What the eye can see, the hand may kill. We see all, thus we may kill anyone.
- Hyuuga Zhengi, Second Master of the Head Family
'What will be, will be.' It allows us to accept the inevitable. But it does not deter us from the will to struggle. That Will of Fire, that unbending need to survive, is part of the reason I love Konoha so much.
- Dying words of the First Hokage
Future Legends
Chapter Seven
Jiraiya left the brothel in a rather good mood. Despite the fact that Tsunade had managed to elude him so far, he wasn't particularly worried. Certainly, he wanted to find her and bring her back to Konoha as soon as possible, but he had been a Shinobi too long to let concerns govern his life. Being worried all the time always led to people being inefficient. And inefficient shinobis were most often dead shinobis.
So he had no problem with relieving stress with a pretty girl or two. And the past weeks of travelling with Naruto had proven to be particularly stressful, mainly thanks to the boy's habit of being energetic and loud in absolutely everything he did. 'I know it's a way for the kid to cope with a hard life, but still...'
"Have a good night, sir!" A pretty lady who probably had far less than half his age told him, dressed rather alluringly. He found himself grinning foolishly in response.
"Yeah,! Thanks a bunch!" he said, wildly waving before leaving. Interesting as her looks were to him - he might use some descriptions to help him write his Come Come Paradise series - the thought of doing more than look never crossed his mind. He was a super-pervert, self-admittedly, but he wasn't nearly depraved enough to sleep with a teenager, just a child to him.
'Well,' he admitted inwardly, 'Not depraved enough yet.' He chuckled and shook his head wryly.
He returned to the motel where he and his war had been staying for the last three days, and found himself verbally attacked the moment he entered his room.
"Aha! There you are, Perverted Hermit! What kind of nasty things did you do now?" The blond boy, who sat cross-legged on the bed, pointed at him and glared. Out of habit, Jiraiya glared right back.
"Hey! That's not how a beginner like you should address a Sannin. So careful what you say!" Despite his lecturing words, he'd never been good at looking stern. Not like the Third had been. And Jiraiya had some doubts Naruto listened to the Third all the time. Consequently, he wasn't surprised when his words only had the effect of making the Genin more combative.
"So what? Some shinobi you are! What were you doing, anyway?" Naruto huffed.
"I was gathering information on Tsunade, brat!" Jiraiya growled. It wasn't the truth, but he wasn't about to say so. Unfortunately, Naruto had seen his activities too long to be convinced.
"Yeah, right! Information-gathering! Kakashi-sensei always got lost and came up with dumb excuses, and you're not even original with them! Lame! Lame! Lame, lame, lame! You were just doing some hanky-panky with some girl, I bet!" Naruto snapped, crossing his arms, as he often did when his point was made.
"Shut up, you insubordinate kid!" Jiraiya thundered, at a lost, and the two entered a glaring contest. Inwardly, the legendary shinobi found a world of hope in the boy's willpower. It had led the kid to overcome many obstacles in his life. 'Stubborn like the Fourth was, except far louder about things. Sure reminds me of a white-haired genin sometimes.' he reflected, and this made him grin, breaking the tension.
"What are you smiling about?" The boy asked suspiciously.
"Oh, not much. Just reminded me of something." The older man tried to dodge the subject away, but the Genin wouldn't have it.
"Something? What, what? Hey, hey, tell me, tell me!" Naruto asked, nearly bouncing on his bed. 'Darn, what a noisy kid! I remember having three kids to teach, and they never made that much noise - combined!'
"Geez, would you clap it down a bit! That's why I'm saying you're not the Fourth!" he grinned, "You sound more like me, actually."
"Eh?! No way! I'm not like you!" Jiraiya chuckled at the slightly horrified tone the Genin gained. After all, it wasn't really encouraging to be compared with an aging man who peeked on young women, wrote dirty books, and visited brothels for fun. 'And that's exactly how 'I' would have reacted back in the days. Looks bad, Naruto. But, in another sense, looks very good too.'
