in front of her. "There are so many of them. Where are they all coming from?" 

"Who knows! But we can't let them win! Keep going!" Kiba shouted at Ruka from a distance. 

"At this rate, they will have the upper hand. One by one our forces are dying." Ruka tells herself and kicks away Zetsu and block another one's attack. 

"Then change forms." 

"Huh?" Ruka looked around when she heard a voice similar to hers. 'Who. . .was that just now?' She thought. 

"Me." Looking ahead, she saw her other form, the one she took when she faced Killer Bee. The Ultimate Maiden. 

"You. . .are me?!" Ruka's eyes widened. "But, how come I can see you and nobody else can? Is this. . .all in my head?" 

"In a way. You want to help out your people, do you not? Release me and I will make sure nobody else dies." The Ultimate Maiden offers with an emotionless stare. 

"Release you? But, how? I do not remember you, or how I did it the last time?" Ruka questions. She can't remember transforming into the Ultimate Maiden, but somehow, she knows that they are the same person. They have the same exact brethren within them both. 

"It is simple. You need to bleed." 

"Bleed?! N-No! I cannot! I. . . !" 

"You fear the sight of your own blood, and that seems to be the only trigger for you. If you shed enough blood, I will be set free. Allow me to take control, and I will make sure no other shinobi dies, even if I do despise humans. But, you are me, and I am you." 

"Is there not any other way?" 

"The more you stand around talking to me, the more time you waste, and more shinobi will be killed." 

"Right. . . Okay. . ." Ruka gulped and took out a kunai and shakily place it on her wrist. She shut her eyes and slit her wrist so deep that blood dripped onto the ground and formed a puddle near her feet. "Remember, only attack White Zetsu. . ." 

Ruka's eyes glowed red and both her skin and hair turned green. "Understood." The Ultimate Maiden nodded and wasted no time to attack the army of White Zetsu's. 

Using her speed, the green, and her Wood Style, she defeated the White Zetsu's. "Ruka?" Neji questioned as him and Hinata watched. 

"She's different. . ." Hinata stared. 

"Look at her go!" Kiba cheered her on. 

The Ultimate Maiden showed no mercy toward the White Zetsu's since they were her objective. When Zetsu army was taken out, the reanimated began attacking and the allied forced continued to fight. 

"We got this! Good work taking out the White Zetsu's!" One of the allied forces praised the Ultimate Maiden. At the same time, the Ultimate Maiden felt something a bit off. 

Something wasn't right. 

She could feel a strong presence from a far distance. 'This. . .chakra. . . It is so strong. . .' She thought to herself. She could even feel the Wood Style being released from another person. 

The Ultimate Maiden fled from the battlefield and followed the chakra she was sensing. Up ahead, she could see allied forces on their knees and some injured. 

Looking further ahead, she saw a Wood Style Jutsu heading toward them. "W-We're done for!" An allied shinobi panicked. 

'Not yet.' The Ultimate Maiden thougth and ran in front of the allied forces, even the Kazekage and Tsuchikage. 

As the Great Forest Technique got closer, The Ultimate Maiden lifted her hand out in front of her and stared at the Wood Style. Moments later, roots from beneath the ground sprawl out and push against the Wood Style, blocking it, and pushing it back from the allied forced. 

"Ruka?" Naruto questioned. 'She took that form again? But, it looks like she's on our side.' He thought with a smirk. "Way to go, Ruka!"

The Ultimate Maiden turned her head to Naruto and gave him a nod, then turning back to the person who was responsible for that Wood Style Jutsu.  "You are. . . Madara Uchiha?" She questioned. 

"And you are Ruka of the Willow Forest. The Willow Maiden." Madara said back with his arms crossed as he stared down at Ruka. "So, this is your ultimate form. Let's see what you can really do." 

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