The Emperor, a Prophecy and Heaven Discoveries

Sakura couldn't keep her excitement from her face when she walked into the office of the Godaime Hokage. She had been summoned here and she had a feeling it to do with Sasuke – her beloved Sasuke-kun. She really hoped it was something good, hence her excitement. Tsunade wasn't smiling but that didn't make Sakura's smile falter – she kept it even when Tsunade stared at her.

"You called for me, Tsunade-sama…"

Tsunade nodded her head. She truly had more troublesome brats to deal with. Back in her days, brats were fighting in the war; there was no time to be a fan girl or anything. Fighting for survival, protecting your comrades, it was all that mattered. Today, they have time to think about worthless things. They even take their make-up when going on a mission – it was utterly ridiculous but this just showed how much the world has changed.

Tsunade was going to straighten them. Those who were not worthy of becoming shinobi would not graduate from the academy. She would make sure that the graduation exam was a little challenging. She could not have kids who just want to play shinobi to become ninja when they could be facing war in the near future. Even if they did not face war, it was important to keep Konoha's defenses at best working condition in case something happens.

Godaime cleared her throat and spoke. "Naruto encountered Sasuke…and they fought but Sasuke managed to flee with Orochimaru…" Tsunade said those words in a simple tone; there was no other way to put it. She wasn't going to add anything unnecessary and she would not say when this had happened. "I called you here just so you can know that Sasuke is alive and well."

Sakura frowned; not the good news she wanted to know. She had always known that he was alive. She could feel it in her heart that her beloved was alive. But Naruto had seen him, he had fought him. That didn't surprise her. Before Sasuke decided to ditch Konoha, he'd been prone to fighting Naruto over little things. Someone always got in the way before things got serious.

"Oh…" Sakura mouthed with disappointment.

"I know this isn't something you wanted to hear, Sakura, but I just thought you should know…" Tsunade said.

Sakura nodded. She hadn't even heard anything from Naruto. He didn't respond to the letter she sent him – it didn't make her smile. But she didn't want to think too deeply about it. Naruto was going to come back, and she would face him. He was still her teammate after all.

"You said Naruto, wasn't Jiraiya-sama there with him?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Jiraiya wasn't there, he only joined in during the fight and that was when they were forced to flee…"

"Who was winning?"

Tsunade tilted her head to the side. She was curious why Sakura would want to know; it wasn't a competition, was it? "Jiraiya didn't say…" she lied. "Why do you ask, Sakura?"

"Well, Sasuke-kun has always felt that he was superior…" that was something she had ignored or just failed to see in their younger days. Of course, she did think about it now but it didn't change anything about her feelings towards him. "Sasuke would always glare at Naruto if he did something better than he did." She didn't want to admit this but she did. "Sasuke was always even jealous of Naruto. There had always been a feeling that Naruto never really tried too hard. I think his jealousy was part of the reason he felt he needed to leave Konoha."

Tsunade frowned. "So, if Naruto was winning?"

"There is a chance that he might decide to abandon Orochimaru and go somewhere…" Sakura said. 'If he lost, he'd feel frustrated and would think Orochimaru wasn't giving him what he wants."

"That is an interesting conclusion, girl…" Danzo said as he stepped into the office.

Sakura twirled around to face the man who spoke in a cold tone. She always had a chilling feeling whenever she saw this person. Now, she wasn't a good judge of character, but there was no way Danzo was a good person. If this man was a good person, then Jiraiya wasn't a shameless pervert.

"Granted, he has already shown himself as a jealous person and betrayed Konoha, if those feelings resurface, where do you think he will go?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment before responding. "I think he will come back here…"

"Naïve," Danzo said in a cold tone and then dismissed Sakura just like that. He turned his attention to Danzo. "What do you think, Hokage?"

Tsunade ignored the war hawk and turned towards Sakura. She smiled the pinkette and then spoke. "You may leave, Sakura. If there is anything else, I will tell you."

"Hai…" Sakura hurriedly left the office.

Tsunade's cold look turned towards Danzo. Since they were working together, he was appearing before her a bit more often. At least now he knew who was in charge of Konoha and if he was going to try to undermine her rule, he wouldn't do it blatantly; he would do it in a way that he thinks she won't find out.

There was still a minor problem with how things are in this situation. She wasn't going to tell him that the might be war – it might just entice him to do something ridiculous that would frustrate her planning. She didn't want anyone who would worsen things as they are. There was just no telling what the old man would do if things turned out dangerous. She didn't want him attacking any hidden village.

Tsunade crushed the thought that she could not tell what Danzo would do – she knew quite well what he would do in a dangerous situation. If Kumo and Iwa proved that they could work together. Danzo would do everything in his best of capabilities to make sure that those villages end up fighting. With how skillfully crafty he was; she was certain that he would succeed in something like that. He was good player of the dark arts after all and he has been playing the game in the past wars.

"What Sasuke will do isn't the least of my concern…" Tsunade said in a stern tone. "Well, if he does leave Orochimaru, we have more opportunities to take him back. Orochimaru is weakened in this time, so it wouldn't be difficult for Sasuke to leave, especially with the Sharingan." Orochimaru was quite arrogant and he would think he could do whatever he wants. Tsunade pitied her former teammate at times.

"If it does come to a point where he is brought back to the village, you should give him to me. I'm certain I can bend him to serve Konoha to the best of his abilities." Danzo said confidently.

"Somehow I don't doubt that…" Tsunade said. "But you'd also make him serve you, isn't it, Danzo?"

The war hawk didn't respond to Tsunade's question. "So, you'll give him to me? What he demands is power and power I can give to him. He is also someone who lacks emotional control, I can help with that."

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "We will consider if we manage to capture him in time…" she said. "Then? What can I do for you?"

"I heard that Jiraiya and Naruto were in Uzushio…" Danzo said with narrowed eyes. It was certainly reckless to have Naruto go to Uzushio. What if he likes what he sees and then decides to bide his time before abandoning Konoha? Some people could not put clan past village. Shinobi like Itachi were truly rare.

It was indeed a pity that Sasuke hadn't turned out like his brother. Perhaps if things had been different, he would have made a play. But he had been warned and so he stayed out of it. He was starting to see that it was now a mistake to have left the last Uchiha alone.

"That is true… they were there for a mission…" Tsunade said. "But they didn't get much information out of the land. Jiraiya was kicked out of the village after getting caught trying to find information…" for some reason, Tsunade had laughed when she heard that the Sannin had been caught. It wasn't a situation she should be laughing at, but it was Jiraiya. "Anything else?"

"What mission?'

"Escorting the Snow Daimyo… that is as far as we know…" Tsunade said. "And your search?"

"No progress…" Danzo said with a barely noticeable frown. "They have even guarded against aerial approach. There is a barrier that surrounds the village, so you can't see anything from up. There is only one entrance."

"There is no village that is completely impenetrable, Danzo."

Danzo nodded; he was able to finally agree on something with the Godaime Hokage. It didn't please him nevertheless. They were humans; there was no defense that could be perfect. As long as they were dealing with people, they would make a way into the village.

"Entering isn't that much of a problem. If you have proper documentation, you might enter. But moving around the village is the problem. During day, the sun's light reaches everywhere. You can only hide under a shadow, but even then, you can't make any moves. It is quite possible that they use a similar principle when it comes to monitoring movements in the village."

Tsunade didn't act surprised by hearing that information. Jiraiya had told her something similar. This really just meant that Uzushio had some adept sensors and fuinjutsu users. When it comes to the latter, it shouldn't be a surprise – it has always been their trade.

"We are thinking of sending a civilian since they seem to track down chakra movements…"

Tsunade waved her right hand at this. "There is no need for that, for now at least…" she said firmly. "I am going to open a dialogue with them and try to see if we can negotiate something with them. I don't want a spy being caught there while we are talking. They will accuse us of negotiating in bad faith."

"Negotiate?" Danzo asked. He looked surprised. "Negotiate what with them?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do not be naïve, Tsunade!" Danzo slammed his cane on the floor. "Uzushio's resurrection will cause a problem for us because both Kumo and Iwagakure will act. We cannot let them act before we do something. I value the work of Fuinjutsu and know what the Uzumaki have offered to this village, but we don't have to negotiate with them. Trying to get Intel into the village is nothing more than an exercise to determine the village's strength before moving in. We need to think deeply about this."

Tsunade wasn't really shocked that Danzo would think of invading Uzushiogakure, their once ally. He would think that. She shook her head. He was thinking about it and actually thought that they were planning to do it. Was he thinking that it was best for them to take control of Uzu or just destroy it before their enemies get hold of it? This man was truly ridiculous.

"We are not going to invade Uzushio, Danzo. And I don't talk to me like that ever again. I understand the situation more than what you might think." She glared at the war hawk for a moment before speaking again. "Don't think of doing something behind my back. If you are going to strap one of your agents with an Iwa uniform and send them to Uzu, just know that a seal can be removed, Danzo. If you put a seal on them to stop them from speaking, you know that you are dealing with people who understand fuinjutsu more than you do. They can undo your seal and get what they want. If that happens, and someone is tracked down to you, I will feed you to them as a peace offering, do you understand me?"

"You are making a mistake, Hokage." Danzo said in a firm tone. "You are making the same decisions Hiruzen would have made. If this village gets in trouble be-"

"I will not repeat myself to you, Danzo." Tsunade cut off the war hawk before he could finish talking. "If I want your opinion, I will ask for it. Now, leave before you say anything else that will piss me off…"

Danzo eyed her coldly before twirling around. He left the office without saying another word to her. On his way out, he slammed the door – like a child.

Tsunade sighed tiredly. She was starting to regret her decision to bring the war hawk in… but then again, if she hadn't done it, she wouldn't be able to anticipate his movements by hearing his thoughts about certain things. She knew how to handle things because she was certain of how he was going to do things. If anything happens, he was going to be the scapegoat. She didn't even feel bad for it.

