"So where are we heading to?" Naruto's nose scrunched up. He breathed in too quickly and gagged. He covered his mouth and his eyes watered. Really, he preferred the dimly lit streets and sketchy looking business stalls than this!

"There's someone I know, someone I trust," Hinata spoke slowly, looking around the swamps. "Hopefully he's here."

She didn't really know where to go or how to start her master's journey for a normal life. She knew Konoha was a village secluded and very rarely let in visitors. Much less, she didn't know how to get there. The only person who she believed knew was the man who helped her many years ago. The tricky part, however, is that he had no concrete home or land.

"If you ever come back, look for me in the swamps. I'll be there. I promise."

Those words were spoken to her long ago and she clung close to them, in case she ever did come back. She never thought it'll be so soon. But she needed to help her master regain what he lost. Problem was where would he be?

"Hey Hinata…" Naruto stared wide eyed at…something. Its eyes were yellow with horizontal pupils. It lurked in the shadows but he can tell that whatever it was, it was huge. "Hey, Hinata, seriously, what the fuck is that?!"

His shriek caused the beast to step into the few sun rays that cracked through the large trees.

Hinata turned as the beast made its presence known. She vaguely recalls her lessons about the mystical animals lurking within the different regions of her world. The swamps were a place that demons, ghouls, and disgraced beings lurked. But there were also a place of peace where frogs, fishes, forest spirits, and fireflies gathered around. This one was no different. The large frog started them down as they both gazed up with wonder.

"Naruto," she whispered, staring at the beast, "kneel down." She slowly kneeled, her knee sinking into the mud.

He followed suit, though a bit clumsier. He was at a loss of words. He had a frog once when he was younger but, fuck, that compared nothing to this.

The frog croaked and Hinata got an idea.

"A-Are you…one of the forest spirits?"

It croaked again.

"I ask for your guidance, forest spirit. I'm looking for Jiraya."

There was silence before the frog croaked again and began to move. Though huge in size, its steps were gentle, careful not to crush any animals underneath it. Hinata stood up and gestured Naruto to follow.

"So it can understand," he pointed to the frog, mouth agape.

"Yes. He's a forest spirit. They're kind of like The Bijuu but much less powerful. They help protect lands."

The frog led them to a small hut. Hinata thanked the frog and after a few seconds, Naruto sheepishly said his thanks as well. The frog left them to a rundown hut. It looked like it was decaying and could collapse in any second.

"So you trust this Jiraya person?" Naruto asked, following Hinata closely.

Hinata approached the hut, looking at its decaying walls. It looked like no one has lived here for centuries. Why would the frog lead them here? It didn't seem like anyone was living here.

"It's more than just trust…" she hesitated, her brows furrowing. Unwanted memories from that night surfaced. 'He saved my life,' she wanted to say but she just didn't feel comfortable enough to share that part of her. It was a part of her that she tries to bury as deep as she can. Unfortunately, looking for the person whose bringing back those memories is proving hard to bury deep as of now.

He watched as she looked around, confliction in her eyes. He knew there was something more than what Hinata has told him about her. Although he was really tempted to shake it out of her, he knew that in order for her to trust him he has to give her space. They were going on this journey together, as a team, and they won't be able to get to this so called Kyuubi if he gets on her bad side. Rather make friends with his familiar, right?

Suddenly the ground began to tremble and Hinata moved closer towards Naruto. She summoned her sword and stared as the trees and bamboos began to shake. Birds began to cry as they flew overhead. Whispers of fear filled their ears.

"H-Hinata, what's going on? Is another big frog coming?"

"I don't think so, Naruto…" She readied herself as she felt the presence come closer straight ahead.

The trembling stopped and it grew quiet. It was uneasy and the atmosphere felt heavy. A large rusty red frog fell right in front of them causing them to fall back from the immense crash. The large frog wielded a sword as it glared down at them.

"Who dares looking for me? The Great Jiraya of the Frogs! Seal Master of Iyatora! Grand Ruler of—"

"J-Jiraya?" shouted Hinata, squinting since the sun was hitting her eyes.

"Well I can't believe…" he chuckled to himself. He jumped and landed gracefully in front of them.

