This pairing is inspired by the excellent story Strings by AnimeAddict666. Jiraiya and Kankuro are not my creations (so sad about that, jaan) but Yuki and her sister are.
Two
The bar was one of the Sand village's seedier establishments. Truly seedy, not one of those places that posed as seedy in the hope of attracting customers who were looking for the ambiance without the danger. It was dark, smelled bad, and exuded an aura of malignant chakra and forbidden jutsu. All in all, it was one of the better places in the village to gather information and if a man was able to do personal research at the same time, then that made it even better.
Jiraiya stretched his arms out along the sides of the booth and leaned back with a happy sigh. While he was enjoying mentoring the Uzumaki boy, he was still glad for a break from the hyper-active teen. He missed this aspect of his work and he could not do it with Naruto around. The genin was too young and Jiraiya suspected that he would always be just a little too naïve to do this sort of reconnaissance. Naruto had shown early promise with his sexy jutsu, but had not come up with anything since then. It was too bad really, Jiraiya had so much more he could teach, but Naruto was just not the student for certain things.
Jiraiya tossed a drink back and caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Finally, the evening's action was about to begin!
The woman had been assessing him and Jiraiya had been assessing her right back. She looked younger than her years. That was a useful asset for a hired killer; few would see death coming from such an innocent looking face. She might have recognized him as a man with a price on his head and decided to collect it (in some circles he was worth a lot of money) or had been hired to kill him. There was no paper trail of orders or letters to the Leaf village to be intercepted, so it was unlikely that she had known that he would be here ahead of time. Therefore, Jiraiya decided, she had probably recognized him and decided to capitalize on the opportunity.
She approached his booth and Jiraiya plastered his best tipsy-old-man-sees-pretty-girl grin on his face.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, my dear. Please do. What's your name?"
"Yuki."
"A lovely name. Yuki in the desert; a thing as rare as your beauty"
She dimpled at the cheesy compliment and murmured something back.
Well then, Jiraiya thought, let the games begin.
They exchanged pleasantries and drank. Jiraiya let his voice get louder, his gestures broader, and his declarations bolder as they talked. Yuki might fall for it or she might see through his act. Whatever the case, Jiraiya believed in giving the best performance possible.
Whenever he had the opportunity, he tried to locate her partner. She did not seem the type to work alone. Whoever it was, they were pretty good at hiding.
Yuki's attention shifted for a moment. The lapse was brief and Jiraiya almost missed it.
She smiled at him. "I'll get some good sake and some snacks."
"Please do and please hurry. Each second shall be as a year," Jiraiya declared in a loud voice, one hand over his heart.
Yuki giggled into her sleeve and slid out of the booth. She went to the bar and beckoned to the bartender. Jiraiya took the opportunity to try and figure out what had captured her attention. There was a newcomer at the bar and a quick glance told Jiraiya that he was the reason. The man was young and a shinobi. Jiraiya took a reading of his chakra and was impressed to see it was powerful and tightly controlled. He ran his mind over the roster of higher ranking Sand shinobi to try and fit the face to a name, but could not come up with anything.
The young man turned away from the bar with a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other. He was wearing the standard issue for Sand shinobi and had dark hair and eyes. The eyes were vaguely familiar, but Jiraiya could not place where he had seen them before. He had an excellent memory for woman's faces (and bodies), but sometimes men's faces escaped him.
The shinobi had seen him and it was clear from his expression that he knew Jiraiya, but was not pleased to see him. The sannin tried harder to place the face, but had no luck. It was a handsome face, the young man could probably stop women in their tracks with his smile, but Jiraiya got the impression that he did not do so very often. A plan suggested itself; he would find out who the boy was, deal with Yuki and her partner, and collect data for his next book.
"You. What are you doing here?" The newcomer paused. "Jiraiya-sama."
His nose had wrinkled and his lip had curled up in disdain. Something in the expression clicked in Jiraiya's brain.
This is going to be perfect, he thought, just the very thing I need.
"I remember you now! The little genin with the puppet."
Jiraiya recalled the most recent intelligence on the puppeteer. He had three puppets now and was about to become a jounin. Kankuro was supposed to be strong and intelligent, if hot headed. He was a high-ranking shinobi, the son of the previous Kazekage, and the brother of the current Kazekage. That probably explained Yuki's interest in him.
