Chapter 4: Chasing the White Rabbit
Blonde hair matted with dirt and dried blood caught his attention first. In the drab muted room, the bright hair color stood out prominently. The girl was still; for a second, Jiraiya thought she was dead, but he saw the minute rise and fall of her chest. Relieved that she was just unconscious, he bent down once he approached her. Gently, he scanned over her body looking for injuries, starting with the feet. Aside from several minor scratches and a couple of shallow stabs and slashes, she looked to be fine.
He slashed through the chains and scooped her up into his arms.
He bounced on the balls of his feet, testing her weight. She was malnourished, very light and delicate looking. Orochimaru was not kind to her for attempting escape. He wondered if the mad shinobi had even fed her lately or anything beyond the bare minimum needed to survive and grow from a test tube baby.
The girl, as Jiraiya scrutinized her face, did indeed resemble Minato. There was no doubt that they were definitely related, but the scars on her faces were different. Three faint marks decorated each of her cheeks.
Jiraiya turned swiftly on his heels and leapt back through the holes he made. He quickly made his way to the Valley of the End to meet up with the ANBU agent from Konoha.
Jiraiya saw a glint in the in the peripheral of his vision. He pumped extra chakra to his legs and leapt off the branch with extra speed. A large snake slammed into the next tree just after he passed it; the tree crunched before snapping in half. Orochimaru!
He spun around in place, eyes peering through the tree leaves looking for the missing-nin and his minions. Jiraiya could hear his blood roaring in his head and his heart hammering as his body's adrenaline rushed to his muscles. He heart the sinister chuckle followed by the rustling of clothes before he saw his once-friend. The laugh echoed throughout the glades. Behind Jiraiya, Orochimaru landed on a branch with a soft tap. His clothes settled down behind him.
Orochimaru's tongue flickered out as if tasting the emotions running wild in the atmosphere.
"It's been a while, Jiraiya." Orochimaru's eyes flickered from Jiraiya's eyes to his captive and back. "I would appreciate it if you would return the girl to me."
"Never," growled Jiraiya, "I won't hand over Minato's legacy to you for you to experiment on." He shifted the girl higher onto his shoulder before firmly gripping her legs with one hand. His other hand flicked out a kunai and braced it in front of him. His feet parted slightly as his knees bent. I am close enough to the border. If I could just run past Orochimaru, I could meet up with reinforcements. He pulsed his chakra. Carrying the girl was a major handicap because he only had one hand available.
Orochimaru flipped through five hand seals, channeling his chakra into his prized sword. Kusanagi emitted a faint blue silhouette. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he recognized Fuuton: Katto Kaze. Orochimaru leapt off his branch and landed on the forest floor briefly before launching up into the air. He swung Kusanagi and a blast of wind followed up the slash. Jiraiya threw himself and the girl into the air. The blast of air narrowly missed him, slicing off the ends of his red haori. This is dangerous Jiraiya thought as he flared his chakra again.
He landed on a branch further away from Orochimaru, turned around and ran for it. The girl bounced on his back. Orochimaru chased after the two, his neck extending meters away, causing his head to weave from side to side. Jiraiya sensed the chakra of another approaching ninja. Hopefully that's the Konoha ANBU. As a last ditch effort to stall for time, he used an extra burst of speed to get some distance between Orochimaru and him before letting go of the girl's legs. With both hands, he swept through the hand seals for Needle Jizo, wrapping the two of them up in his needle-like hair. Orochimaru, approaching the two of them rapidly, almost stabbed his head into the needles before he managed to decelerate. Snarling, Orochimaru whispered, "What? No one-on-one fight for old time's sake? You're the coward, Jiraiya, not me. Waiting on those weaklings? Do you really think they can help you? I'll kill them and then I'll kill you!"
Owl landed at the appointed meeting place and cautiously reached out his senses. Despite his contact being one of the Sannin, it was always best to be safe. And safe it most definitely was not. There were clear signs of a battle being fought at the current moment. It was a dangerous fight too, judging by the huge amounts of chakra that seemed to be used. A noticeable pulse caught his attention. A distress signal. Owl grimaced. He immediately bounded into the trees toward the direction of the fight. With all of the chakra being thrown around, Jiraiya could only be fighting his old teammate. He was not looking forward to this fight at all.
The ANBU narrowed his eyes at the approaching pincushion. As ridiculous as it looked, it certainly did seem like a safe transporting method. Without pausing, Owl slid into pace with the fleeing white porcupine silently. "Jiraiya-sama." He announced himself as an ally to the alert shinobi. Jiraiya acknowledged the ANBU with a firm nod and passed the unconscious girl to him without removing the Needle Jizo.
"Go to the arranged place and wait there. I'll catch up with you." The white-haired Sannin ordered. The hard glint in the man's eyes told Owl that this order was to be obeyed without question. Nodding, the ANBU tightened his grip around the blonde and sped away through the trees.
