Authors Note: Well, sorry that it took so long to update, but I've been quite busy lately and I just haven't had the time to. Lol. Anyway's, it seems the poll for Sasuke's summon is tied between eagles and other, so I'll hold off on giving him one for the moment. Shouldn't affect the story too much. Well, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it.
Naruto and Sasuke sat in the hospital room with their adopted brother, waiting for him to wake up. Apparently he had gotten into a fight with an enemy shinobi that had infiltrated the village. The fact that the fight had happened just minutes after they had left was not lost on the boys. Itachi had a very tough time explaining his actions to the two.
"Do you think he will be alright?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto grinned at him. "Of course he will be! Him and Itachi-nii-san are really strong! No way he won't be alright!" He said still grinning. Sasuke gave a tentative smile back before turning back to watching Shisui. Not too long after, a nurse came in and told the two to come back tomorrow. Nodding, the boys walked out of the hospital and started home.
When they finally got home, they saw their father at the table, reading a scroll.
"What're you reading tou-san?" Naruto asked.
Fugaku, hearing the two approaching, put away the after action report before standing up and facing the two. "Nothing that you need to know about at the moment." He said with a small smile. "Now, I believe it's time for bed." Naruto and Sasuke frowned but went up to their rooms without protest. Fugaku went to get ready for bed himself still thinking on what Inoichi and Ibiki had managed to figure out from the captured shinobi. Very troubling. Very troubling indeed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back in his chair as he gazed at the two shinobi standing before him. "Very comfortable chair actually. I wonder who made it?" He contemplated silently. He turned his thoughts back to the current topic at hand though. Kakashi Hatake and Inoichi Yamanaka stood at attention in front of their leader after reporting what happened and what they had found out.
"So, what you are telling me" he began. "is that this, obviously fairly powerful shinobi, managed to not only slip through our defenses, remaining undetected as he did so, long enough for him to not only figure out where Naruto was" Kakashi and Inoichi both flinched slightly but nodded. "but also long enough to get to where he was training and attack Shisui, trying to get at Naruto." The two shinobi flinched yet again before nodding. "And, not only that, but apparently, this shinobi is Minato's long lost brother that was kidnapped by Iwa when he was still a boy." Inoichi grimaced and nodded. "And if that wasn't enough, he has seals on him that are blocking his memory from before he was kidnapped and also ensure his loyalty to the Tsuchikage." Kakashi flinched.
Hiruzen stayed silent for a bit and thought things over before speaking again.
"Well, shit." Kakashi and Inoichi both nodded grimly. "Kakashi, you are to go and find Jiraiya and drag his sorry ass back here to Konoha. Force is authorized if necessary, and so help me god, if this mission requires the use of your families bloodline or your father's sword and you don't see fit to use it, I will chop you up into pieces and spread them so far that a Hyuuga won't be able to find them all! This is an S-rank mission. Do not speak of it to anyone." Kakashi flinched before disappearing in a shunshin. "Inoichi, take Shikaku and Chouza with you and find Tsunade. I don't care what it takes, but bring her back here. If she resists, feel free to use force. I don't give a shit what my wayward students think right now. Konoha is in a very bad position right now and I don't care if I hurt their damn feelings! Now get going!" Inoichi flinched yet again before disappearing after Kakashi.
Hiruzen sighed as he leaned back into his chair again. He really didn't want to treat his students like this, but if what he feared was true, Konoha would once again be in a war for its life in a very short amount of time. He leaned further back in his chair as he focused on nothing but his pipe and smoking it. "Really is a remarkably comfortable chair. Wonder who made it? Should congratulate them on such a fine job."
Itachi sighed as he continued jumping through the trees. Three days ago the Hokage had suddenly upped patrols for no apparent reason. At least to most other ninja that is. Itachi himself had good reason to believe it was because of the fact that an Iwa shinobi had infiltrated Konoha for at least most of a day with no apparent effort of his part. Now this could mean that this shinobi was particularly good at infiltration and assassination, but judging by the way he had beaten Shisui with no apparent effort, it was highly unlikely. Infiltration and battle do not go hand in hand usually. Neither do assassination and battle. The more likely reason he was able to get it was because Konoha's defense had dropped a lot since the last Great War. A much more likely reason. Of course, another reason could be that this particular shinobi was very lucky, but it wasn't likely. Itachi did not believe in luck any more than he believed in the rinnegan.