He made a show of looking around. "You are puppet-less tonight I see. Please join me. What was it again? Kanpachi?"
"It's Kankuro," he growled.
Kankuro almost punched Jiraiya when one of the sannin's hands closed around his upper arm and pulled him into the booth. Kankuro could not believe the old guy was grabbing at him like that. He wanted to shake the hand off, but Jiraiya's grip was very strong. Kankuro was not sure that he could brush him off without causing a scene. Not that he cared about getting into a fight, but getting into a bar fight with a very senior shinobi from the Leaf village might not be such a good idea. Kankuro knew he had a bad temper, but he was not that stupid.
The sannin pulled him into the seat and before Kankuro could say anything, Jiraiya had taken his bottle, opened it, and poured himself a generous proportion of the contents.
He took a drink. "You have excellent taste, boy."
He patted Kankuro on the back and then let his hand remain there. Kankuro stiffened at the rude behavior and at the unwanted contact.
"I'm glad you approve. Please keep the bottle with my compliments." Kankuro started to slide out of the seat.
The sannin's hand clamped onto his neck, holding him in place with a painful grip. "What's the hurry, boy? The night is young and you would make a lovely companion."
His thumb stroked the side of Kankuro's neck. Kankuro's eyes went wide; he had had enough.
To hell with peaceful relations with the Leaf, he thought, this old man is going down.
He started to raise his fists when Jiraiya twisted his head so Kankuro was forced to look at the bar. A woman was standing there, watching them with a puzzled expression.
Jiraiya leaned closer, so his breath puffed in Kankuro's ear. "Actually both my companions are lovely. Isn't she a rare creature? Take a good, close look."
He started to work his fingers into the tight muscles of Kankuro's neck. "You should learn to relax. You are far too young to be so tense."
Jiraiya was pleased to see that the boy had picked up on Yuki's real occupation. The muscles under Jiraiya's fingers relaxed a little and the sannin could feel a shift in the boy's chakra.
Kankuro put his fists on the table and made them relax. This was not how he had planned to spend his evening, but he should find out why Jiraiya was here unannounced and what was going on with the woman. Freelance assassins were not uncommon in the Sand village, but the woman was not on any of the wanted lists that Kankuro had seen. It made Jiraiya's interest in her a mystery.
Well, maybe not too mysterious, Kankuro thought, she is pretty.
Kankuro did not know why the sannin was dragging him into it. There was no way Jiraiya could have planned this meeting, because Kankuro had not told anyone that he was coming to this bar. He was only here because it was a bar that would serve an under aged shinobi. Kankuro had just wanted to have a drink, sit, and think, but now he was being dragged into something.
Kankuro sighed, this was going to get ugly before the night was over and then there would be paperwork. He could not help it if trouble followed him around like some lost puppy. He imagined Baki scolding him about fights and appearances. Kankuro was the Kazekage's brother, what was he doing in some sleazy bar? A vision of Temari popped into his head, she was giving him one of her all-men-are-such-morons glares.
But, Kankuro argued with the images, I have to find out why he is here. It might be important for the security of the village and for Gaara's safety.
Yuki returned to the table. She sat beside Kankuro and smiled.
"Who is your friend, Jiraiya-sama?"
"I'm not his…" Kankuro started.
"This, my dear, is Kankuro."
She murmured a polite greeting, batting her eyes at him. She leaned forward and mock whispered to Jiraiya, "He has such a fierce look, so scary."
"Hmm, do you think so?"
Jiraiya still had his hand on Kankuro's neck, caressing the underside of his jaw with his thumb. Kankuro knew from personal experience that the old man liked to cause trouble for others and his pranks often had a racy tone to them. However, Kankuro did not think this was a laughing matter; he was wedged between an assassin and a powerful shinobi who seemed more interested in groping him than taking the assassin out. He decided to give Jiraiya two more minutes to start acting like a proper shinobi, before he took the matter into his own hands.
Jiraiya leaned towards Yuki. The movement put him in closer contact with Kankuro. Jiraiya ignored the low rumble of warning the Sand shinobi made.
"More scary than me?" he asked, also using a hushed tone.
