In the moments after Genma released the poison, confusion reigned. He knew at least one of his attackers was dying. Knew a battle was raging. But the choking cloud was a last-resort defense, one that left its user vulnerable. Genma'd spent years working up enough immunity to render the toxin a murder-only weapon, not a tool for murder-suicide. He gagged on blackish slime, gasping for air. Struggling to master unresponsive muscles. He was shaking violently, pushing himself up on his good arm only to fall again, retching.

He heard Raidou's voice, screaming a war cry. Or was that a clone? There were two Raidous, one in bone and black, fighting the man with the evil hammer; the other naked but for a few bandages, waging a desperate taijutsu battle against the greasy-haired Mist nin.

Sago's hammer flashed, and Genma struggled up again. ANBU had come to the rescue once before. There had been four of them, taking down the Stone ninja with brutal efficiency. Sago's hammer shattered Raidou's skull, and Genma choked on a cry. The clone vanished.

Genma's left hand glanced against the table, and he blacked out for a second, sprawling face down once more.

Adrenaline and training didn't let him stay down.

There was a sound to his left. Genma's head twitched, he saw Raidou running towards him. He forced himself to roll over onto his back, right hand reaching down to his naked leg for a blade that wasn't there, just in time to see Sago hurtling towards him, his chakra hammer glowing sickly ochre.

He rolled and tried to dodge.

The hammer struck him at the base of his ribs.

There was an instant of searing pain, and then Raidou was over him, shoving Sago away with a whole body tackle.

Genma tucked his mangled hand in close to his chest and threw himself in the opposite direction, skidding on cold, blood-slicked concrete.

He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. But he was on his knees, then his feet, staggering against the wall. The poisoned ninja was still convulsing, choking on the dreadful slurry of his dissolving airways. Genma grabbed a kunai from the dying man's holster and threw it at Sago. His accuracy was off, his nerves still sluggish from that paralytic jutsu, but even so the blade dug a furrow along Sago's neck.

"Rai!" There was no volume to his shout.