Itachi landed on another branch but jumped off almost instantly when a kunai with an exploding tag attached to it landed just to his right. Spinning in midair and correcting himself, Itachi quickly drew a kunai of his own and deflected five more before touching down on the ground. Watching his surrounding's carefully, he wasn't surprised when five copies of a man wearing a mask with the Iwa symbol on it came out of the underbrush.
"Surrender. You are surrounded." One of the figures said. Itachi kept silent and listened for the telltale sound of weapons flying through the air. Soon enough he heard something coming at him from behind and ducked down under a few shuriken that had come out of the underbrush. Spinning on his heal, Itachi went through handseals quickly before firing a giant fireball in the direction the shuriken came from before charging one of the copies and quickly dispatching it with a kick.
"You are more skilled than we thought." The man spoke again. "No matter though. You will still die." As the figure spoke, kunai came from two directions at once, causing Itachi to jump into the air to avoid them. As soon as he did though, a spike of earth erupted beneath him. Thinking quickly, Itachi performed handseals before aiming a powerful wind jutsu straight ahead at a tree; blowing himself out of harms way. Landing on a clear patch of ground, Itachi struggled to control his breathing while trying to figure out where all the enemies were. All of a sudden, he heard the sound of vegetation rustling before he turned around to where he heard it and fired another huge fireball in the direction he heard it. Itachi heard a scream of pain and then silence.
The man frowned slightly under his mask before signaling in his clones. All three remaining clones rushed Itachi at once before he had a chance to recover. When Itachi heard them coming, he immediately spun around, ducking underneath a kick, and stabbing the clone with the kunai he had drawn while spinning. Leaving the kunai imbedded, Itachi grabbed a fist speeding at his head, before flipping the clone over him completely and jumping over an attempted leg sweep. The clone that had performed the leg sweep leapt up as well, attempting to hit Itachi in midair. Itachi grabbed it's fist, forcing it under him as he landed, and forcing it to crumble into earth.
When he landed again, Itachi barely saw a boulder heading for him before dodging out of the way and running at the man, only to be forced to dodge as a kunai flew by him. The man pulled out a kunai of his own before settling into a basic stance. Itachi withdrew a kunai as well before charging the man and sending a slash that was parried, with the man countering with a well aimed stab to the gut. Itachi twisted out of the way, rolling himself along the man's arm, before he sank his kunai into the back of the man's head. Pulling his kunai out, Itachi watched as the man's body crumbled into earth.
In the bushes, the man signaled his two teammates before jumping away. Itachi walked over to where he had shot the second fireball and saw a burnt corpse lying on the ground. He sighed as he sealed the corpse in a storage scroll before heading back to Konoha. "Hokage-sama isn't going to like this." He thought as he made his way through the trees again.
It had been four day's since Kakashi had been sent to find Jiraiya, and he still hadn't found him anywhere in the surrounding area so far. Add that to the fact that he was still slightly sore about the fact the Hokage had basically reprimanded him on his refusal to use his family's kekkai genkai or his father's sword, and he was in a really bad mood. As he passed through a town in fire country, he heard a perverted giggle coming from the other side of the hot spring he was at. A feeling of dread spread throughout him. Turning the corner, he saw exactly the man he was looking for. Jiraiya. Kakashi sighed before walking up to him.
"As much as I enjoy you books Jiraiya-sama, I'm afraid I have orders to inform you that your sensei needs you back in Konoha." Kakashi said in an even tone.
Jiraiya turned around and looked at Kakashi for a bit before answering with a grin. "Nah." He said before turning back to his peep hole. "Time to knock some sense into you boy." He said grinning inside. Kakashi may have been a prodigy when he was younger, but as soon as his father had died, he began to sink into a pit of despair. It only grew worse when Obito and Rin died, and it finally took his life over when Minato died. As much as he himself liked the boy, Jiraiya could easily figure out why his sensei would send Kakashi to get him.
Kakashi, seeing Jiraiya was not going to come easily, decided to ask one more time. "Are you sure?" He asked hopefully. Jiraiya did not even turn around this time. Kakashi sighed before sinking into his taijutsu stance and revealing his sharingan. "I have orders to bring you back to Konoha no matter what. Violence is condoned in this mission." He said in a monotone. Jiraiya stood up slowly before stretching and yawning.
"Been a while since I've had a good workout." He said as he got into his own stance.