Yuki put one finger to her lips, making a show of her decision. She looked Jiraiya up and down and then Kankuro.
"I'm not sure." She tapped her cheek with one finger. "I can't choose.
"You can't!" Jiraiya sat back, eyes wide in dismay. He pressed his free hand to his chest. "My dear, you cut me to the quick!"
Kankuro snorted. "She's just being polite. You barely scare genin."
Jiraiya put an injured expression on his face.
Kankuro continued, "And move your damn hand before I rip it off."
"Oh dear. Are you sure you two are friends, Jiraiya-sama?"
"Oh yes, we go way back."
Jiraiya removed his hand from Kankuro's neck and put it on his thigh.
"I told you to move it!"
Jiraiya did, running his hand along the inside of Kankuro's leg. Kankuro growled and grabbed the sannin's hand.
"That's enough, damn it!"
Jiraiya chuckled. "Kankuro is a little temperamental. He doesn't like to be touched. Poor boy, he's probably never been kissed."
"I'm sure that's not true," Yuki said.
"Hmm, I'm not sure," Jiraiya mused.
"That's none of your damn business!" Kankuro started to push his way out of the booth.
To hell with this, he thought, I don't care what's going on. I'm not getting involved in any games.
"Please don't go away mad," Yuki pouted. She batted her eyes at him. "I think Jiraiya-sama's wrong, I'll bet you've kissed lots of girls."
Jiraiya pulled him back. "I'm not so sure about that. In any case, I'll bet he's not very good at it."
Kankuro could see where this was going. He remembered the trouble he had gotten into the last time he had crossed paths with the old man. He knew that he should not rise to the bait, but he could not help it, there was something about the sannin that set his teeth on edge.
"That's how it is with the Sand. They talk about how fiery they are, but when push comes to shove, it's just…" Jiraiya made a dramatic gesture, "…a drift of sand in the wind. There's nothing behind all that talk."
The insult was lame, but an insult nonetheless, and a challenge.
"Like hell! All you Leaf do is talk. Let me guess, you want me to prove it."
"That is something I would like to see."
Jiraiya leaned closer, a grin spreading across his face. He was delighted; it was going so well.
"I am not kissing you!"
"Don't knock it until you've tried it boy, but as I said, it is something I would rather watch."
Jiraiya gestured at Yuki. She giggled behind her sleeve.
"Perhaps you will help us, my dear."
"I suppose I could." She leaned closer.
Kankuro turned towards the woman. It was not the smartest move, she was an assassin. Just about any part of her might be poisoned and she could have weapons hidden in her clothes or hair. However, Kankuro felt a pleasant tingle of anticipation run up his spine; the danger would also add some spice to the encounter. He also wanted to prove Jiraiya wrong, he had kissed more than a few girls (and guys) and had done more than that to some of them. It was a modest number of conquests, but there had been no complaints.
Kankuro was still not sure which he preferred, but that was not an uncommon thing among shinobi and warriors. Mostly, he liked the feeling of power and control that he got when he fucked someone and that was something he could enjoy with either sex. There had been one bad experience, not enough to put him off sex altogether, but bad enough to make him wary if he could not be in control.
He captured Yuki's mouth with his own and shifted away from Jiraiya. After a few moments, she made an approving noise and allowed him to slide his arms around her and pull her body closer. Kankuro decided to take advantage of the situation and see what kind of weapons she was carrying. He stroked her back and then pulled on the neck of her kimono to loosen it. He released her mouth and started to kiss her jaw and neck, trying to sneak a glance under her clothes. Yuki arched into him and put both hands into his hair. Kankuro slipped one hand into the front of her kimono, he had not seen any weapons or felt anything pressed against him, but it would not hurt to keep looking. She might only be pretending to enjoy his embrace, but Kankuro was truly appreciating her soft body. After caressing her breasts, he loosened her obi; he had a few other places to search.
Jiraiya's hand latched onto the back of his neck again and pulled him away. Kankuro half twisted towards him, teeth exposed in a snarl.
"What the hell?"
"Well, you didn't do half bad, I'll give you that."
Kankuro tried to pull away from the sannin's tight grip.
"I warned you about that damn hand!"