"You've come back, Hinata." He smiled tenderly at her as he bowed slightly.

She hesitated slightly before bowing in return.

"Yes, I have."

"So what brings you home, darling? I recall from last time you vowed to never return." He turned on the stove. Rusty was it was, Jiraya trusted it to heat up his exotic tea mixes. He took out a scroll and said a few words. A pot popped into existence as well as a bag of water and a small container of different colored flowers.

"I know," whispered Hinata. "But I didn't come back because I wanted to." She turned to Naruto who was still looking around the luxurious home.

"Ah…" He turned to look at the young man as she set up the tea. "You're on the job?"

"Yes. That's why I came looking for you. My master sold his soul and wishes to have it returned to him."

"He wants to cancel the contract?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's unheard of! Those who sign it fully know what they want from it. Power, fame, and riches. It's all the same! Curse the crazed man who created this. Where's he from? Mekleotria? Priavilar? Oh wait, is he a bastard from Eccarath?"

"No, he's from the universe Earth. A human."

"A human?!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "How did a human get a hold of one of the contracts?"

She shushed him and quickly turned to look at Naruto.

He was being entertained by the fish tank with tadpoles in them.

"Wait, is Old Man Hiruzen in that universe…?" Hearing her nonexistent response answered him clearly. "I knew he would cause trouble. That crazy old man! I told him not to do it but did he hear me? No, he didn't! The consequences would he nigh if it landed on the wrong hands!"

"But it didn't." The pot was boiling at this point. She poured herself and Jiraya a cup of tea. She set aside a cup for Naruto, just in case he wanted to try something from this world. "My master wants his soul back. He wants his normal life back. That's why I'm travelling to Konoha to help him achieve his goal."

Jiraya sipped his tea, staring at the young man. He seemed simple but Jiraya saw a fire inside Naruto's heart. A fire that can most likely burn out the horrendous rebellion that's happening right now.

Jiraya cracked a smile. So now he understood why Hiruzen gave Naruto the contract. He wondered if Hiruzen saw something in the future. A chance, perhaps, to bring back peace in Iyatora. That chance can be Naruto.

"Hey guys, do these tadpoles bite?" Before anyone can answer his question, Naruto stuck his finger into the tank. Immediately all the tadpoles latched onto his finger and he wailed, falling back and shaking off the ones that stuck. "Get them off of me! GET THEM OFF OF ME!"

Well maybe they're fucked. Maybe.

After drinking some tea and Hinata placing a bandage around Naruto's finger, they all gathered around the living room. While the hut looked disastrous outside, the inside looked well made and taken care of.

"So tell me your plan again, Hinata." Jiraya took out a map of Iyatora and placing it in the middle.

"We want to get to Konoha to visit the Kyuubi's temple. But it'll be hard to get through because Konoha is known for keeping their gates closed."

"That's very true. My sources have said that the last time someone tried to cross they were shot down."

Naruto shivered. He definitely didn't want to be shot down.

"I was wondering if you knew of another route?" questioned Hinata, staring at Jiraya's thoughtful face.

"Konoha is a bit tricky," he trailed off, thinking hard. "They have brilliant and powerful people living there. The Nara Clan being one of them. The surrounding premises have traps if not powerful illusion spells to stop the outsiders from going in."

"Why is Konoha so wary of outsiders?" wondered Naruto, squinting at the map. "Why are they going the extra mile to keep people outside?"

"A long time ago Konoha was attacked," recounted Jiraya. "Now what I'm about to tell you, no one knows but a select few. So you must keep it a secret. Your life depends on it." Hinata and Naruto gulped but nodded none the less. "Good. Now before you were born, Hinata, many years before, there was a young man born with a great power." Jiraya gave Hinata a knowing glance. 'A great power that you have as well.' She looked away. "This young man believed he had a right to control Iyatora and his first step was to bring down The Bijuu."

"Wait," interrupted Naruto, "Aren't The Bijuu like gods or something?"

"Yeah, The Bijuu's, to some degree, are gods. They're demigods. So it would make sense to bring down such a powerful creature to make your name known and to be feared. The closest place to this young man that housed one of the Bijuu was Konoha. Back then, Konoha welcomed every visitor. Their gates were never closed. This young man waltzed right in with the intent to kill off this Bijuu."