Once he was absolutely certain they were a safe distance away, Jiraiya kept moving. Remaining under the cover of his jutsu, Jiraiya continued in the same direction. He was just slow enough that Orochimaru would be able to catch up. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice anything abnormal. A humorless grin was in place on his face. At the very least, he could really surprise the snake this time. Speak of the devil.
It was clear from Orochimaru's cautious approach that he already realized that something was amiss. Though since he hadn't followed in the ANBU's steps, it seemed that he didn't know exactly what it was that felt so strange. Without hesitating, Jiraiya quickly closed the distance between them, going through his hand seals before slamming his palm onto the ground beneath Orochimaru's branch. Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari. The ground beneath his hands erupted with pink flesh that proceeded to wrap itself around the two fighters. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes as they were cut off from the outside world. He jumped off of the enveloped branch and watched it recede into the surrounding walls.
"How cute. Do you really think that this will help you, Jiraiya-chan?" Orochimaru mocked, though there was a stiffness in the way he held his body that showed the unease at being in his enemy's space. "Why don't you hand over the girl? It'd be pointless to waste each other's time like this, yes?"
Jiraiya grinned smugly and allowed his hair to recede back to its normal length. "What girl could you be talking about?" He asked innocently, drinking in the anger on Orochimaru's face with delight. The smile slid off his face when his opponent lunged at him, snakes extending from his sleeves, hissing and spitting. Even with the floor itself working against him, Orochimaru was still a dangerous adversary to face. Jiraiya leapt backwards himself, filling his mouth with oil and shooting several Katon: Endans at the approaching serpents. It was effectively countered by a strong stream of water pulled from the humid air around them. The white snakes poured out of the resulting steam. They bit and snapped at Jiraiya's retreating figure, hissing in disappointment when only a few of their attacks connected.
The white-haired sage grumbled at the stinging bites, but retaliated with a force of tunneling wind while simultaneously willing the fleshy mass to trap Orochimaru's feet as soon as he landed. He continued his momentum with a well timed rasengan. The blue orb connected with the side of Orochimaru's body even as the snake twisted unnaturally to avoid the attack. Relatively unfazed by the blow besides a small grimace, Orochimaru's head stretched toward his attacker and unsheathed the Kusanagi in his mouth. The sword rushed at Jiraiya, managing to sink into Jiraiya's arm before he could manage to dodge. The sage gritted his teeth and dislodged the sharp metal. He distanced himself before the telekinetically controlled sword could pierce him again. Their taijutsu was on a similar level, and with that sword there...it would be best not to get too close unless he evened the odds.
Jiraiya bit down on his thumb for the second time that day and summoned Gamaken to his aid. "Again?" Gamaken sighed. "I'm pretty clumsy, but I'll do my best." He drew his sasumata and charged. The sword came down and slashed, but was halted by the sake dish shaped shield that the toad bore. In a few excruciating seconds, Gamaken pushed the floating weapon back, though not without large cracks decorating the pristine shield.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Despite his pride of being stronger than his ex-teammate, he knew that the odds had certainly tilted in Jiraiya's favor. The snake's goal was simply to retrieve the girl, but it seemed that retrieving her would have to be reserved for another day. He did not know how many reinforcements Jiraiya would get, but he did not intend to wait and find out. With his self-preservation in mind, Orochimaru recalled his sword to his side and sliced at the wall of the great toad's oesophagus. The blade sunk into it cleanly, and the snake was able to slip out of the opening he had created before it could be reformed. With the battle now over, Jiraiya recalled his summons and headed toward the Valley of the End, making sure to check for any chakra signatures that could have been following him.
Naruto coughed gently; her spine straightening, lifting off Jiraiya's back. Opening her eyes, she could see the swishing coat of her carrier and the geta that he wore. She stiffened. Who was carrying her?
A large hand patted the curve of her behind. "You're awake, missy?" The voice spoke the words casually yet they struck a chord within her. It wasn't the words or the potentially dangerous situation, but the voice...it was so familiar. Naruto attempted to twist around the bulky torso to see her captor only to stop. Shaggy white hair dangled in front of her like worm bait on a fishing pole. Jiraiya! She gasped and abruptly broke into a fit of coughs. Gentle hands placed themselves on her legs and torso before lifting her off the shoulder. In between her coughs, she realized that she was being set back against a tree trunk. Another pair of sandaled feet dropped down on a branch nearby, but Naruto's gaze was caught by the geta in front of her. Slowly, she let her gaze rise up the legs, past the torso, and braced herself for the face.
The familiar painted face brought tears to her eyes. She had missed him.
Jiraiya was never very comfortable when a person of the female gender suddenly burst into tears in front of him. This case was no different. The blonde clung to the man's back and sobbed into it as if she never wanted to let go. What did Orochimaru do to this girl? He sighed and stroked her hair in a soothing motion to calm her hysterics. They sat on the branch for a time until Maki's shuddering breaths slowed to a point where she could more easily breathe. "Ero-sennin, there's so much I have to tell you and-" The words rasped out quietly, nearly inaudible, though she choked up again when she tried speaking.