Jiraiya grinned and went back to rubbing Kankuro's neck. He had seen enough to tell him what he needed to know. Kankuro might not have located Yuki's weapons, but Jiraiya had. She was a consummate assassin, keeping her weapons as close as her own skin.
"Did you enjoy that, my dear?"
Yuki smiled, tipping her head to one side.
"I'll take that as a yes, but if we are to continue, we should go somewhere more private."
"We?! There's no damn way…"
Jiraiya continued, "But may I make a suggestion first? Boy, that thing in the back of her throat is a uvula. It is a small and lovely muscle, not a target. You are kissing her, not throwing kunai. Allow me to demonstrate."
Kankuro started to protest, but was stopped by the sannin's mouth pressing against his own. Jiraiya reached out to stroke Yuki's cheek and then turned his full attention to Kankuro. Jiraiya rubbed the back of his neck and his shoulders until the boy relaxed. Kankuro tilted his head back and allowed Jiraiya to pull him closer. Jiraiya's hands began to roam over his face and chest and his mouth moved from Kankuro's mouth to his jaw and neck, kissing and sometimes nipping the tender skin there. A groan escaped his lips before he could stop it; for once the sannin's boasting had some substance to it. For a moment, he forgot about where he was and why, and about all his troubles.
Jiraiya's mouth curved into a grin against his skin. "Do you see the improvement?" he murmured.
He pulled away from Kankuro, keeping his hands on his body, one slipped down between his legs and squeezed.
"Hmm, I'll take that as a yes."
Jiraiya leaned over to Yuki. "Your turn, my dear."
He kissed her, while his hands remained on Kankuro. She closed her eyes and moaned, clearly enjoying what he was doing. Jiraiya's hand had traveled back up to Kankuro's neck and he was forced to survey the bar again. He saw a flash of dark clothing in another corner and realized what Jiraiya was doing. The assassin had a partner and while Yuki had been occupied with Kankuro, Jiraiya had been looking for him, and he had just directed Kankuro's gaze in his direction. Kankuro was not able to see who it was, but now he knew that she was not alone. He realized something else as well; Jiraiya was using Kankuro as a distraction and who knew what else he had in mind. Kankuro did not like that at all, he was no pawn or puppet meant for the old man's amusement.
Jiraiya pulled away from Yuki. "Shall we go then? Not too far, there is an alley just outside this bar that should suffice."
Kankuro frowned; he did not like that idea. If it came to a fight, he would be at a definite disadvantage because he did not have his puppets, movement would be limited in the alley, and he was not a close range specialist. Also, once they were in the dark alley, it would be very easy for Yuki's unknown companion to sneak up on them. It would be safer and more prudent for him to just leave and go alert whoever was on patrol in this neighborhood.
"That is," Jiraiya continued, "if you are up to it, boy."
Kankuro bristled at his smug, mocking tone. He pushed his more cautious thoughts aside. There was no way this old man was going to make him look timid or cowardly.
"Anyplace, anytime, old man."
"There's that famous Sand spirit! Let us depart with all haste. Love under the stars, nothing could be better!"
Jiraiya gestured for them to precede him. He laughed at the glare he got from Kankuro when he patted the boy's bottom. Once they were outside, he draped one arm around his shoulders.
"One more piece of advice, boy." His fingers slid down Kankuro's chest. "These are not dials, so don't twist them so hard."
"Ouch! Stop that, damn it!"
"My point exactly."
He continued to fondle Kankuro and leaned over to nibble on Yuki's ear. She sighed and pushed against him. Kankuro tried to come up with a strategy for when they got to the alley, but Jiraiya's caresses were making it difficult to concentrate. Kankuro pictured the alley; he had passed it on his way to the bar. The neighborhood had numerous dark, deep alleyways that were full of junk and other, more dangerous, things. Something he had seen in another alley floated through his mind, he had thought it strange when he had passed by, but now it gave him an idea. All of a sudden, he felt much more confident about the situation
"Ah, here we are," Jiraiya said.
"No, not here." Kankuro pointed. "There's a better place a couple of blocks over."
"Better?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, there's more room. C'mon old man, it's not far." Kankuro grinned. "You could do with the exercise."
"You are cheeky all of a sudden. Fine, but it had better be worth it."
"Don't worry, it will be. You're in for one hell of a show."