She called an Anbu to get her Kakashi and Neji. The silver haired Jonin arrived in her office after about 10 minutes. This time around, he didn't have his perverted book at hand. Neji arrived a second later, looking as stoic as ever. He did the formalities of greeting everyone before waiting to hear why he had been called.

Despite everything, Neji was the best out of Naruto's generation. He was even the first one to become Jonin. He was a good kid. She couldn't count the blond in that comparison because she thought it wasn't fair. Then again, both had been unfortunate when growing up.

"Neji, what do you know about the Uzumaki clan?" Tsunade asked calmly. He probably didn't know much since Konoha appeared to have done everything in its power to bury the history of the clan and its relations to the village.

Uzumaki? He thought of Naruto when thinking about this, but he shook his head. "Not much…" he said.

"The Uzumaki clan was a prestigious clan that had always been close to the Senju clan. My grandfather was married to Uzumaki and the Yondaime Hokage's wife was Uzumaki. You probably already know about the Kyubi and have seen something in Naruto with your, Byakugan, haven't you?"

Neji nodded. "He told me…" he said calmly. The blond had told him, his burden; his curse. A curse that was worse than the one on his forehead.

Tsunade smiled. "The Shodai Hokage's wife was the first Jinchuriki of the Kyubi, and Naruto's mother became its second Jinchuriki… Naruto is its third… do you follow?"

"All Jinchuriki have been from the Uzumaki clan."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes…" she said. "You don't hear much about them because during the second shinobi world war, their village was destroyed because some villages feared them. They were masters of Fuinjutsu and they had considerably strong chakra that was able to suppress Bijuus, who were used as power balancers. Since the second shinobi world war, we have always thought that they ended, but they did not. It has come out that they have revived and their clan is fully functioning but we don't know anything because the village is closed.

"I am going to attempt to start a dialogue with them. I haven't started but if they permit it, you and Kakashi will head to Uzushio to hold discussions with them. Now, Uzu has always been our ally. It has done much for this village than you know. Most of the seals that are used in this village were developed by the clan. That swirling symbol on your flank-jacket is a symbol of the Uzumaki clan. Do you understand just how much of a partner they were to Konoha?"

Neji nodded. To think that Naruto was from a clan… and not just any clan but a prestigious clan that Konoha valued so much it decided that its shinobi should wear its symbol. That was a massive honor. No matter how good of friends clans were, you never wear the others symbol. Konoha had many great clans, but its shinobi didn't walk around wearing their symbols.

Just how much of a bond did Konoha and Uzu have?

Neji smiled. He wondered how the people who have resented Naruto will think about this.

"Is there something amusing?" Tsunade asked.

"Naruto and I have a bit of a history, so I know how he was treated… I'm just thinking of how ironic it is…" Neji said calmly. "You said that Naruto's mother was Uzumaki and the Yondaime Hokage was married to Uzumaki, is there any relation?"

"I told you about the Uzumaki clan because you two will go on a mission to Uzu… you need to understand things and how you react and respond when you talk to them… but above all, I have chosen you two because of your doujutsu prowess." Tsunade said without answering Neji's question. "I will call you when they say you can come."

Neji nodded. He was careful with his words. "Naruto is connected to Konoha's Fourth Hokage, isn't he? The Yondaime was his father?"

"That is a village secret, Neji…" Tsunade said in a stern tone. "Prepare yourself. I won't assign you any mission for the next month. We don't know when they will give their go ahead, so you have to be ready at any time."

Neji nodded and walked away without saying anything else. Kakashi who had been silent throughout then spoke. "What happens when the Uzumaki consider us an enemy as well?"

Tsunade frowned at the thought. "That is something I have been trying to ignore…" she admitted. "I don't know much of what happened in their destruction and why Konoha didn't do anything. The Sandaime would have answers but he is dead."

"Well, that is troubling…"

"Not so much…" Tsunade said with a shake of her head. "If Iwa and Kumo go after it, Uzu will not have any choice but to ally with us. It will be for their survival more than anything. I don't even think they would want to make enemies with all the Great Nations. They wouldn't survive that fight."

"And this time, there would be no one left…" Kakashi said. "What of Naruto?"

"We will see when he comes back…" Tsunade said with a shake of her head. "It is most important now more than ever that he learns everything he can from Jiraiya. Even if Konoha cannot be involved, if he wants to fight for his clan, I will not stand in the way. That would be the least I can do for him…"

"But if it is against the Great Nations, it will be sending him to his death…"

"Kakashi, what has Konoha done for Naruto? If I stop him from going, and his clan is destroyed again, do you think he will ever forgive us? If we let him go and he fights as best as he can, we have the opportunity to save his life if it is in danger."

Kakashi nodded. Tsunade didn't have any intention of allowing Naruto to die with the rest of his clan if the situation came to that point. But this also said that Konoha wasn't going to fight a battle that would see its very existence threatened.

"It feels like we are at those dreadful times once more…" Kakashi said. War wasn't a mission. People died. The people you love die. Anything could happen. No one was guaranteed to return from the war.

"Not yet, but we have to be prepared for anything that happens." Tsunade said in a calm tone. "I truly hope that it doesn't come to that. But in this world, the flames of war are simple to ignite."

Land of the Toads

Naruto had never felt such peace before; he had never seen such beauty in nature before. This was truly a sacred land that wasn't corrupted by the blood of humans. The air felt fresh. It wasn't polluted by anything. Naruto felt like a man possessed; he just wanted to take a swim through the air and giggle like a fan girl, thinking lewd thoughts about the boy she loves. In this land, even the sun seemed to have a different vibe to it. The heavens seemed to look at the land much more brightly than any place he has ever touched.

Naruto held out his right hand and then his left. He closed his eyes as he felt the air gather strongly around him, causing his air to stand a bit wildly. Naruto then started twisting around. As he twisted, a tornado started to form around him, rising towards the heavens. The winds were so powerful that they started pulling everything towards them. Before they started pulling the boulders that laid around him, Naruto came to a halt and everything that was up began to fall.

He watched the show with a smile.

"Someone is having fun…" Jiraiya said; he was walking towards Naruto, Fukasaku with him.

"You just have to love nature, Erro-sennin…" Naruto said calmly. "When the wind blows like this, it fills me with its mood and I just want to do things with it… I just want be part of it…"

"You are going to need that concentration…" Jiraiya said in a calm tone. "But that alone won't be enough. Then again, despite your large chakra reserves, you have fine chakra control… I'm almost jealous with how you are able to control it…"

"You don't have the patience to learn…" Naruto said with a shrug. "But if you want to learn, we can take you to the sea and leave you there. You'll know, if you don't stand on the water using your chakra, you'll drown."

Jiraiya thought about it for a moment. "That is way too risky…"

"You've always been taking risks, sensei… what is the difference now?"

"There is a chance that I might actually die…"

Naruto merely smiled but didn't respond. He settled down and turned to the sage next to Jiraiya. "Fukasaku-sama…" he greeted politely.

"Naruto-chan…" Fukasaku responded calmly. "You have more chakra than Jiraiya had when he first came here and he still couldn't master Sage Mode… this might take time…" he said. "But you seem to be sensitive to nature, so it might not be."

Naruto turned to Jiraiya. "You failed to master Sage Jutsu?"

"I didn't fail… I just didn't have enough time to learn…" Jiraiya grumbled.

Naruto smiled. "Oh… my poor sensei. Your poor chakra control really does costs you a lot. You seem to struggle with a lot of things. Hell, even learning the Rasengan took you quite a while… and that was due to your chakra control… lack of it rather…" Naruto said. "But it still does make me respect you more of what you have achieved. Even with all that, you have still managed to become as powerful as you are."

"Finally, you are showing me some respect!" Jiraiya exclaimed happily.

Naruto shrugged. "I am going to perfect it and then gloat about it at every turn I get…"

Jiraiya frowned.

"There is no need to be like that, sensei… it happens…" Naruto said with a wide smile. "Are we going to start now, Fukasaku-sama?"

The Toad Sage nodded his head and then asked Naruto to follow him. They stopped behind a small fountain of water. The sound of the water was calming. Naruto had to settle down to enjoy the comfort. "You must understand the risks of this training, Naruto-chan." The toad said in a firm tone.

Naruto's eyes snapped towards Fukasaku. "Risks… I didn't know there were risks…" he said.

"There is a risk… and it is death." Fukasaku said sternly. "Natural energy is powerful but also dangerous to those who cannot control it. You need to have perfect control of it to be able to absorb it and regulate it within your body. If you absorb it and fail to control it, you'll turn into a toad and then a statue like those…"

Naruto looked at the many toad statues lining up. "Well, great power comes with great dangers…"

"You don't look that concerned…"

"I will be if you don't have method to stop me turning into a toad." Naruto said in a very serious tone.

"There is a way… I just have to supervise you… and this is why I will tell you that you mustn't try absorbing Natural energy unless I am with you. If I am not there and you lose control or absorb too much, you will turn into a statue."

"I am very good at following rules…" Naruto said with a nod. "Besides that, turning into a toad means the death of me. How is Jiraiya able to use Senjutsu if he hasn't perfected it?"

"Ma and I absorb fuse with him and we absorb the chakra for him. But because it is imperfect, it turns his appearance into like that of a Toad. This is why he probably hasn't showed it to you. He will only use it in a situation of life and death…" Fukasaku said. "However, if you perfect it, you won't turn like a toad and you won't need our help."

Naruto nodded. "Is there a limit?"

"It is chakra, there is no time limit, but how long you keep the mode depends on how much chakra you use. If you use it all, you will lose it. If you lose it in battle, gathering energy will be near possible because you'd have to be calm to absorb it…"

Naruto was silent before asking. "Is there a limit of how much chakra I can gather? Can I absorb much more chakra than I have?"

"The limit is how much chakra you can absorb. Aside from having the risks of turning into a toad, you can absorb as much as you want, as long as you can control it."