Jiraiya was glad to know that, unless something went terribly wrong, he'd live long enough to see what kind of shinobi that loud kid would become. He was a clumsy boy, but one possessed of an unbreakable spirit that never knew to give up. That was one of the main reasons he felt that the kid's dream of becoming Hokage might just be realized one day. Jiraiya never would tell the boy so - arrogance spoiled good people more often than not - but he easily saw why the younger Kakashi - who was a difficult man to please - had told him Naruto would one day be at least a Jounin, and one of the strongest.
The legendary Sannin saw that it was indeed possible, but that there was a lot of work to be done. And that was what made it fun. With the Fourth, he'd had to get the kid out of his shell, especially after seeing just how gifted he was. Naruto was different. He was all energy and little reason, probably because that was his way to keep from being hurt. But in a way, neither Naruto nor the Fourth seemed that incredible right at the beginning. Jiraiya had never wanted or particularly like brats whom had everything handed to them and strutted it to others.
"Oh yes, you sound like me!" he laughed. "My, you sound like me! Ready to throttle your own sensei in frustration. I had my share of fights with the Third. I did things my way and I was stubborn. I learned. You'll learn too." he laughed again at the kid's dismay, and sat down on his bed.
"I feel in a good mood tonight. So how about I tell you the time when...when I really saw the Third - although he wasn't Hokage yet back then - fight." At the word 'fight', he saw Naruto's eyes light up. The boy loved a good story, and he liked it even more when there was a fight involved.
"Yay, yay!" the Genin exclaimed, the previous discussion seemingly forgotten. Jiraiya briefly wondered if a kid with so little attention span could truly master the Rasengan. 'Too late for that.' he told himself as the boy seated himself nearer. "Perverted hermit, I heard that gramps was the strongest Hokage ever. Was he as strong as that?"
"Well, not quite. He was still a jounin back then. I think that the Second Hokage was stronger yet. But Sarutobi was one of the best even then. I realized that much when I watched him fight." He grinned as he was reminded of the event forcefully.
"Cool! Was it when your were a Genin?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"Right. More than that, it was during our first real C-grade mission." he mused "It was supposed to be simple. But, as with everything related to a war, it wasn't. To make it short, Tsunade and Orochimaru were cornered and beaten by three enemy chuunins. I, Sarutobi-sensei and Ayako-san barely made it in time. That's when Sarutobi got busy.
"Err...just one thing. Who's Ayako-san?" Naruto inquired.
"Ayako was Sarutobi's girlfriend then." Jiraiya chuckled as Naruto clearly showed difficulty digesting that. "She was something too. But she didn't get to show it as much."
38 years earlier...
Jiraiya helped Orochimaru limp to where Tsunade - herself in a rather bad shape - was being covered by Ayako. He kept watch on the Mist shinobi, who all looked far less smug than they did when he'd arrived. Sarutobi only looked at them, but it seemed to prevent them from attacking. Sarutobi spoke only when Jiraiya struggled near the kunoichi jounin.
"Ayako, keep those three covered, would you? I'll take care of the problem." Sarutobi spoke in his normal voice, yet something in it made Jiraiya's hair stand up.
"Hogging all the fun to yourself? How like you." Ayako's tease, however, was just as eerily dangerous.
"Sorry about that. In any case, there's no way I'll have problems with three midgets like that." The jounin said. It immediately seemed to anger the Mist ninjas, but they only spread out in response.
A moment passed. And then Jiraiya's heart nearly stopped. A wave of steely mental energy, a fighting spirit of enormous potency began to leak from Sarutobi, causing the Mist to jerk a bit in surprise. 'My God! Is...I-is that Sarutobi-sensei's killing intent? I-I never t-thought it was 'anything' as strong as this.' He reflected, feeling terror slip into him beside him, Tsunade and Orochimaru were wide-eyed despite their injuries. Only Ayako stood absolutely unmoved.