"I am intrigued by your words and that audacious smile. Lead on then, boy." He gestured to Yuki. "After you, my dear."
They walked to the spot Kankuro had indicated and stopped. Jiraiya draped his arm around Kankuro's shoulder again. The alley did not look any different to him, but the puppeteer seemed pleased with what he saw. Kankuro shrugged free of Jiraiya's embrace and stepped into the mouth of the alley. He paused there, one hand resting on a water barrel that was sitting against the side of a building.
"Wait here," he ordered.
He disappeared into the shadows. Jiraiya raised his eyebrows, but did not say anything. It would be interesting to see what the boy had planned. He looked down at Yuki, she did not seem suspicious or nervous, but then her partner was nearby, hidden in the shadows. Jiraiya had finally determined that it was another woman, but he was not sure that Kankuro had noticed.
The Sand shinobi returned, stopping just at the edge of the shadows in the alley. He held out a hand to Yuki and smiled. Jiraiya had been right; he was very handsome when he smiled.
"Watch if you want, old man, but just stay the hell out of my way."
Such a flare for the dramatic, Jiraiya thought, I am starting to like this young man more and more.
Kankuro turned around and walked back in, not looking to see if Yuki followed him. He waited for her and then without any further ado, pushed her up against a building, his hands going to her waist and his mouth finding hers in the semi-dark. She draped her arms over his shoulders and encouraged him to explore her body.
She noticed that Jiraiya's quick lesson had improved his kiss considerably. He was just learning how to use his mouth and his clever hands, but Yuki would be the last person he kissed. Fate was a strange thing; it had brought both the puppeteer and the sannin to the same bar where Yuki and her sister had just finished signing a contract for another job. Neither the boy nor the old man were contracted targets, although both had prices on their heads. A Sand village council member who had hired Yuki in the past had told her that if she could kill any of the Fourth Kazekage's children, Kankuro in particular, he would see to it that she never had to work again.
Kankuro slipped his hands into her clothes. Yuki shrugged her shoulders to allow her kimono to slide off them. The motion also made her sleeves fall back to expose her arms. It was time to finish this, she would give the boy a quick death, his kisses had been sweet, if clumsy. She would let her sister deal with Jiraiya.
Yuki tilted her head back, distracting him with the path down her long throat to her breasts. She made a few quick hand signs behind his head and dark seals appeared on the inside of her forearms. She tapped out another set of gestures on one forearm and a long thin knife appeared in her hand. She adjusted her grip on the handle, being careful to keep the knife out of Kankuro's peripheral vision. She put her free hand into his hair and tilted his head to one side. She shook her leg free of the skirts of her kimono and wrapped it around him, holding him securely. She raised the knife and plunged it into his neck. The impact of the blow made her wrist sting; it was not the familiar impact of metal on flesh. She might have hit one of his vertebrae or maybe he was wearing some sort of protector that she had not noticed. Both things were unlikely; Yuki did not waste any more time on the puzzle, she pushed Kankuro away from her and stabbed him in the belly as hard as she could. This time the impact made her shoulder ache, it was like she had tried to stab a tree.
Kankuro just stood there, smirking at her, apparently unaffected by the knife sticking out of his gut.
"You haven't figured it out yet?" A low voice floated out of the darkness. "I know I'm hard, but not like that."
Yuki looked over the shinobi's, or rather the replacement's, shoulder. The real Kankuro was there, teeth gleaming in the semi-dark.
"Cute trick with the knives, but you should have conjured an axe."
The replacement vanished in a puff of smoke and transformed back into a water barrel. It rose into the air; Yuki could just make out the pale strings of chakra leading from Kankuro's hands.
Yuki grabbed the bottom of her kimono and flipped it up, tying it out of the way with her obi and got ready to fight.
So much for the quick death, she thought, now I will have to take him piece by piece.
She ran her hands down the insides of her forearms, filling her hands with kunai and threw them at the Sand shinobi. She conjured more weapons; she had an infinite number, each one different and deadly. Kankuro sneered at the barrage, bringing the barrel in front of him as a shield.
"This is over."
Yuki looked up just in time to see another barrel dropping out of the sky, with its open end facing down. The barrel crashed down, knocking the assassin to the ground, and trapping her inside.