"I assume that I can also store it in my body if I develop a proper method. If I do that, I'm safe from running out of power while in battle. But we don't have that method, do we?"

Fukasaku shook his head. "Since there is no end to natural energy, you don't have to worry much about it…" Fukasaku said before he smiled. "You have asked more questions than your father…" he said.

"Minato? He was here?"

Fukasaku nodded. "But because of his duties as Hokage, he didn't have much time to train and perfect it… and he died before he could. I hope you'll surpass both him and Jiraiya-chan."

"Naturally…"

Uzushio

Guren couldn't help but admire the genius that was the man who sent this assassin to the Whirlpools. You couldn't tell where the man came from just by looking at him. He looked like a normal civilian but he was not. He was a trained killer who didn't have a problem in trying to blow himself up. It was like he had been ordered, the moment they were caught, activate the seal and die to avoid being questioned. Most of her captives usually swallow their tongues to avoid talking but this one didn't try that, he had tried to blow himself up.

But this was Uzushiogakure.

They had stopped him before could do so, but talking seemed impossible. He simply could not answer certain questions because of the seal inside of him. The seal had been removed, Guren tortured him, and he still refused to talk. The man didn't scream or cry out in pain. And she had learned her trade from Orochimaru. When she failed to get any information, she had gone straight to the Leader's tower and found the man sitting with Haku.

The two seemed to get along well. She had never questioned it. She was mostly doing the dirty work, which she realized Haku could not do because he was a kind hearted person. She snorted at the thought. She didn't usually like people like that but Haku was fine – they were comrades after all.

The leader was a tall man with clear blue eyes, long crimson hair. He was usually smiling; his face was a bit flat, with large cheeks. But those eyes could switch from warmth to coldness in the blink of an eye. One second he was a cold as Haku's ice and the second he could be generating the same heat as lava.

"Guren-san…" Yoshino said in a light tone. "You look frustrated…"

"I am…" Guren admitted. The man always spoke in a smooth tone. Guren noticed, he was truly a man who was polite and pleasant to have a conversation with but he was still a frightening person. It was no wonder he held the position of Leader. There were many personalities in this land and a weak person could not control everyone. People listened to him when he spoke. He commanded respect. "He won't talk. He is prepared to die before he says anything."

Yoshino nodded. "But you are positive he is an assassin, yes?"

Guren nodded.

"You can dispose of him… there is no need to apply any measures on him to make him talk. If the person is unwilling to talk and we apply strict measures, he will die." Yoshino stated calmly. "The mark on his tongue, we can work with it and enquire where it comes from. If we discover that, then we know who sent him."

"Should I start digging?"

Yoshino shook his head. "That will be for another unit to do…" he paused for a moment, thinking. "On second thought, keep him alive. We don't know what we might discover if we search. Maybe he might be willing to talk if he has the truth in front of him."

"Any suspicions on who could want to kill his Majesty?" Haku asked.

"Spies from other villages have only been trying to find information but they have never come for the kill." Guren said with a shake of her head. "I can't figure out who would try something like that."

"We can rule out the smaller villages, Suna and Kiri… I doubt Kumo would try assassination attempts. The Yondaime Raikage is a little proud… and his moves aggressively not so subtle like this. It will be either Konoha or Iwagakure." Yoshino responded quietly.

"I can understand Iwagakure but why Konoha?"

"Every village has its darkness, Guren-san. You should know that the Hidden Leaf has done many things that are not so much what it preaches. There is a certain man named Danzo who moves even without the approval of the Hokage, He could have done this without the Godaime Hokage knowing. If it such the case, then we won't be taking any action until his majesty is made aware of it."

The village was run differently. The man who sits at the top of the village, the emperor, wasn't involved in everything. This man, Yoshino, ran the village and commanded even the Jonins around the village. However, the Black Corps – which she ran were only supposed to report to the emperor. Because of his absence, she usually reported to this man.

"If you need help with pursuing, this, you will let me know."

Yoshino smiled, "as always." He said.

Guren looked at that smile and shook her head. She left without saying another word. Once she was gone, Haku tuned to Yoshino. "You really found a dependable person…" he said of Guren.

"Well, she was once Orochimaru's number two and she knew a lot of things he knew. We had to get that information from her." Yoshino said. "I am glad we came across her on the hunt. She has freed our time to focus on other things."

A Month Later

A month long time and he hadn't come here at once; he hadn't even bothered trying to check in on how Naruto was doing in his training. For the first time since they started their journey, Jiraiya hadn't worried about Naruto. He hadn't worried about anything because Naruto was in a safe place. Nothing could possibly go wrong here. So he had moved around in peace and the quietness of long nights observing things while keeping in contact with his network to gain information about the happenings of the Elemental Nations. Naruto was a person who worked fast, so he had thought there would be some progress with the training.

When he was reserve summoned to the land of the Toads, Fukasaku took him to a secluded place wearing a rather serious look on his face. He didn't joke around, but the look informed the Sannin that something was bothering the Sage.

"Naruto didn't turn into a Toad did he?" Jiraiya asked with concern. Well the blond had a tendency to train on his own. It wouldn't surprise him if he somehow went off to train on his own and ended up being petrified.

That would be a disaster. Tsunade would kill him and Kushina would certainly mutilate him if he sees her in the world of the dead. Naruto could not go in such a way. Even if he was going, the blond would have to die after him. He could not bury another student. Jiraiya could not survive that. He had mourned Minato; he would not mourn Naruto as well.

Fukasaku slowly shook his head. "Nothing like that happened. Do you think we'd let something like that happen to Minato's son?"

"You wouldn't have allowed it to happen but sometimes things you have no control over do happen…" Jiraiya said in a serious tone. "If nothing bad happened to Naruto, what is wrong? How did the training even go?"

Naruto had been an excellent student. He listened when someone was telling him something. He asked questions when he didn't understand something. When you told him to rest for the day, he would do it. He was truly the best student Fukasaku has ever had. It wasn't just that but his ability to understand what he was being told and his fondness of nature made it suitable for him to learn Senjutsu. He learned quickly and he grasped the methods he was taught quickly. In no time Naruto was able to gather natural energy and absorb it into his own body. He was able to attain a perfect Sage Mode.

He had done what Jiraiya had failed to do and in a short period of time. Fukasaku should be happy. Naruto was even well mannered. He appeared to be a child who behaved. You wouldn't think that he was learning from Jiraiya. Yet, Fukasaku was concerned.

"The training went perfectly," Fukasaku said. "Naruto mastered Sage Mode and he has been training to get a better handle of it and absorbing more chakra than he has."

Jiraiya raised an eye brow. "Isn't that too dangerous?"

"If you can't control the flow of chakra but there must always be a balance of chakra… he achieves this by adding a bit of the Kyubi's chakra…" Fukasaku said. "I didn't think it possible but he is doing it." He said with a shake of his head.

"The brat did it…" Jiraiya said. "I'm not going to hear the end of it…" he mumbled.

"You just don't want to learn. If you had given it more time, you would have perfected yours already…" Fukasaku said.

"It is too late for me sensei…" Jiraiya said in a resigned tone. "If Naruto has done everything right, what is wrong?"

Fukasaku starred at Jiraiya for a long moment before asking. "What do you know about Naruto-chan, Jiraiya?"

"Huh?" Jiraiya blinked in surprise at the question. What was that supposed to mean? He has been Naruto's sensei and the blond was Minato's son. What was there more than he didn't know?

"Naruto-chan isn't like his father, is he?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Given everything, I didn't expect him to be like his father. There is a certain limit to how much hate you can take in. Naruto isn't like his father and he isn't like me. He is different from both his parents. I can't tell what he inherited from both of them."

Minato had been a genius but Naruto wasn't a genius. Kushina was a strong willed woman who was full of kindness and warmth… though, she could turn violent at any moment. Even so, she had been a good person. Naruto was like neither. He didn't have their vision, he didn't have their eyes. The hair was the same with his father and so was the colour of his eyes, but Naruto's eyes were different. You couldn't tell what was in them.

"I discovered that…" Fukasaku said. "I can't tell if he is hot or cold, Jiraiya-chan. He has the concentration never seen in a human. I think it is impossible for a human to be as concentrated as he can be. This very ground can be shaking with explosions occurring left and right, Toads screaming in despair and he can still just stand still, eyes closed and have sweet dreams…"

"Aren't you taking it a little too far?" Jiraiya asked. But he knew just how much Naruto could focus on something. He had seen it after all. The blond could stand still for hours. Sometimes regardless of how raging the battlefield was, you could miss the sound of his heartbeat, his breathing.

Fukasaku shook his head. "That is the truth, Jiraiya-chan…" He said. "It isn't necessarily a bad thing but Naruto-chan makes us nervous because we don't know what he is thinking. It is troubling given the revival of the Uzumaki clan. This revival is going to change the ninja world, Jiraiya-chan."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"I can feel it; the Elemental Nations are heading into a different path. I don't know whether it will be good or bad but the honourable geezer says the Uzumaki will be the cause of this great change…" Fukasaku said.

Not this again. Already the revival of the Uzumaki clan has made other people take measures that worried him and could lead to war. But this just meant that there was more to the Uzumaki. They could be much more dangerous than he thought or anyone thought they were. The village itself looked normal. But they could still be hiding something. Well that was a possibility. They were keeping themselves locked up in their land. They were planning something.

And Naruto was going to be involved – Simply because he was Uzumaki. Perhaps it was time they face the fact. If Naruto wanted to go, he would go. Perhaps he shouldn't have easily accepted the reasons the blond gave him when he asked about the issue the other day. But it had made sense. Jiraiya had reasoned and found that Naruto made sense. It was like him – he always reasoned sensibly.

"We are not saying Naruto is bad, Jiraiya-chan…" Fukasaku said.

The Sannin nodded. "You said he is neither hot nor cold, which means he could turn to any other side and it is my responsibility to ensure that the path is one that we will still wish to be associated with."