"Ero-sennin?" Jiraiya inquired, amused at where she picked this particular nickname from. Maki forced herself to take several deep breaths and pull away from her tight hold. The tear stains on her cheeks were still slightly damp, but she looked much more stable now.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto."
Jiraiya leered as Maki took a deep breath and her chest pressed out daringly. Hmm...a large B maybe? Or a small C? he mused. Not bad. They danced as she exhaled and his eyes, enraptured, followed the motion. A pale hand waved before his eyes, interrupting his show.
"It's...a hard to believe story, but I'm telling the truth. Please believe me," She paused and hesitantly peered at him through her bangs. Jiraiya nodded encouragingly.
"I'm not from here- this time or this dimension. I'm not sure which. You...and Orochimaru aren't alive. That's how I know that this is all wrong, but you didn't recognize me as Naruto. So I guess it's not the past."
"The Third Great Shinobi War ended 8 years ago and the Naruto here is a seven-year old boy. Does that help?"
"Definitely in the past and in a different dimension at least. I'm definitely female and Naruto. Plus, the Third Great Shinobi War ended 18 years ago for me. The Fourth just ended. I was…" Her voice broke off then and her head lowered a touch. Jiraiya observed her chin quiver a little as she tried to maintain her composure. "Sorry...my best friend died at the end of the war."
"If it makes you feel any better, you probably won't be able to see her anyway now."
"...Him," she corrected him, "and I won't be able to see any of my friends." She sniffed a little but continued determinedly.
"Then the Kyuubi attack has already happened?" She continued after receiving confirmation. "Then in a year, the Uchiha clan will be killed off by Uchiha Itachi. Unsatisfied with their station in the village, they were planning a coup. Four years later, at Naruto's first Chunin Exam, Orochimaru will attack Konoha, killing the Sandaime Hokage and running off with the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke, my best friend.
This is also when the Akatsuki makes their appearance. Originally led by Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, the group was taken over by Uchiha Obito. He survived the Kannabi Bridge mission and was healed by Uchiha Madara and a man named Zetsu. I'll tell you more about Zetsu later. He's a really important person. Anyway, so the Akatsuki were hunting...er...will hunt?
This is so hard!" Naruto screamed, wringing her hands through her hair.
"Just talk in past tense then," he suggested.
"Alright. The Akatsuki were hunting jinchuurikis and their bijuus so you took me on a three-year training trip. After that, we came back to Konoha. You left to return to your spymaster duties and I was quickly drafted to help Suna recover Gaara, who was a jinchuuriki Kazekage that was kidnapped by Akatsuki. After that it was a whirlwind of missions and training."
"When do I die?"
"I was just about to get to it. You were in Amegakure investigating the Akatsuki when you got into a fight with Nagato and Konan. They killed you. Less than a month later, Nagato, then known as Pein, and Konan attacked Konoha. I saved the village using senjutsu. Baa-chan woke up from her coma and went to the Five Kage Summit where Obito declared war on the villages. We formed the shinobi alliance and won the war together."
"Who is Baa-chan and where does Sasuke come into all of this?"
"Baa-chan is Senju Tsunade. Sasuke...he killed Orochimaru and his brother, Itachi. Obito picked him up after that...and Sasuke fought for him. He joined the Shinobi Alliance briefly to take down Zetsu. But, he turned on us afterwards. We fought, Sasuke and I, like it was always meant to be and I won as you can see."
"That's an incredible story," Jiraiya was gobsmacked. Sure, he knew about time-space fuuinjutsu and his student was a foremost expert on it, but to actually meet someone who had traveled in time and across dimensions? "I guess the Uzumaki blood flows strong in you," he said lightly trying to brighten up the conversation after that solemn briefing of the future. "We're going to have to figure out a way to integrate you into Konoha- you do want that right?"
"Of course! I'll never abandon Konoha. Konoha has and will always be my home! Dattebayo!"
"It's all so unbelievable, like you said. I doubt anyone will be able to guess the truth so any old cover should do for you. You have no paper trail at all anyway."
"What'd you tell jii-chan for him to send an ANBU to meet up with you?"
"My encoded missive suggested that you were the product of one of Orochimaru's experiments with Minato's DNA, perhaps a female clone or a daughter created in a laboratory. It was the logical conclusion after hearing about your bright vivid blonde hair, blue eyes, and the way you moved like a yellow flash. That's it!" Jiraiya slammed his fist to his palm. "I know what your cover can be!"
"Sensei, I would like you to meet Minato and Mito's daughter."
AN: Ruka- Sorry that a lot of this chapter was pretty much a summary of the plot. I had to get it out of the way eventually, but I did try to keep it as short as possible. Thanks for all the positive feedback guys! Tsuki- Yup, you guys are awesome! Thanks so much for the positive response~ Also I'm going to apologize for the poor fight scene...they're not exactly my area of expertise but hey I tried.