Kankuro applied more force to the barrel to make sure it was wedged into the ground. The attack was not as impressive as when Kuroari did it, but it would do. He looked around the alley, wondering where Jiraiya was, he should have the sannin watch over Yuki while he went and found whoever was patrolling this area. Just then something whistled through the air at him, he dodged and something brushed past his cheek. He felt a trickle of blood.
"What the hell?!"
He realized that it must be Yuki's partner. He looked around again, Jiraiya was gone.
No matter, Kankuro thought, he would only get in the way, just like the Leaf always do.
Something wrapped around his ankle and then slithered up his leg; Kankuro realized that it was a vine. Another vine wrapped around the arm he was using to control the barrels. Kankuro reached over with his free hand to pull it away. Thorns sprang out, cutting into this hand. He snatched it away.
"Shit!"
He looked up; someone was jumping down from a roof. More vines wrapped around his shoulders and arm. He slipped his free hand into his pocket, removed a kunai, and sliced the vines away. Yuki was punching and kicking the top of the water barrel and the end piece was starting to crack. He was managing to keep Yuki pinned, but it was hard to maintain his connection to the barrel because it was unfamiliar to him.
"Hana! Get me out!" Yuki yelled.
"In a moment, sister."
Kankuro assessed the newcomer and her attacks. Hana was an older and plainer version of her sister. Her kimono was dark; blending into the surroundings so it looked like her attacks came from out of nowhere. The attacking vines were streaming from inside her long sleeves. Kankuro twisted away; he needed to get out of the alley so he would have more room to maneuver. More vines flew at him, weaving around his arms and shoulders until he could no longer move them. He was slammed against the side of a building. Kankuro cursed at her and struggled, trying to cut himself free.
"It's poetic, you dying like this, just as your powers are just starting to bloom." Hana laughed. "Or at least that's what that idiot old man might say. Looks like he stole a few kisses and then took off. Pathetic."
She made a gesture with one hand and something different emerged from her sleeve. It took Kankuro a moment to realize what it was, a large flower bud. The bud unfolded, its large luminous petals spreading wide. It reared up and hovered in the air. Kankuro was familiar with flowering plants, because some produced interesting poisons, so he noticed that the pistil was oddly shaped and the stamens looked like they had hooks on the end rather than pads of pollen. Hana made a sharp gesture and the flower flew at Kankuro, petals spread wide. He wrenched himself out of the way, falling to the ground. The flower crashed into the side of the building, knocking bricks loose from the wall. The pistil had sunk several inches into the building and left a large hole when it pulled back out.
Kankuro rolled onto his back and the flower dove at him again. He lifted his legs and managed to trap the base of the pistil between his feet. The stamens twisted and snapped, slashing his legs and trying to strike at his face. Kankuro took a quick look at the barrel, Yuki would be free soon and then things would go from bad to worse.
"Son of a bitch!" He swore at the situation, the women, the sannin, and himself. He had been so stupid to let Jiraiya goad him into this.
A jounin, or almost jounin, he thought, should know better.
His sister's face popped into his head again, this time wearing her all-men-are-so-useless look. Kankuro grit his teeth and struggled harder, no way was he going to be taken out by a woman wielding a flower. It was bad enough that his sister could still kick his ass.
"Hmm, I go away for a few moments and what happens? I return to find you already on your back with your legs in the air," Jiraiya's voice floated down from a rooftop. "It's an unusual position, given the circumstances, but you do look quite fetching like that."
The sannin jumped down into the alleyway and struck a pose. "Night blooming flowers may not be colorful but they are interesting nonetheless. Don't you agree?"
Kankuro's only response was a snarl. He had managed to get one arm free and was trying to slash the flower parts snapping at his face.
"Do you need some help, boy?"
Kankuro cursed at him, Hana, and the flower. Jiraiya shrugged, executed a short series of hand signs and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the oxygen he would need to ignite his chakra. Kankuro swore again when he realized what the sannin was doing; the idiot was going to fry them all. Hana must have realized what was about to happen too, because she released Kankuro and jumped out of the way. Kankuro kicked at the flower and rolled away just as a tight burst of flame exploded into the air. He could feel the heat on his skin and clothes. He kept rolling, hoping that the motion would extinguish any flames that landed on him. When he reached the side of the alley, he sprang to his feet. The flower was engulfed in flame.