Both men waited silently before Kakashi decided to start them off. Charging forward, he tried a straight punch which Jiraiya lazily blocked before swatting Kakashi away like an annoying insect. Kakashi corrected himself in midair, throwing a kunai at Jiraiya while going through handsigns. Seconds before it reached Jiraiya, the single kunai turned into ten making Jiraiya raise an eyebrow before dodging all the kunai easily.
"Come on Kakashi. Is that all you can do?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk. Kakashi growled before charging again and slashing out with another kunai he had drawn. Jiraiya merely moved aside before chopping the back of Kakashi's hand, making him drop the kunai. "I know you can do better Kakashi." He said as he moved back, arms crossed. Kakashi quickly went through handsigns before sending a large fireball at Jiraiya. Jiraiya stood there as the fireball approached. When the fireball died down, all that was left was a charred log lying of the ground. Kakashi ducked down as a punch rocketed over his head, spinning around in the hopes of sweeping Jiraiya's legs out from under him. That hope died instantly on seeing Jiraiya already in the air with a foot coming at his face. Kakashi desperately dropped flat to the ground, rolling until he was a few feet from Jiraiya again.
"You're getting better Kakashi. Good job!" Jiraiya said with a grin. Kakashi snarled, sending multiple smaller fireballs at Jiraiya. Jiraiya just weaved through them lazily before disappearing. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise before he dived forward just as a kick flew through the space his stomach just was. Kakashi rolled to his feet panting and staring at Jiraiya warily. "Are you about done now, or do you still have more tricks up your sleeve?" Jiraiya said as he leaned back against a tree. Kakashi continued panting but bit his thumb, running through handseals before sending a long, narrow stream of fire at Jiraiya.
"Katon: Kasai Yari!" He mouthed as he tracked the stream of fire, following Jiraiya's movements. Only when he felt his chakra levels growing dangerously low did he stop the attack, allowing Jiraiya to stop dodging.
"You see." Jiraiya said smiling. "So much potential. But I'm still not going back."
Kakashi sighed as he tried to calm himself down. "Damnit! I don't want to use it!" He thought angrily. Sighing once more in an attempt to calm down, he took out a scroll and unsealed a tanto out of it, before holding it out before him.
"Getting serious are we?" Jiraiya asked with a grin. Kakashi charged at Jiraiya, swinging his tanto while sending out a wave of white chakra that rushed at Jiraiya. Jiraiya just sidestepped the wave of chakra with a raised eyebrow. "Nice. What else can you do with that thing?" He said, sidestepping another wave of chakra. Kakashi brought the tanto up until it was in front of him and facing forwards. Chakra began to gather at the tip before a lance of chakra shot out of it much faster than the waves. Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly before he ducked underneath it and rolled to the side, dodging the next one as well. Kakashi wasn't done yet though. Bringing it up above his head, he sent all the chakra he could spare into it, making it glow a bright silver colour. He quickly stabbed it into the ground. Seconds later, random jets of silver chakra began shooting out of the ground around Jiraiya, making him jump out of the way of beam after beam of the silver chakra until they finally stopped.
"Ugh." Kakashi groaned as he collapsed still holding the tanto. Jiraiya walked over to him and squatted down next to him.
"There now Kakashi. Was that so hard?" He asked laughing. Kakashi glared at him until he felt himself about to start laughing as well. He reached his hand up to his face, managing to pull his hitai-ate back over his eye again. "Come on Kakashi. Time to get back to Konoha. Also, next time don't just stick to your father's sword." Jiraiya said as he picked the jonin up easily, swinging him over his shoulder. "Hold on." He said with a laugh before taking off in the direction of Konoha.
Inoichi groaned as he walked alongside his two friends. They had been basically scouring fire country for any sign of her, hoping they didn't have to resort to leaving for wind, lightning, or anywhere else. So far they were having no luck at all. They had only heard rumors of Tsunade in the past five days, and no actual physical sign of her that said she was near. Just as they walked by a bar though, a man came flying through the wood wall beside them and through the house across the street. The three friends looked at each other in surprise.
"You don't think…" Inoichi began.
Shikaku cut him off. "Let's go. I want to get this troublesome job over with." He said walking into the bar. Chouza shrugged before following Shikaku inside. Inoichi looked hesitantly at the hole in the wall before following reluctantly. As soon as they were inside, they saw most of the people inside looking fearfully at a blonde woman drinking in a corner with another black haired woman holding a pig. Inoichi sighed. "Yup. Definitely Tsunade." He thought as they walked up to her table.
"Troublesome. Your sensei wants you back in the village." Shikaku said looking at Tsunade who just kept drinking.