"Whatever happens, do 'not' stray from my side." She told them. Unlike the other times, there was no playfulness in her voice. Her order sounded almost like a threat, and Jiraiya realized he would never disobey it for the world.
Sarutobi and the three Mists stared at each other for many moments, each poised on the edge of violence. Each seemed a statue, but the killing intents showed that they were very much alive. Jiraiya realized that the three were indeed projecting a fighting spirit - they were just dwarfed by Sarutobi's.
And then one of the Mists raised his hand slightly, and all three jumped in unison, each aiming for a different vital point. Sarutobi seemed not to notice until the last moment, and Jiraiya briefly wondered if the man's fighting spirit wasn't just that. And then Sarutobi moved.
It wasn't as much as three counters as a continuous one. Sarutobi struck the first one with a great blow on the neck with his right arm, and continued the movement, whirling in place. His left leg shot out, and caught the second one squarely in the abdomen before his sweeping right arm recoiled and gave the third a terrific palm strike on the chest. All three were flung back whence they came. Before they even managed to regain their feet, Sarutobi had regained his waiting position, as if nothing had happened.
"I...incredible!" Tsunade breathed, and Jiraiya could only nod at that. 'Never thought that annoying sensei was that strong!'
One of the Mist shinobis did hand seals, while the other two lunged towards him. Still, neither Sarutobi nor Ayako moved an inch. Instead, Jiraiya found that they were simply focusing on their enemies's movements.
"Katon! Hosenka!" The mist cried, and sent multiple balls of fire racing towards the group. Jiraiya recoiled, and he even heard Orochimaru gasp, when Sarutobi's voice resounded.
"Suiton! Suiryuudan No Jutsu!" Just as the Jounin shouted, a huge body of water formed, seemingly out of nowhere, taking the shape of a fearsome dragon. The fireballs hit and were absorbed into it, while the dragon struck out like a tidal wave. The Mist ninjas seemed to vanish out under the gigantic wave. Or so Jiraiya thought, until he saw one - the one who was farther from the Jounin attack - leaping towards a wounded Orochimaru.
"Die, Leaf!" He shouted as he came down, having drawn a slim dagger. Jiraiya began to move out on his own accord, his mouth opening to warn the weakened pale genin, when Ayako seemed to materialize in front of the leaping Mist. In one swift move, she grabbed the hand that held the dagger and, with a twist of unbelievable strength, broke it. Before the Mist even had a chance to even scream, she grabbed his face, her hand flashing for moment, before kicking the attacker away.
At once, to Jiraiya's horror, the man began to scream, grasping, clawing at his face, as if he was being scorched by something. Ayako looked towards the screaming man with frightening disinterest. She then turned her gaze towards Sarutobi, and Jiraiya saw his sensei returning with the other two Mist Shinobis. Both were dripping wet, and obviously out for the count.
"Oh, I see, a torture jutsu." Sarutobi said, barely glancing at the struggling, screaming Mist.
"He'll live. I didn't give him a strong one." she sighed as if the battle was only a simple irritant. 'Is that what jounin are? They look...'used' to it.' Jiraiya wondered. Tsunade's coughing brought more immediate concerns, as Ayako went to check Jiraiya's two teammates. She quickly finished, her face serious but not desperate.
"They're not in good shape. That boy especially. I'll bring them back to the inn and check on them. You take care of these three jerks until we can contact an ANBU Interrogation Team." She said. Sarutobi nodded, then seemed to remember Jiraiya was there, and speared the white-haired Genin with a gaze that made him jump.
"Jiraiya. Follow me and help me secure those three. I'll need you to contact the ANBU. Don't just stand there. Make yourself useful." Jiraiya didn't even try to argue. He knew better than to contradict a jounin using a tone like that.