"What the hell…"
"If you would be so kind as to deal with the young lady," Jiraiya said, waving a hand in Yuki's direction.
She had smashed her way through the top of the barrel and was about to wiggle out. Kankuro shrugged free of the last of the vines, this time he would make sure she did not get free. Again, he missed Kuroari; he would have made short work of the assassin. The barrels were clumsy substitutes for his beautiful puppets.
Kankuro pressed his hands together, taking a moment to refocus and visualize what he planned to do. He extended both hands and established a link with the slats in the barrel and the two metal rings that held them together. The bolts around the rings pulled free and all the pieces of the barrel separated. They hung suspended for a moment around Yuki. Then three of the slats separated from the group. The rest reformed their shape around the woman, pinning her arms to her sides and her legs together. The metal rings tightened and twisted to secure the slats in place. Kankuro made one last gesture and Yuki's feet were pulled out from under her and she crashed to the ground. He grinned, it was not as impressive as his Iron Maiden attack, but it would do.
Jiraiya watched Kankuro for a moment and then turned his attention to Hana. She had conjured another flower, and this time she sent it to attack Jiraiya. The flower was huge, with numerous long, overlapping petals. It rose into the air above the sannin and then dove down on top of him. Hana gestured and the petals folded tight around him.
She sneered at Kankuro. "You're next."
Kankuro made a derisive noise. "I don't think so. Let him go or I'll crush her."
He gestured at the barrel and the metal bands tightened more, making Yuki cry out.
"Let her go or I'll crush him."
Kankuro shrugged. "Go ahead. Like I care."
Hana blinked in surprise and then laughed. "So the rumours are correct, you are a heartless bastard, just like your father."
Kankuro snarled at her, bringing his father into it was not smart at all. He made the metal around Yuki tighten a little more, but before Hana could do or say anything else, the flower holding Jiraiya exploded, shredded from the inside. The sannin emerged, shaking his head; his long hair was standing on end. He gave his head a vicious toss and spikes flew at Hana. She threw up a thicket of vines to shield herself and lashed out at the two shinobi. The vines that headed towards Jiraiya were met by a spiny blanket of hair and missed their grip. Kankuro dodged away from the vines that flew at him. He needed to keep Hana's attacks away from him and then come up with a counter attack.
A method occurred to him, he made a gesture and added more chakra strings to Yuki's bindings and lifted her off the ground, so she was suspended in front of him. She would make a good shield while he got his attack ready. He reached into his vest pocket and filled his hand with shuriken. He jerked his shield aside and threw the weapons at Hana. Her vines snapped them aside.
"Anytime you'd like to join in!" he yelled at Jiraiya.
The sannin grinned and fluttered fingers at Kankuro in a little wave. He took a deep breath and reared his head back, making a ragged, hacking noise deep in his throat. He snapped his head forward spat a large glob of oil at the assassin.
Hana cringed, throwing one hand up to ward off the disgusting attack, but the oil got everywhere; on her clothes, hands, face, and her vines. She wiped at her face to clear the sticky oil away and thus did not see the pieces of wood rising up behind her. One of the heavy barrel slats slashed down, hitting the back of her head. She dropped to the ground and did not move. Kankuro watched for a moment, keeping the boards ready in case she so much as twitched. When he was sure that she was really unconscious, he released Yuki, letting her crash to the ground by her sister. He retracted his chakra strings from the boards and they clattered to the ground. Yuki rolled over, cursing at them.
Jiraiya sauntered over. "Very impressive, boy. You are truly a master of your art."
He gestured at Yuki. "Perhaps you would like to finish what you started with her. We have a little time before others arrive."
It took a moment for Kankuro to realize what he was suggesting.
"What the hell? You really are a perverted old man! I am not about to…" Kankuro swung around to face Jiraiya, fists clenched.
Jiraiya looked down. "Your body suggests that you might have other ideas."
"Asshole! That just happens sometimes."
It actually did not happen all that often to Kankuro, he was still feeling the effects of the kisses he had traded with Yuki and Jiraiya and the excitement of the fight had kept him aroused. He jerked the hem of his shirt and his vest down and stalked out of the alley, muttering curses. He ran into the patrol team halfway out.