"Yes…" Fukasaku said. "Other than that, he is good, respectful…"

"Respectful my ass!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "That brat doesn't show me any ounce of respect!"

Fukasaku smiled. "Naruto does respect you, Jiraiya-chan…" He said. "He is currently meditating by the waterfall…"

Jiraiya nodded and turned away from Fukasaku. He walked for a couple of moments before finally reaching the area. The air felt heavy. It wasn't natural. He figured it was Naruto's doing. The blond had his eyes closed, meditating.

The child of prophecy; He had been told he would train someone who would have the power to save or destroy the world. He had thought it would be Nagato, but Nagato died. He had thought it would be Minato, but he too died. And now there was Naruto. Was he going to end up getting another student? Jiraiya didn't think so. Naruto had to be the child of prophecy. But what could he do? He had done right by Naruto. He had shown him the world and what it was. At this point, he believed that Naruto understood the world better.

But even now, he still couldn't get the blond to answer him on what he wanted to do to change this world he felt was rotten and controlled by those who were greedy. He had to demand answers now. But he would have to be careful not to push Naruto away. Could the blond bring destruction? Jiraiya couldn't say. He couldn't say Naruto could do it or could not. He didn't know the deeper thoughts of his own student.

Wind blasted all around, hitting Jiraiya but he remained grounded. It just succeeded in snapping him out of his thoughts. Naruto was staring at him with a sharp look.

"You know, for a moment I thought you were deciding on whether you should kill me or let me live…" Naruto said.

"I doubt you'd let me get that close…" Jiraiya said in a flat tone. "I heard you succeeded." He said with a smile.

Naruto nodded. "Yes… natural energy is truly special. I love it!"

"I'm proud of you!" Jiraiya said with a grin. "We can go to celebrate once we leave this place."

"A celebration with you sensei? Why does that give me the chills?"

"You worry too much!" Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "So what do say? We are going to so it in the Fire Nation… Tanzaku Gai… there are some good spots there…"

Naruto sighed. "If you are paying, I can't complain." The blond said. "I haven't had a drop of alcohol since I came here and I really miss a steak… If we could, I'd just head to Konoha just to get a couple of ramen bowls and devour them…."

"What are you complaining about? You look healthy…"

"First day I had to eat with my eyes closed you perverted sensei. Although, the food does taste good than it looks…" Naruto said responded as he got up. "I wonder how the world of humans will smell like when we finally get there…" he said in thought.

Two Weeks Later, Tanzaku

Kurenai was walking with her team through the town of Tanzaku Gai; Kiba was bickering about something that happened during their successful mission. Then again, he was always very vocal about his thoughts. He wasn't the one to let things slide just like that without having a few words of his own to say. It did cause some problems for them when he could not keep his head down during tense times. He really needed to get a grip of his emotions at the crucial times or it would cost them dearly one day.

Nothing has happened so far. They were a team, so when they moved, they always accounted for Kiba's behavior. That aside, they always had each other's back, so that helped during crucial times. Her Team had grown nevertheless. Hinata and Kiba hadn't performed that well in their matches when they first took part of the Chunin exams, but they had done better in the next one. Perhaps it was because they had been better prepared. Kakashi's team and Gai's team had been the one with top students.

"I'm telling you, Shino, I had it under control." Kiba grumbled towards the glass wearing shinobi.

"I didn't look that way to me. Why? Because you were getting beat..."

"I was just trying to see what he could do," Kiba exclaimed a bit loudly. He was honestly annoyed about the fact that Shino had to come to his rescue. At this point, he was the weakest one in the team. It frustrated him because no matter what he did he couldn't surpass Shino. He wasn't worried about Hinata on that level, but Shino always beat him each time they sparred.

"You seem to do that a bit often…" Shino noted.

Hinata giggled lightly. "Just admit it, Kiba-kun…" she said. It always amused her when her teammate tried to play tough. Sometimes even when he was hurt, he would say he wasn't hurt just to put on a brave face. A man always has to be strong in front of a woman, huh? But did that apply for shinobi? Gender was irrelevant to the shinobi world when it does come to power.

Kiba mumbled something under his breath.

Kurenai sighed; she did wonder if Hinata knew that the boy always acted strong because he wanted to impress her. For Kiba's clan, being the alpha male was the most important thing and the method of winning the female. The weak were devoured. It was like a pack of wolves. The alpha male dominated. But Kiba didn't have the strength. He had the desire and attitude but strength failed him when it mattered. Perhaps it had to do with a bit of his arrogance as well.

"Kiba, you remain the weakest link…" Kurenai said. Not the words she would usually say, but he needed to hear it. They were heading towards a path of war. Konoha was preparing for the worst possible scenario and if her students were going to survive, she needed for them to be strong. Kindness wasn't really going to make them live, was it?

"Kurenai-sensei..?" Kiba looked shocked hearing those words.

The ruby eyed genjutsu mistress smiled, a bit sadly. "I'm sorry I had to say it but you are not going to improve if nothing changes. I will have to speak to either Gai or Kakashi about teaching you Taijutsu. You also need to learn to control your emotions." She said the last words with a stare.

"Anyone but Gai, sensei!"

"Why?" Kurenai asked. He was eccentric and perhaps way hyperactive but he was still a better Jonin and very powerful. He might not use ninjutsu and his behavior might make many frown but there was no Jonin who has witnessed him fight who doesn't respect him.

"Well, he is Gai-sensei…" Kiba said. It was enough that he had to deal with Lee; he didn't need to deal with Might Gai as well. "I would rather have Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi was a lazy Jonin, Kurenai wanted to say. She doubted he would even agree. Then again, this was one of those times. He could be serious. She heard that he was training these days. So, maybe things were different. "You do know that neither you nor Shino have been able to defeat Lee, right?"

"You don't need to remind me, sensei…"

Kurenai shook her head and looked up ahead of them: she saw shoulder length blond hair – it was wild as if it wasn't combed. There was the familiar swirl inside a circle on the back of the crimson long sleeved shirt the person was wearing. The presence, it felt somewhat similar. For a moment, she would have thought she was staring at the back of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Naruto-kun..?"

Kurenai glanced towards Hinata – the girl had said in a whisper, staring a bit wide eyed to the person in front of them, who had his back on them, walking slowly with his hands on his pockets. Of course, she would be quick to recognize him. She seemed to know him better.

The genjutsu mistress looked ahead once more. The Uzumaki symbol: he'd always worn the mark in each of the clothes she saw him wearing in the Leaf, wasn't it? Well, there was no doubt he was from the clan. Then again, she hadn't thought much of the clan before they were called by the Hokage to discuss the clan's revival and what it meant to the shinobi world.

He was from that clan, and he was in front of them, wearing the clan's symbol.

Having heard Hinata with his keen sense of hearing, Kiba rushed forward. He stretched out his right hand to grab the blond by his shoulders but the Chunin found himself being lifted up into the air. He watched with surprise as his view turned upside down before he hit the ground on his back.

"What the hell, Naruto?!" Kiba shouted.

Naruto didn't look at the Inuzuka; he glanced back through the corner of his eyes and frowned. He had been curious to know why Jiraiya chose this town and now he knew. The Sannin had known he would meet Konoha shinobi. Not just any shinobi but ones he had a history with. If the man really wanted for them to go to Amegakure, they would have travelled somewhere a bit closer to the Storm.

The blond glanced down at the Inuzuka – who was getting up. Kiba dusted himself up before glaring at Naruto. "No need to look at me like that…" Naruto said with a shrug. "You should know that you can't sneak on a shinobi from behind."

"I'm your friend!"

Naruto shrugged. "I wasn't expecting friends …" he said before twisting around to face the rest of the gang. He smiled brilliantly as he greeted them. "Shino, Hinata…" he eyed the genjutsu mistress for a moment before greeting her. "And the delightful Kurenai-sensei..." he wanted to say it was very convenient to see them, but he stopped short of saying those words – it wasn't convenient. Hardly anything was convenient in this world.

Kurenai blinked at the greeting. Had he been always like this? She shook her head. She didn't have many interactions with him. She'd always watched from afar but he hadn't been like this. Admittedly, he had grown and he had a presence about him. He had become quite the handsome young man. "Naruto Uzumaki…" she hadn't seen him in close to three years in Konoha. What was he doing here? "Are you on your way back to Konoha?"

Naruto shook his head. "I have been in this town for about two weeks now…" he said. "Just taking a breather for some training I was doing before heading out for something else." Naruto said kindly. "Coming from a mission?"

Kurenai nodded. "Are you alone?"

"No…" he said, but didn't say who he was with. "It was nice seeing ya'll…"

"Wait!" Kiba said before Naruto could walk away. "When are you coming back?"

Naruto adopted a thoughtful look on his face before responding. "Very soon…" he said. "Very soon…" he repeated those words with a nod of his said. He waved his right hand with his back turned on the team before disappearing from the view.

"He completely disappeared…" Kiba muttered.

"Wasn't expecting to see us…" Kurenai said calmly. "Come on, we shouldn't linger around here. We have to go back to Konoha." She began to move ahead.

Later

Naruto would have to smack Jiraiya in the head for taking such measures just to get him to meet people from Konoha. It wasn't anything serious and what did it achieve? Did he just want him to think, good lord, he misses home? What was it? Naruto couldn't understand. After thinking about it for a couple of moments, he decided he didn't need to understand it. Those people were going to tell other colleagues that they had seen him and then people would be talking about him. Perhaps that was the main idea.

Naruto really didn't care about it.

He was currently sitting under a tree in a meditative pose, gathering natural energy. The process of trying to gather chakra while in battle would be a bit costing, so Naruto has been trying to test the limits of how much chakra he can absorb. Once he was done, he would find a way to create a seal that would allow him to store as much chakra as he could. Eight Trigrams was able to contain the Kyubi's chakra without any problem, and then he should be able to create a seal that can hold natural chakra.