Sarutobi knew that he'd gone very near to killing the three enemy chuunins, even though he knew that they could reveal useful information. It had taken all of his reasoning not to finish the job when he'd found two of them unconscious after his water jutsu. Everything within him called for bloodshed.
He knew what had pushed him into this anger. Partly, it had been seeing those chuunins mangling two of his students. But the deeper reason, he admitted it in heart of hearts, was one of self-disgust. He'd let his own students wander about in a potentially dangerous situation. He had miscalculated the risks. And if Jiraiya hadn't found he and Ayako that quickly, two of Konoha's most promising genins would have been lost.
The Second had once told him, when he'd been just given the jounin rank, that being a team leader was half work and half responsibility. But, the second had warned him; teaching genins was one part work, and four parts responsibility. He hadn't understood what his former sensei had implied. Now he did all too well.
"I can see why you're always so respectful with those jounins who have taught more than one team, Kenji-sensei." He muttered as he checked the ropes binding one of the three chuunins. They held perfectly. 'Good', he reflected coldly 'those three won't be able to use hand seals.' To be certain, he'd also gagged them.
"Err...Sarutobi-sensei?" Jiraiya asked from the door of the shack they'd found. He gazed at the boy.
"What is it, Jiraiya?" He asked tiredly.
"Are they...are they going to be alright? Orochimaru looked...bad." There was no hiding the anxiety in the genin's voice. That was something, which seemed to fade away when a ninja gained skill - that ability to show true emotions.
He considered the boy's words carefully before answering. He'd seen Orochimaru's and Tsunade's wounds. Although only superficial, his survey had told him the blonde girl would quickly be fine. Orochimaru, however, was something else.
"Tsunade should be recovered by the end of the week. Orochimaru...well, we'll treat him with to the best of our knowledge. I asked Ayako because she does have better skill at using chakkra to mend wounds than I do. With her, his chances are very good." He finally stated, schooling his features to appear. The boy appeared to relax, and Sarutobi noted that there had been guilt on the youth's face.
"Phew! I'm glad to hear that!. Boy, Sarutobi-sensei, you sure kicked their asses! They didn't stand a chance!" The white-haired boy almost danced as he said this, and Sarutobi nearly grinned despite the situation.
"It's not so bad. I've fought in worst situations." 'And that,' Sarutobi chided himself, 'should have made me more aware of the dangers I was sending you three in.' The boy didn't notice the trouble behind his answer, though.
"And that jutsu! That was an advanced water jutsu, wasn't it? But there wasn't any water, and you told us that water jutsus only work near water." Jiraiya exclaimed.
"Well, it's the truth. There are a few ways to do it without water, but it means a large amount of chakkra gets expanded, and it needs much control. I can barely do it. Only the Second has the ability to use water-less water jutsus for long. But then, that's why he's the Hokage. You've a 'long' way to go before you think of even using advanced water jutsus." he lectured, then winced at his own patronizing tone. 'I really don't have the knack.' he sighed inwardly.
"Aww, Sarutobi-sensei! That's what you keep saying. Not ready, not ready! I'm sure we'd be able to learn fast if you tried us a bit!" Jiraiya complained. The jounin raised his eyebrows. Before he rebuked the boy, however, he considered the core of the complaint.
Truth be told, he had to admit that he hadn't taught them much besides the basics. The Second had been faster. 'But the times were especially rough back then. He had no choice but to push us fast.' he argued, only to have a little voice remind him that the present times might soon become as bad as could be.
'Maybe I'm just not giving them enough trust.' he thought.
"Well, perhaps. You 'do' need to know more than this, if you ever get in such a situation again. We'll wait until the others have recovered, then I'll see if I can teach you some more justus." he finally stated. The boy beamed at that.
"Cool! I can't wait!" he cried, nearly jumping around. This time Sarutobi smirked as they left the shack and paused on the threshold.
"Now, Jiraiya, you should go see Ayako-san. She'll need more help than I taking care of those two. Off you go now." The jounin said, only to have the boy hesitate.