"Stop, right there!" one of the two ordered.
They were both surprised to see an unfamiliar shinobi storming out of the alley. Jiraiya's appearance added considerable confusion to the situation.
Kankuro started to explain, "There are two assassins in there. They've been disabled, but be careful."
The older of the pair frowned. He recognized the voice, if not the face and clothes. "Kankuro-san?"
Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Who the hell else would I be? What the hell took you guys so long, Hajime? Did you come here by way of the Leaf village?"
"Uh, no. We just got the call." Hajime was squinting at Jiraiya's forehead protector, trying to figure out what he was.
Another shinobi arrived; he was older than the other two and was wearing the insignia of a patrol captain.
"Hajime, Kenji, go take them into custody," he ordered.
The puppeteer greeted the man and began to brief him on what had just happened. He was brusque, but gave a succinct and accurate report. Jiraiya was impressed, they had just finished an intense fight, but Kankuro had already organized his thoughts enough to give an excellent report. He was also pleased that the boy had acted properly towards his defeated opponent; many men would have taken his suggestion.
"See them to the holding cells. I'll escort Jiraiya-sama to the administrative building so he can file his own statement and I will submit a written statement myself," Kankuro finished.
"Very good. I'll see you later then." The man nodded to Jiraiya and then went on his way.
Kankuro's professional demeanor vanished. "C'mon old man, let's get this the hell over with."
"I hope you don't mind, but I would like to make a detour. The fight proved most taxing and I would like to stop by my rooms to rest and freshen up first."
"Taxing…like hell. You didn't do a damn thing but watch."
"Well, 'old men' like myself do tire easily."
Kankuro glared at him, he was fed up with the sannin and his oily ways. Jiraiya had been testing him earlier, to see what he would do about Yuki. It was bad enough that he had the council on his ass all the time, just because he was a puppeteer like Sasori and the son of the Fourth Kazekage, a man that most of them had feared and hated. He did not need anyone else checking up on him, especially some Leaf shinobi.
Jiraiya ignored the glare and started walking.
"I will have to let Baki know how well his students have turned out. You displayed exemplary conduct back there."
"Whatever. I'm glad I passed your damn test. Let's just get this done, but you are going to report in and answer some questions. Like about why you are even here in the first place."
"As you wish." Jiraiya made an elaborate gesture over his shoulder.
Kankuro was a little surprised when Jiraiya led him to the nicest hotel in the village. Jiraiya saw the expression on his face.
"Is something wrong?"
"This place is expensive. How can the Leaf afford this?"
"They can't, but I can. You are familiar with my books?"
Kankuro scowled at him. Jiraiya knew damn well that Kankuro had seen one of his books. Even before he had known who the author was, Kankuro had managed to purchase and read some of the others. It was a small collection of books that he had been very careful to keep away from his sister and Baki.
"Those trashy novels paid for this?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "How many have you read and how many times did you read each one?"
Kankuro ducked his head and muttered something.
"Would you like to see the inside? It is just as nice." Jiraiya reached out and brushed a finger across the cut on Kankuro's cheek. "We could see to this," the sannin's eyes wandered lower, "and perhaps that."
Kankuro jerked back. "We have to go and…"
"I shall write an excellent account and so shall you. Does it really matter where we do it?" Jiraiya stepped closer. "Don't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind, haven't you wondered what it would be like to experience first hand the talent that created those masterpieces?"
"Masterpieces?" Kankuro snorted. "Like hell."
"You won't be disappointed." The sannin's hand was rubbing his shoulder and neck. "But maybe I was right before, you don't have what it takes to handle my greatness."
Kankuro snorted again, it was unbelievable how cheesy Jiraiya sounded, but the sannin did have a way with his hands (and mouth). Kankuro would not mind more of that sort of attention.
He sneered at the sannin. "Another challenge? How do I know that you are up to it, old man? Like you said, that little scuffle tired you out."
Jiraiya laughed. "I do like you, boy. Well, there is only one way we will find out, and standing here is not it."
He turned and walked away. Kankuro glared after him, and then he took a quick look around, to ensure that no one had followed them and to give himself a moment to gather his wits. He squared his shoulders and followed.