Minato's seal wasn't made to lock away the Kyubi's power but he had left a small path that allows the Bijuus power to pass through a gate. There were no limits to how much chakra the seal could contain, but there were limits to how much he could wield. A seal he would have to create would need to have two openings, but they could not be opened at the same time. If the absorption 'gate' opened, the release 'gate' would have to close. This would mean he could properly regulate chakra and avoid overload. But how did he go about it?

The seal itself could not do the absorption, he had to do it and then open the 'gate' to store the chakra within it. This would require extensive chakra control. How much he was able to push into the seal would depend on the size of the 'gate.' It was a challenge, but Naruto already had the ideas he just had to begin with the formula. What would he name it?

Two-Gate Sealing Method?

No, he would be using the same basics of the Trigrams Seal.

Two-Trigrams Sealing Method? Perhaps that would do. He would still need to develop a method of release for it. Given the danger that was with natural energy, he would need to be careful with the release, because he could not release it all at once. He would need to keep a constant flow of the chakra. If he released enough to activate sage mode, he would have to close the seal… but that would leave him with the task of releasing it once more if he ran out of chakra. He needed to release it once, but still keep a constant flow of it that would mean had all the chakra available to him.

"Have you become my stalker, Itachi?" Naruto asked without opening his eyes. The Uchiha was sitting on a tree branch just above him. "No, you're a clone… where is the original?"

"Not anywhere close," Itachi said.

"I can tell," Naruto said.

"I have been looking for you from the past couple of weeks…" Itachi started. "This might perhaps be the last conversation we will have. Jiraiya is busy with something else, so we can talk freely."

"Don't you mean, you can talk?" Naruto asked calmly. "I can only indulge you, Itachi. You are the one who has something to say to me. I can only respond to what you have to say."

Itachi was silent for a moment; he didn't argue with Naruto on his point. "Last time you spoke about what was right and wrong… but it has come to my understanding that Konoha's people will never beg you for forgiveness. They just want to forget the past and move on into the future…"

"That is something I have thought about…" Naruto said.

"You don't have hatred in your eyes… I have looked deep into you. But even when you don't have deep hatred for what was done to you, I still cannot tell what you will do about it." Itachi said in a calm tone. "If Konoha's people pretend that nothing happened, will you still not do anything to forgive the past actions?"

"Who knows?" Naruto said with a thoughtful look on his face. "I have much bigger issues to think about than that. As you know, the shinobi world is heading into a dark path and I must prepare myself for it"

"And who is the cause of this tension?"

Naruto looked amused for a moment before responding. "You are going to blame the revival of the Uzumaki clan on the tension. Perhaps you might as well say if they had remained dead, things would be fine. But I say, if they hadn't been attacked in the first place, none of this would be happening. We cannot blame the branches for not producing fruits, Itachi; we must look at the soil and see if it was being nurtured enough to provide what is necessary for the branches to produce. The root of the problem isn't that the Uzumaki have returned, but that they were destroyed."

Itachi could not disagree with that, he would not. It would be irrational to put any other argument that would not even hold. Naruto was right in what he was saying. But perhaps what worried him was what he would do. You can determine a problem and still take the wrong path on trying to solve it. "I have already told you that what was done to the Uzumaki was wrong…"

"Itachi, you told your brother to hate you, to resent you and then he was strong, he should come to face you… Sasuke is trying to gain power to get revenge for his clan, the clan that you massacred and you set him up for that path. My clan was destroyed, and if I set up for revenge, you wouldn't argue it was wrong, would you? Because it would be nothing more than hypocrisy."

"If Sasuke kills me, it is just me and no one gets caught up in it. But if you are going after revenge, a lot of people die, this world is taken into another war. You have to look at the bigger picture."

"The picture for me for would be that it would revenge. The only difference is that it didn't just one human to destroy my clan but great nations to do it." Naruto said in a firm tone. "I have seen what hatred does, what revenge does to a person, Itachi… I don't like it."

No doubt he was talking about his own experiences. He has been living through hatred most of his life. If there was someone who could define what hatred is, it would be Naruto. He had seen it in Konoha and he was hosting a Bijuu that was known as hatred. His former teammate had lost his way in his thirst for revenge; the greed for power.

"What do you think will happen if it comes clear that there were more parties involved in the Uchiha massacre, do you think Sasuke will stop there? Of course he won't. He will do everything he can to destroy those who caused the downfall of his clan…" Naruto stated in a firm tone. "What is important to you, Itachi?"

Itachi knew. He was certain that if Sasuke learned of the truth, he would try to destroy Konoha. That was why he had asked Naruto if he would be willing to stop the Uchiha from doing so. Naruto was a capable shinobi. "Konoha."

"I see, you value village over clan," Naruto said with a nod. "Then what should I value, Itachi? The Uzumaki is more than just a clan. It is a village – my home. If I decided to leave Konoha, I'm certain that I would be able to live happily with my fellow clansmen, in our village. Would that be wrong?"

Itachi shook his head. "No," he said. "I just want to know what you really want to do, Naruto. As I speak with you, I begin to understand a bit more of how you reason things. But with how you reason, you should be with your people, your clan, but you are still with Konoha. Why? I can't understand that."

"What makes you say that?"

"You are proud of being Uzumaki… and I find it highly unlikely that you have no connections with the clan. You have a connection with them. You would fight to protect them, even if it meant going against Konoha. But why are you not going there?"

"Isn't it because I am a Konoha shinobi?"

"For now, at least."

"I have no evil intentions, Itachi. If you are concerned about destruction, go to your brother before he delves further into darkness. If he does, there will be no one to save him." Naruto said. "I am also not someone you should worry about because the actions of Iwa and Kumo should be what concerns you. Am I wrong?"

"I will deal with Sasuke, soon…" Itachi said. "You have a good understanding of things, Naruto-kun. I am certain that you think deeply about your future. You are not stupid or arrogant. I wish we had grown around the same time. Perhaps we might have been friends." Itachi burst into a murder of crows after saying those words.

Naruto sat still for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

He went back to focusing on his seal.

Later that night

There was a small symbol of the Uzumaki, a kanji for chakra at the heart of it; at the top and base, there were two similar markings. The marking at the top was lying upside down and the one at the base lying flat. The drawings on the top read 'seal' and at the base 'release.'

This was the work Jiraiya found when he returned late at night. It was drawn on a large sealing scroll, left open on a small table. Naruto always had a table in each room they rented, wasn't it? He had questioned Naruto's prowess in fuinjutsu but now he was seeing it. He had learned the art, so he could tell it was as a complex work that could regulate chakra. He stared at the seal for a couple of moments, trying to piece it together. It had three parts and they were all separated. Perhaps it wasn't a finished product but a work in progress.

"Are you sleeping?" Jiraiya asked in a quiet tone. Naruto was sitting silently by the window with his eyes closed.

"I was before you woke me up with your presence." Naruto responded without looking at the Sannin.

"What is this?"

"Something I was working on today. I'm trying to create a second storage of chakra to be used in case I deplete my chakra reserves." Naruto responded calmly.

"Do you need to worry about that?"

Naruto nodded. "Some of my jutsus require massive amounts of chakra… my Rasenshuriken has limited use because it demands too much chakra. In a situation where I have to fight a long battle, having more chakra will be important. Stamina I have… I can fight for longer periods but stamina is nothing when you are out of chakra and your first fighting style is the use of Ninjutsu."

Things were going to get heated soon. Naruto could already see himself fighting large number of shinobi and if things happen like that, he would need almost unlimited supply of chakra. Well, that is if a war occurs. With Kumo and Iwagakure, lurking, anything could happen, Naruto wasn't going to take any chances because he had to be prepared for anything. Only those with strong minds and bodies could survive a war. Naruto wanted to survive. He wanted to live a long life worthy of someone with the Uzumaki blood.

"I know you said you studied almost everything about Fuinjutsu, I didn't think you were this good…" Jiraiya said. "And all this time you never said a damn thing."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders in a careless manner. "You should know me already now, Jiraiya-sensei. It was never convenient for me to use my Fuinjutsu skills. And I never pretended to be ignorant of it. This was just a subject we never really did discuss in details."

Jiraiya sighed before settling down. He cast his glance towards the seal once more. It had been left there on purpose, just for him to see. He had said they would have to discuss the practical use of Fuinjutsu. What did he expect anyway? Naruto was a proud Uzumaki – what did the Uzumaki excel in? There was no doubt he was Uzumaki now. But what more could the blond do with Fuinjutsu? He had obviously developed that from scratch. And that was no easy feat. Drawing a new formula was no easy thing to do. He had learned most of the seals he knew.

Naruto has probably learned more about many seals than he has since he has studied seals for many hours.

"I am going to be honest with you, Naruto…" Jiraiya said in a serious tone.

"You shouldn't phrase your statement like that, sensei…" Naruto said. "You make it sound as if you have been lying all this time… and which isn't true…" he paused and looked over at the Toad sage. "I figured this was going to come any time soon…" he said.

"You figured?"

Naruto nodded before looking outside; the streets were dark. The sun was nowhere to be seen. The moon had its eyes closed tonight. "When you came for me, the air around you felt tense when you were staring at me. I couldn't read anything from your mask. You are a professional at that."

Jiraiya was silent for a couple of moments. Naruto hadn't even twitched to show him he thought there was something wrong. The blond was truly another professional when it comes to schooling his reactions. It just spoke volumes to how calm and controlled he was. "The Toads told me something… I have told you about the prophecy the Toads told me, right?"

Naruto nodded. Perhaps it was something that made him cautious about being near the toads. "You did say something like that…you did say you once thought it could be my father… but that didn't end well… you also had another student…"

"Nagato…" Jiraiya said. "He was Uzumaki and had the Rinnegan… the eyes once wielded by the legendary Sage of Six paths…"

The Sage of Six Paths… that wasn't something Naruto thought much about. But the man did once exist in this world. Another story does state that he was truly a master of the sealing art. Perhaps the Uzumaki got this from him. Both the Senju and Uchiha were descendants of the Sage.., and they inherited his powers… or so the powers of his sons. If you didn't know the history of both clans in their founding you wouldn't know something like that.