"Don't care. Go away." She said harshly before taking another drink. Shikaku looked at his friends who both nodded in resignation.
"We have been authorized to use force if need be." Shikaku said grimly.
Tsunade just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds." Shikaku said with a scowl.
Tsunade gave a derogatory laugh before turning back to her drinking. Shikaku signaled for Chouza and Inoichi to get ready. They both got into their taijutsu stances while Shikaku turned back to Tsunade.
"Are you sure?" He asked hopefully.
Tsunade just looked at him like he was crazy before continuing to drink. Shikaku gave a barely audible troublesome before grabbing the pig and running. Tsunade, Shizune, Inoichi and Chouza all stood frozen in shock for a moment before Chouza and Inoichi both bolted out after their friend. It took Tsunade a slightly longer time to realize what had just happened before she jumped up growled and took off after the three. Shizune sighed, payed the bill, and started walking towards Konoha.
Meanwhile, Shikaku slowed down a bit, allowing his two friends to catch up slightly before speeding right up again.
"Are you insane?" Inoichi shouted.
Shikaku looked at him in annoyance. "You can dig around in my head back in Konoha Inoichi. For now, focus on running and surviving." He looked up for a second. "Speaking of which, I would move now." He said as Tsunade came flying out of the trees straight for Inoichi.
Inoichi let out a groan before managing to duck and kept running. Sometimes he wondered about Shikaku.
"Get back here cowards!" Tsunade shouted angrily from behind them. Inoichi shuddered before putting more effort into running faster.
Shikaku suddenly moved to the side just as a tree came flying past where he just was. Inoichi's eyes widened before he turned his head around. Tsunade was running along the ground, grabbing trees out of the ground to throw at the three. Inoichi just gulped, turning back around and pumping all the chakra he could spare into his muscles in an effort to go even faster.
Slowly they made their way back to Konoha. Seeing the walls not too far away, Inoichi almost sighed in relief before seeing a shadow on the ground. Looking up, he saw a large boulder falling from the sky right at him. His eyes widened as he tried to jump out of the way. He barely managed it before the boulder landed right behind him. Inoichi didn't even spare it a glance as he kept on running. Seconds later, he felt something coming at him from behind. Looking back, he saw it was several very sharp fragments of the same rock he had barely managed to avoid being crushed by the first time. Inoichi groaned before flinging himself out of the way, seeing out of the corner of his eye Shikaku and Chouza do the same.
"I blame you for this Shikaku." Inoichi said as they neared the walls.
Shikaku didn't say anything, instead focusing on running for his life, still holding the pig which was surprisingly asleep as if nothing was happening. Soon after, the three ran past the guards who looked at them, then the angry woman behind them, then at each other before diving behind their booth.
"Cowards." Inoichi grumbled.
"Can you really blame them?" Chouza said. Inoichi thought for a moment before shaking his head no. Finally they arrived at the Hokage tower, dodging watermelons, carts, and even a civilian who ended up crashing into a stand selling apples. Hopefully he was alright. The three quickly ran inside the tower as if their lives depended on it, which in a way they did, running right past the anbu stationed outside the doors who took one look at the charging sannin before using the shunshin to get away. Pausing only to open the door, the three stepped into the Hokage's office before closing the door and locking it. The three then ran so they were behind the Hokage and his desk.
"I have a really bad feeling about this." He thought as he heard a commotion downstairs. Then he saw the pig in Shikaku's arms and paled. "What the hell are you doing you madman?" He whispered in a desperately.
"Hey, you just told us to get her back to Konoha. Now that she is, she's your problem." Shikaku said as he handed Hiruzen the pig and disappeared. Inoichi and Chouza quickly followed his example and disappeared just as the door was literally sent flying. Right over the desk and out the window actually. Hiruzen paled as Tsunade walked in with a deceptively happy smile on her face. Trembling in fear, Hiruzen looked at the pig on the desk, then at the woman before cursing the Tsuchikage.
Authors Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed the little bit of humor at the end there. Also, with regards to Kakashi getting his ass thoroughly whooped by Jiraiya. If you recall, Jiraiya took on three of Peins bodies and beat them all in one fell swoop. Kakashi had trouble against only one, and he had the help of Chouza and Choji. The fact that they're both younger helps Jiraiya as well. Kakashi isn't as experienced as he was when he faced Pein, while Jiraiya is younger, therefore a bit stronger due to being closer to his prime. Anyways, that's my reasoning for that. Please read and review!