"But that's ridicules!" Naruto gripped his hair. This was getting intense. "Hinata told me that they're really powerful. Like super powerful! What kind of power did this man have to have that kind of confidence?!"

"Let me continue," with Jiraya's glare, Naruto grumbled out, "Shitty old man," but let Jiraya resume. "The young man went to the temple and asked to see Kyuubi himself. By this point, Kyuubi saw the ill intent in this man's soul. He immediately warned the leader of Konoha. A large group of warriors surrounded the young man. Enraged that he was denied by the Kyuubi, he started to kill the residents of Konoha." Naruto's eyes widened and Hinata gasped. "One by one, with his power, he killed mothers, warriors, children, and infants. One by one, the young man would look back to the temple and yell, 'If you come down from the heavens, I will stop my massacre!'"

"Kyuubi, angry and hurt that his people were being killed, came down from heaven. The young man ran towards The Bijuu and struck him." Jiraya paused; watching as both Hinata and Naruto leaned forward, begging him to continue. "And for a second, the Kyuubi fell…

Dead."

"The Kyuubi…" started Naruto, eyes wide and his heart racing.

"…dead?" finished Hinata, staring at her hands with fear.

"Yes, the Kyuubi fell dead." Jiraya leaned back, thinking back to when they told him this story. "But you know what happened? They said that a bright light came down from the sky and straight to the Kyuubi's chest. The Great Bijuu was given a second chance of life. He roared a mighty roar and blasted the young man out of his village. After all, the young man was weak against the Kyuubi's mighty fire. Kyuubi ordered the village to close its gates forever and retreated back into the heavens.

"And so, that's why they're scared to open their gates. They don't want another massacre," finished Jiraya.

"But we're not evil!" yelled Naruto, standing up and waving his hands around. "We have no intention to kill! I just want my soul back!"

"Kyuubi isn't a permanent residence. The occupants of Konoha get to decide majority of the time who goes in and who doesn't," retorted Jiraya, annoyed at Naruto's outburst. "Second, even if you do go in there's still a chance Kyuubi will say no to having your contract broken."

"But why?!" whined Naruto. "That Kyuubi doesn't get anything with having my soul!"

'Well,' thought Jiraya, 'The Kyuubi can do that to Naruto…but he wouldn't…would he?'

Jiraya looked from Naruto, who was pacing around shouting about their chances of going in, to Hinata who stayed still ever since revealing that the Kyuubi died. He grimaced, unsure if it was a right choice to say the story or not. But it was too late now. They had to know what was coming. And according to his sources, there was movement.

This time, he won't be too late.

"The young man…" cautioned Jiraya, staring at both young adults, "is still alive."

Hinata gasped, a tremble taking over her body. Naruto stopped, staring at Jiraya.

"The man is still alive? He must be super old then! Wait, does he still want to kill The Bijuu's?"

Jiraya held up his hand, cutting Naruto's rambling.

"The man is still alive, old, but alive. And his plan is still at works." Naruto gulped. Such a dangerous man is roaming around in Iyatora? "But he learned his lesson from that day. He's gathering others like him."

"Others?" Hinata finally asked her brow furrowing.

"Yes, others like him." Jiraya stood up, a hardened look in his gaze. "If you guys wish to travel to Konoha, you must be careful. I'll give you my best advice to get through to see the Kyuubi but there's no guarantee. I'll recommend you to someone I trust and know to join you in your journey." Jiraya turned to look at Hinata. "Be on guard.

They are coming."

"Jiraya sent word, Lord Fugaku." The woman gave the small piece of paper to her lord.

Fugaku read the paper carefully before standing up abruptly. "Thank you." He waved her off and he turned towards the door at the back of his throne room. He stepped out to the night and tried to collect his thoughts. Jiraya was an old friend and he knew that this was an opportunity to bring him back. No one else was destined to do this but his youngest son.

Fugaku found him meditating in his mother's garden. Mikoto always did enchant her garden with tranquility.

"Sasuke."

The young man opened his eyes, red blood like the moon.

"Yes, father?"

"Your time has come to fulfill your destiny. Bring back your brother.

Dead or alive."