"Uzumaki…" Jiraiya smiled. "The clan wasn't blessed with the doujutsu prowess of the Uchiha, and yet they were the danger. You know, there was once a time when there was a rule… if you meet a Sharingan wielder and you are alone, you don't face, you run away. The Sharingan is also powerful enough to cast genjutsu to control a Bijuu… yet, it wasn't the clan that was determined the most threat, but Uzumaki. There are just many things that we don't know about why they were destroyed and we might never know."

"Perhaps…" Naruto said. "Some secrets have died with relics of the past. You might find that fifty thousand people were involved but only one of them knows the real truth of what actually happened."

"There is that possibility," Jiraiya said. "I think that you might be the child of prophecy Naruto. I think that you can bring change in this world… but whether it will be destruction or peace is another matter that nobody can determine. I really hope that if the prophecy is indeed true and I am correct, you will become a savior of the shinobi world, Naruto."

Destruction, oh yes there were powers in this world that could cause so much destruction and death. It could just be pure chaos. One person could destroy the even a village like Konoha with just one jutsu. Naruto had a clear idea on what he needed to do but whether there was going to be peace or destruction would depend on how the elemental nations responded to him. He wasn't thinking about that for now, he was most concerned about what was in front of him.

"You have huge dreams, sensei…" Naruto said.

Naruto wasn't going to comment on his proclamation, Jiraiya realized. Before, he would have allowed the blond to get away with it but not this time – he wasn't going to do something like that. "I want your response about what I just said Naruto."

Naruto looked at the Sannin for a couple of moments before looking away. "That is something to think about… but it is really a frightening knowledge. I am not a kind hearted person who is as idealistic as you are, sensei. Nevertheless, I heard what you have said. Perhaps it excites me more than it does frighten me. Either way, we will not know anything unless we truly live that reality. I have no thirst for destruction… and I'm still evaluating things."

"I will be watching you from now on, Naruto… more so than I did…" Jiraiya said in a hardened tone. "You are my student… yes you do not share my dreams, but it doesn't change anything. I don't know how you will involve yourself with the Uzumaki, but you'll probably play a huge role. As your sensei, it is my job to ensure that your role is good; your role doesn't bring chaos and destruction in this world. You have the power of the Kyubi, that isn't something even I can go against."

"Then I look forward to seeing what you are going to do, sensei…" Naruto said with a small smile. "What are we going to do?"

"I said we would visit Amegakure, I never mentioned why." Jiraiya said. "Amegakure was led by Hanzo, but we haven't heard anything about him. Given how strong he was, I doubt he is dead. The Rain has nevertheless been under lockdown for a while. Its reputation with spies is as notorious as Uzushio. We are going to investigate to see is happening. I have also learned that the Akatsuki might be located there. I have also learned that there is a civil war in the village. It might the Akatsuki against Hanzo."

"What is the problem with the Akatsuki, Jiraiya? They are just a mercenary group, isn't it?"

Jiraiya nodded his head. "That is true but Orochimaru was once a member, and Itachi is currently a member. Who is able to control these powerful shinobi? The leader of the group must be a powerful shinobi. We don't know anything; hence we are going to investigate. I know the civil war is real, but if the Akatsuki is involved, it means a mercenary group is trying to take over a village."

"This will be my first 'spy thriller,'" Naruto said with a smile. "When do we leave?"

"You'll have to be careful, Naruto. Amegakure is dangerous… If we go there, we could be walking straight into a civil war…" Jiraiya said.

He hadn't been planning on taking Naruto with him but with the blond done with his training, he had to take him. That aside, Naruto knew how to hide his presence; he knew how to be subtle. And if something happened, the two of them could always handle it. Naruto had perfected Senjutsu. There shouldn't be problems the two of them couldn't handle. They would make a combo, wouldn't they? If they entered a battlefield in sage mode, they would decimate their opponents.

"When have I been careless, sensei?"

Those words ran inside Jiraiya's head like a loud bell that left him dazed for a moment. Perhaps he had been right to think that Naruto would do well. The blond was never careless. He certainly moved with the slickness of a snake. "I sometimes forget those qualities you don't always show…"

"You should pay attention to your student, Jiraiya…" Naruto said sternly. "What was it with Kurenai's team?"

Jiraiya grinned. "I thought it would be a nice touch to remind you of home. We had been avoiding Konoha shinobi and never talked more about it. I just thought it would be nice if some of your friends saw you. You know old feelings…"

Naruto shook his head. "Don't be diabolical, sensei. You are already a shameless pervert; you need not add such a trait in your personality."

Jiraiya shrugged indifferently. "We leave tomorrow morning." The Sannin said. "Be ready when I come."

"Sleeping elsewhere?"

Jiraiya merely smiled before he started to walk away. He stopped by the seal on the small table and stared at it for a long minute. "After this mission, you'll need to show me more seals you know…" he said in a serious tone.

Konoha

When Danzo burst into her office, waking her from her nap, Tsunade was close to jumping on the man to crush him for disturbing her but she quickly stopped from doing so. There had to be a reason he was in her office. She hadn't been seeing more of him in the past month because she had been busy tidying up things in the village and he had been busy running his show in the underground.

The war hawk had a rather serious look about him – it was a stern look. Perhaps it was something that she had used to doing but this one looked different. "What is it, Danzo?"

Danzo stared at the woman for a moment. It wasn't easy working 'for' her. But he was managing. He hasn't been doing anything that would warrant her attention but he was just being careful. There was no need to do anything now. Patience has always been his friend and he would be patient. He would strike when the time was right. He wouldn't be afraid if she failed with Uzushio and Iwagakure. He could pick up the pieces.

But the fact that she wasn't glaring at him meant that Uzushiogakure didn't inform her that it caught his people who had a mission to assassinate their leader. It had been a risk worth taking. If he had managed to kill the leader of Uzu and leak this to Iwagakure and Kumo, he could have plotted things wonderfully and Konoha would watch the chaos occur before pouncing. Yet, the fact that Uzushio didn't say anything to Tsunade was a little troubling. He was dealing with devious people.

Well, it was better that the Godaime didn't know. He was safe as long as she didn't know. But Uzu wouldn't try to use this information to blackmail him, would it? If something happened, this woman would no doubt send her shinobi after him and it would not be pretty. At this point, he was even considering using Shisui's eye on her.

"I have just received a report that Sasuke has left Orochimaru." Danzo said.

"What?"

"He left Orochimaru and was seen into the Fire Nation. We don't know where he ended up going but he is possibly looking for Itachi." Danzo said.

It would be troublesome if Itachi comes across the younger Uchiha and says something. No, the Uchiha knew his duty to the village. He wouldn't dare say anything to Sasuke. With how emotional the young Uchiha was, he would no doubt try to attack Konoha. With how the elder Uchiha loved the Leaf, it was unlikely he would do anything that would lead to such an action.

Tsunade stared at the war hawk for a moment; Sakura had been right. This was happening, but where was he going? Did he think that he was now powerful enough to defeat his elder brother? "What about Orochimaru?"

"I don't know if he is alive or dead…" though, it would be best if he was dead. Orochimaru was a liability to the Leaf and to him. His continued existence was nothing more than a ticking time bomb.

"I want something more than that Danzo…" Tsunade said in a firm. "Go confirm it, if he is indeed dead, I want his head before me. If you can't bring his head, get me something I can work on. If he is still alive, confirm it. There is still Kabuto to think about, where is he?"

"I will have to look for that."

"Then get to it." Tsunade ordered in a hardened tone. "I want results soon."

Danzo didn't respond to being order like that. He could permit it, for now. He had patience to deal with this. For now, but the day would come. She would either be dead or kneel before him and beg for him to spare her life. "We have not discussed Sasuke."

"What of him?"

"If possible, it would be best that he not even meet with Itachi. We have a better chance of catching him since he isn't under the protection of Orochimaru." Danzo said those words in a stern tone.

"Do you have his exact location or general location?" Tsunade asked.

"No."

"Then go find it, and when you do, come back to me and we will discuss what needs to be done. I will be more than happy to send my top shinobi after both him and Itachi." Tsunade said.

He would not allow that to happen. Danzo would make sure that Itachi was dead before he arrived in the Hidden Leaf. There was a chance of talking if he arrived back in the Leaf. They had not even been actively pursuing him because they had let him leave the village after serving it. A truly noble act as one should expect from a true shinobi of the Hidden leaf.

"You still haven't given me a clear answer on whether you will give Sasuke to me or not…" Danzo said. "Since we have a clear chance of getting him back, we need to settle the issue."

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment. Whether she gave Sasuke to Danzo would depend on a couple of things. She was going to conduct a psychological evaluation on the Uchiha to determine if he needed to be sent into a cage and given strict lessons by Anbu. It would be a good mental exercise that should teach him better emotional control. Speaking of evaluations, she needed to order Shikaku to have them performed for every active shinobi to determine their state of mind. She didn't want loose cannons in a situation like this.

Tsunade would really not want to deal with Sasuke. It would be good if he was with Danzo. But there were risks contained there. Nevertheless, she could do without the headache. "I provisionally give you my approval to handle him. However, after some time, I will call him back, determine his state of mind and see if he can get back under my control."

"That is acceptable."

"Good…" Tsunade said. "Now go find him and Itachi."

"There is still one more issue." Danzo said

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I have to first congratulate you on implementing changes to the shinobi academy and approving tough guidelines on how Jonins train their students. While it is not enough, it is still a start and at a time like this it is needed. Of course, we would have never come to this point if Hiruzen had bothered listening to me…" Danzo said.

Tsunade stared at the war hawk for a moment before sighing. Receiving praise from Danzo was nothing good. She didn't need it from him. Those words felt a bit disgusting. But she didn't show it. "Then?"

"We need to do something about both Kumo and Iwa…" Danzo said. "We cannot simply allow them to form a partnership in this situation. It would prove to be a problem for our survival. We need to ensure that they never become allies. If you approve it, I have the necessary methods to make sure that they fight each other."

Tsunade frowned. It was always something dark with Danzo. There was just no way Tsunade was going to go under that path. Even her grandfather would be ashamed. They needed to survive this. And indeed if Kumo and Iwa rallied against them, it would prove to be a challenge they might not be able to overcome, but going dark like that? Never. Konoha has already done many dark things, she would not do this.

"I am not giving you my approval and you will not do it." Tsunade said firmly. "If I hear that there is something happening between the two, Ibiki and Inoichi will have a couple of words with you."

"Predictable." Danzo said before walking away from the office. He had known she would give a response like that. He was hardly surprised, but for Konoha's survival, Danzo would do anything in his power to protect it. He would make sure that the leaf survived this mess. He would not allow a naïve woman who allows her emotions to get the best of her to drag this village down with her.

Danzo blamed Hiruzen for this mess. These people were following his former teammate's teaching and it was dragging this once great nation down.

Amegakure

Naruto looked down at the Toad that had sneaked him into the Rain through the large lake that surrounded the village. You entered the village through a bridge but that didn't accept visitors. And so, they had been swallowed by small toads and then dived into the water. They were now out and into the raining village.

Naruto didn't look around; he didn't run for cover as Jiraiya did. The Sannin had quickly made his way out of the rain to look for shelter but Naruto stood still, looking up into the clouds with his right hand held up, waiting for the rain drops to hit him. He closed his eyes and felt the drops hit his body. It wasn't the kind of rain that made you wet in a second.

"Hey, what are you doing standing there?" Jiraiya said to Naruto. There was no one around here, and so they were safe. But he didn't want Naruto standing in the rain like that as if he was a child.

Naruto didn't respond immediately, after a minute or so, he walked over to the Sannin – who was giving him a questioning look. "Long ago when the orphanage stopped being my home, when it rained, I could freely cry without anyone noticing I was indeed crying. I was just remembering those cold and miserable moments."

"Why remember something like that now?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto shrugged. "You know I am rather sentimental, sensei…" he said carelessly.

Jiraiya shook his head. He knew that but it didn't make it okay some times. Some times Naruto did things that were like rituals. They were here for an important mission and they didn't need to do anything that would give them away. He was ready to fight, but if he could avoid it, he would do so.

"This isn't going to affect you, yes?"

Naruto glanced over at the Sannin, asking if he was making a joke or not. He didn't even bother responding, he merely transformed into a different person. The Elder Toad Sage did the same and they started to slowly walk into the Rain. "Amegakure is truly locked up, isn't it?"

There was just no way of entering the village without sneaking in as they did. There was always rain; so entering the village through aerial means might prove to be a little difficult for many people. Well, it wasn't that people had the means to travel through the air. Perhaps that was why most shinobi villages were not prepared for such assaults. Perhaps the sky nation was once feared because of their ability to bomb nations by flying over them.

Jiraiya looked around for a moment. It wasn't always like this. This place could be easily accessible by shinobi and in all the past wars; it had been used as a battleground by Konoha and Iwagakure. Hanzo would always have to join the battles to make sure that the battles didn't affect his village. He'd never liked the Kages and he had killed all shinobi who faced him.

Locking in Amegakure had been his way of ensuring the village survived. "Hanzo started the rule because the land was used as a battle ground. We ended up fighting him because we were also fighting in this land."

Naruto looked up for moment; this village. Shinobi nations use it for their wars. How despicable. How selfish and rotten for these nations. They didn't fight their wars in their own lands. They fought in other people's lands. Whenever there is a war, smaller nations are the ones who have to suffer. They always suffer. Horny shinobi take over their homes. Their lands are destroyed as shinobi battle it out to their deaths. There was always massive destruction.

Amegakure has never done anything to ignite war, even if it hasn't been an enemy of any of the Great Nations, it still wouldn't have been spared from the destruction. When giants fight, it is the land that suffers. For the small creatures to survive, they have to become giants themselves.

"Sannins…" Naruto said. "Hanzo was that powerful, huh? Yet, it didn't stop the Great Nations from using this country as a battle ground. You simply didn't care about smaller nations. It was better them than you."

Jiraiya wasn't going to deny that past actions had been unjust, even by Konoha. But no matter how evil Konoha was, it was still his home and he would defend it. He would not look at what other villages have done. Certainly, none of their enemies were innocent. They were just as corrupt as the Hidden Leaf.

"Maybe I felt pity for the orphans because I did realize that it was our actions that had brought them to the state. Nagato's parents were killed by Leaf shinobi and he became an orphan. He was still a young boy and had to steal food to survive…" Jiraiya smiled sadly as the memories of his students flashed through his mind. ''They were all innocent children who had just been caught in our wars."

"You saved three, Jiraiya." Naruto started. "What do you think the others grew up believing? You know, it is one of those things that make children grow up hating you. You always speak about the cycle of hatred, but when great nations fight and crush those beneath them in the process, do you not think the small nations feel aggrieved and learn to hate?"

"That is what happens…" Jiraiya said with a shake of his head. "They were different though. They were kind and loving children. I taught them how to live and they became good people who fought for peace… that just proves to you that not everyone gets tangled up in the path of darkness."

"If you have guidance, sensei…" Naruto said. "What are we looking for around this village? You said it was supposed to be locked up and in some civil war, but everything looks fine now."

Jiraiya frowned. This had worried him the moment he saw the village. But he knew there had been a civil war. It just means that the civil war ended with how locked down the village was, nobody was told about it. And they haven't made any movements that showed that Hanzo was dead. In fact, they'd been acting as if he was still alive. This made the situation worrying. Perhaps he was still alive.

He really should have asked Danzo about this. He knew the two were connected. "We have to find out what happened after the civil war, when it ended and who is in charge of the village now. Once we are done, we can see what we have before deciding if we should meet the leader. If Hanzo is still alive, we can go see him. He shouldn't be hostile towards me. Even if he is, I am sure we can handle the situation."

"Well, you are no longer the same person you were when he defeated you…" Naruto said in thought. "What time do we rendezvous and where?"

"Let's keep walking…" Jiraiya said. "I never said I would be allowing you to go alone."

Naruto shrugged. "It wouldn't be so much of a learning experience for me if I am with you. Besides, it will be more effective if we go our separate ways…" he paused and glared at the man. "Don't speak as if you hadn't suggested we would be going separately."

Jiraiya merely smiled. They finally found bar. It wasn't crowded but there were people around. They didn't enter. "We will meet here in about three hours. If you're late by 30 minutes, I'm searching for you, but in case you were just running late and don't find me, I will leave instructions."

Naruto nodded. "You are going to start here?"

The Sannin nodded.

Naruto peeked inside. "I don't see any woman you'd want to charm…" he said.

Jiraiya didn't bother responding to Naruto, he merely stepped into the bar. Naruto shook his head and looked around for a moment before both his hands slipped into his pockets and he slowly started to walk away from the bar.

Pain's Tower

Nagato looked through the rain with the Rinnegan as he felt disturbances in the rain. He stopped his jutsu and turned around to face Kona – His longtime friend and partner stared at him curiously before asking. "Is something wrong?"

"There is an intruder and a guest." He said.

"Intruder…" Konan said. They usually killed those without asking too many questions. "Is he powerful?" she asked.

Nagato nodded his head. "Yes…" he said. "Go deal with it… I will go to welcome our guest."

Konan enquired about the general location before heading out. Nagato took the other way to find another person who has managed to infiltrate his village. When was the last time he even stepped out of the tower like this? Ever since he stopped using the mechanical walker, he had yet to step out but just moved around the tower.

With Jiraiya

Ridiculous, you look away for a moment and the man who once fought the Sandaime's students is dead and everyone in his clan is systematical erased from the face of this world. It was perhaps a good method to gain control and keep someone from rising up to challenge you. But it was a brutal method; A cold hearted move that would only please the likes of Danzo.

That aside, Pain seemed to be a good leader to his people. They spoke wonderfully about him and they actually worshipped him for his power. There more Jiraiya heard from the people, the more he became curious about the mysterious Leader. The people here didn't know about the Akatsuki and they didn't appear fond of the Great Nations – he could understand that.

Nevertheless, there was something that makes him uncomfortable – it was the militarization of this village. Amegakure wasn't supposed to have strong shinobi. But since he started his search, Jiraiya had come to realize, Amegakure has been under a heavy method of increasing its strength over the past years. He couldn't determine its strength, but it wasn't the same village that was once led by Hanzo.

The man who took over here certainly has an idea. It wasn't suffering. Everything looked in order. But the way the people spoke about their Leader made him curious. He wanted to meet him. But he still needed to first see Naruto – they would go together.

Jiraiya came to a halt when he saw a woman flying over, wings flapped behind her. She looked like an angel. He grinned, seeing that she was ready to fight. "So, you are the angel…" he said. He looked at the woman who was stone faced. An image flashed into his mind and he gawked; He was seeing a ghost. "Konan..?"

The Toad sage undid his henge.

Konan looked at her former sensei for a moment as she considered what to do about this man. What was happening in this village wasn't supposed to be known by an outsider. They risked invasion if people from the outside knew about them. They didn't want to start trouble now and they had been willing to kill anyone who threatened their secrets in any other way.

"Jiraiya… sensei…" Konan acknowledged the man. She didn't get down. She was still deciding if she should kill him or just let it slide. She sighed inwardly and dropped to the ground.

The moment she landed, Jiraiya was upon her, his eyes wide. "It is really you, Konan!" He said filled with happiness. "You have truly grown into a fine, woman!" He added with a perverted grin.

Konan didn't share Jiraiya's happiness. She simply stared at him, "Why are you here, Jiraiya-sensei?"

It took a moment for Jiraiya to get hold of himself. He was finally happy to learn know that his student was alive. He had thought they were dead. But she was standing here, looking alive. He didn't even notice that she was wearing the same cloak as Itachi – the red clouds of the Akatsuki. When it finally dawned on him, he took a step back.

"What is happening here, Konan?" Jiraiya demanded with narrowed eyes.

"I should be asking you the same question. You infiltrated this village…"

"I came here because I am looking for information. I didn't think I would end up seeing people who were supposed to be dead. I see now that the story of your death was false and massively exaggerated. Are both Yahiko and Nagato still alive?"

Konan did not answer the question. "I would rather you leave the village, Jiraiya. We do not take kindly to intruders."

This wasn't going so well. He didn't think that he would meet his students like this, and the hostility. If Nagato was the one who was behind Hanzo's death, what did it mean? Did it mean he was the leader of this village? What did it say about the child of prophecy if Nagato was still alive? He too was Uzumaki, this just changed everything. It was a confusing situation!

"Last time we spoke, I was crying because I was going to miss you, Konan, is this how you greet me now after all these years?"

Konan was silent for a couple of moments. She then turned around and started walking away from the Sannin without saying a word. Jiraiya followed her, he attempted to ask questions but she didn't budge. She didn't twitch. She didn't say a damn word to him. Even when he made a lewd comment to try to get a reaction, she ignored his comments. She led him towards the tallest tower.

When he arrived, he saw Naruto sitting by the balcony, in his favorite pose. The blond turned towards him. "Oh, sensei, you got caught too…" he said casually before looking away once more.

Jiraiya hurried over to the blond, leaving Konan behind. Naruto looked fine; he was just sitting as he would when sitting by the window. He wondered, what would happen when they head back to Konoha, would they be fighting for the window? That was his spot, he would fight for it!

"I'd even forgotten about you when I saw Konan…" the Toad Sage admitted. "But I'm glad you are fine. I don't think we are fine though – If her reception is anything to go by. She is one of my former students, but I think depending on what we say to them, we might not leave freely…" he whispered into Naruto's ear.

"No kidding," Naruto said.

If Jiraiya wasn't used to Naruto's indifference, he would have been frowning now. But he was used to it. He didn't respond but merely turned around. He saw Nagato standing there next to Konan. The Rinnegan. He looked between his students and then Nagato once more. He was now a man. He had once believed this was the child of prophecy. He was supposed to be dead, but he was very much alive.

"Jiraiya-sensei…" Nagato started without emotion. "I didn't expect to see you so soon. What brought you here?"

This was not the same Nagato he knew. This was not the same child he had trained. Nagato was strong. If he had defeated Hanzo, it meant that much. But it was still something that the kind hearted person he had trained would massacre everyone who was connected to Hanzo just to strengthen his grip on power. The Nagato he knew wouldn't do something like that. This made Jiraiya stiffen. They were both different. Both? There should be three of them…

"If you two are alive, where is Yahiko?"

There was no reaction from the two that gave anything away. They just stood there, unflinching before Nagato spoke. "You have not answered my question, Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya knew; things were not going to go smoothly if he did not respond to the question. He could see that they were prepared for anything. He glanced at Naruto, his eyes were cast outside, but still ready to jump in if anything happens. He smiled. He could always count on the blond.

"Last time I heard this village was in a civil war… I also heard that the Akatsuki was connected to this village. Are you the leader of the group, Nagato?" Jiraiya asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yahiko is dead. He was taken from us by Hanzo… but that is something Danzo should know very well…" it was Konan who responded.

"What do you mean by that?" Jiraiya asked with suspicion.

Nagato walked away from Konan and then past Jiraiya. He stood over the balcony and looked down the streets before responding. "We were doing well in our group with Yahiko as our leader. Our group earned many admirers and many comrades joined us. I'm sure our actions even reached your ears."

Jiraiya nodded. "I kept receiving the information. I was really proud of your actions. Everything stopped when we were informed that you were dead."

"We did die." Nagato said in a cold tone. "Our actions even reached Hanzo. We met him once and he supported our work. We had his blessings. One day, he called us out and we went to him. But it turned out to be a trap. Hanzo was under the illusion that we were just power hungry children who were after his power. He tricked us, and that was when Yahiko died. That was when we died.

"In order to protect his power, Hanzo betrayed us. But it turned out that he was fed false information by Danzo of the Hidden Leaf. Danzo feared that we might overthrow Hanzo and that would threaten his power. Hanzo was his ally so he didn't want to lose that. When Hanzo laid the trap for us, he even offered Hanzo his shinobi. Our group had grown in strength and in numbers. To Danzo, our actions were not good. Our growth wasn't good. It was a threat and so he conspired with Hanzo to get rid of us."

"That bastard!"

"That is all for today, Jiraiya-sensei. We have been hospitable because you were once our sensei and you treated us well. But you must leave this village. We do not want any trouble and would appreciate it if you left. We will not answer any of your questions and will prefer it if you left in the same way you came in. As you can see, this village is enjoying its peace and growth. We do not wish to have any interaction with the outside world for you have brought us nothing but pain and destruction." Nagato said those words in a powerful tone. "Konan will escort you out."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes dangerously. "What makes you think that I will simply leave like this? You have obviously been rebuilding and you're no longer the same Nagato as you were. I wouldn't forgive myself if you ended up being a threat to the Elemental nations and I let it happen."

"If we had plans to be your enemy, you wouldn't be standing here with us, Jiraiya-sensei." Nagato said walking away from the balcony.

Jiraiya got the message loud and clear. If Nagato thought he was an enemy, they would have been fighting now. That much was apparent and clear. No, it should have been clear from the start. These people were not afraid to fight him just as he wasn't afraid to do it. Perhaps for him it would be out of responsibility for having spared their lives and trained them.

"What really happened to you, Nagato?"

Nagato didn't say anything – he was already walking away.

"Jiraiya-sensei, please let me escort you out peacefully. There will be time to talk, but we have don't have anything more to say to you now. We have said we want to say to you…" Konan said to Jiraiya in a stern tone. "Are you going to force things?"

Jiraiya glanced at the silent Naruto for a moment before shaking his head. "No…"

Konan nodded. "Please don't try to sneak in again and we would appreciate it if what you discovered doesn't find its way to the nations that surrounds us. We are not ignorant of what is happening in the world outside."

Nagato was Uzumaki and he was alive. It made him the second Uzumaki was alive but not in Uzushiogakure. A combination of Nagato and Naruto? That was just a frightening thought. But did these two not have any connections with the clan? With Nagato, it would be doubtful to think that the Uzumaki would not approach him if they know he was alive.

This great revelation just changed everything now. He had thought Naruto was the child of prophecy but if Nagato was alive, then it was one of them. So, was it Nagato or Naruto? Was it both? If it was, one of them, the other would desire to save the world and the other would seek destruction. If they worked together, would it be for destruction? Jiraiya didn't want to dismiss that possibility. They have both been wronged and could have strong emotions about the issue.

He had his work cut out for him. In the next month or so, before they return to Konoha, he would be forced to work hard to try to make sure that Naruto becomes the savior of this world.

There was another problem of Danzo. He would deal with this.

"Konan," Jiraiya started calmly. "Is this village connected to Uzushio? Its actions seem familiar to what Uzu is doing. Both these villages have also suffered in the hands of the Great Nations, are you connected? Is Uzushio also building its military strength while on lockdown?"

"It is pointless to ask these questions; I will not answer them." Konan said. She was walking behind the two Konoha shinobi.

"At this stage, I am tempted to force you to answer questions." Jiraiya said with a smile. "It is me and Naruto… we can take you down silently before Nagato even notices."

Konan didn't say anything; she kept her silence and kept walking.

Minutes later

Talk about a plot twist: Jiraiya could still not comprehend what had just happened in the Rain. He'd gone to find Intel in a land that was supposed to be in a civil war but he'd found a peaceful village which was prospering. But what he found next has truly put a spanner in everything that he had been thinking. He would have to redraw all his conclusions and even consult with the Toads. They had said a 'child of prophecy' not children. It possibly couldn't mean two of his students were somehow part of the plot, could it?

Jiraiya shook his head; he needed more time to think about this matter. "I can't believe that they are still alive…" he said as they made the distance with the Hidden Rain.

"People who don't want to be seen fake their deaths many times… it happens… it is a good way to disappear and not have people still look after you." Naruto responded quietly. "I guess I am no longer the child of prophecy, huh?"

Jiraiya frowned. "I don't know…" he said. 'I don't really know."

"Days ago, you were saying you are positive that I am the child of prophecy, you should really make up your mind, sensei. Our world is full of many surprises and if you allow them to change your every decision, you'll be filled with indecision for the rest of your life. At this moment, you can't choose between me and Nagato. You have gone all your thinking maybe this is the one, maybe not him, maybe this one. You have lived long enough, sensei. You need to decide on who you believe is the child of prophecy.

"I'm saying this because it also affects me; you cannot come and tell me that I could be responsible for either destruction or be the one who saves this world, and then the next moment you say, you really don't know. If you are full of indecision, nothing happens. You sow nothing but confusion."

Unknown Location

Sasuke stared into the eyes of his brother with nothing but hatred. The fact that the man even smiled infuriated him even more. "Itachi…" he growled.

"Sasuke-kun…" Itachi said. "I see you rushed over here after receiving my message. Do you think you have the strength to face me, now? I watched your battle with Naruto-kun… I was quite honestly disappointed."

"What was some months ago…" Sasuke responded with gritted teeth.

"I see…" Itachi said. "Come, Sasuke-kun. Fight me. If you defeat me, I will answer all your actions. I'm sure you are curious about why I did what I did. But if I win, I will take your eyes."

End of chapter

This was originally chapter seven and eight. I removed some scenes from chapter seven and made this one chapter. I wanted to push things a bit. So, in the next chapter, Naruto returns to Konoha.

The Omnipresent Sage