"But..Sarutobi-sensei...if those three get loose." Jiraiya began.
"If that happens, I can handle them. You can't at your level. Besides, I already arranged for a message to be sent to Konoha. A team will be here in a few hours at the most." Sarutobi explained. "Now Jiraiya, go help Ayako-san. We'll talk later."
"Okay, sensei. See ya!" Although still somewhat uncertain, the boy knew better than to argue further in such a situation, and left in a flash.
Sarutobi sighed. Although he didn't dislike the white-haired boy, Jiraiya had too much energy, something that always left someone drained when he was nearby. Already feeling rather banged up emotionally; he didn't need the overactive kid keeping watch with him. He grinned as he imagined the hard times the good-intentioned kid would give Ayako. 'Sorry, Ayako. I really need this time for myself. Gotta be selfish from time to time, I guess.'
He sat down near the entrance, his senses alert to any movement from both inside and outside, and considered the ramifications if what he'd seen already. The Mist were present. Near Konoha, far too near. It made Sarutobi wonder if the defences of the Leaf hadn't become somewhat lax. 'We get used to peace too easily.' he reasoned.
And the Mist didn't want to be found. If it had been a lawful business, the shinobi would have identified themselves and their purpose, and probably gone on their way. Not so here. They had been ready to kill two children to make certain they wouldn't be discovered. That had never been the way of a faction who had peaceful intent.
He knew that, if other teams found at least similar hints - and they probably would - the Second Hokage would have no choice but to consider such groups near Konoha as an act of war. Jounins and Chuunins of both Hidden Villages would fight each other, and Genin would eventually be called as well. Dozens of shinobi would die, and how many civilians?
War was coming between the Leaf and the Mist.
"No that's wrong." Sarutobi mused as he looked inside the shack, which stood just outside the town. "The war isn't coming. It's already begun in earnest."
Jiraiya had always been good at being stealthy. For all of his loud remarks and attitude, he had been first of his class where it had come to stealth. It had served him well for many purposes. He had been able to eavesdrop and learn many interesting things. Eventually, he had created a small, but very useful technique he had dubbed Doton No Jutsu. A veil of chakkra, so that he may stand close to someone and still be undetected.
From what he'd learned, a skill like that would be very useful later on, since B-rank missions and above often involved lots of secret and stealth. Jiraiya, however, had already found one perfect use for his little jutsu.
He used it to spy on girls. He'd done it for the last two years, with success. And, recently, it had become increasingly fun to watch young girls his age. Thus, once Jiraiya had learned that the town had baths, and seeing that he was of little use in treating his comrades' wounds, the white-haired genin had quickly excused himself, and gone off to practice his spying further.
"Not bad, not bad. These girls are kinda cute." he chuckled to himself as he spied through a crack between planks. It offered him a wide field of vision of the women baths, and of its occupants. Some of them, probably slightly older than Jiraiya was, were definitely interesting to look at.
He chuckled to himself, despite knowing what his parents thought of playing voyeur. His old man had told him many times what he thought of those who spied on the opposite sex. Strange and shameless, he called them that with unusual fire. Still, Jiraiya didn't quite understand what the big deal was. It wasn't like he wanted to hurt anyone with looking. And if the girls would feel angry and hurt by his peeking well...that was why Doton no Jutsu existed!
Jiraiya grinned as he spied a pretty brunette who was both slim and perky. Just his type. He was about to reach for the binoculars he usually used to see the details of his catches, when he heard a commotion farther away. He normally would have ignored it, except that he had heard the distinctive sound of a kunai hitting a wooden surface.
Worry crept on him. If there was a team of Mist here yet, he was in no position to fight. His fighting jutsus and his chakkra control were still rather limited. And although he truly didn't like the snake, he had to admit, deep down, that Orochimaru was the better shinobi so far. 'And he got his ass kicked.' he thought as the dim sounds of a struggle continued. 'Why isn't anyone checking what the fuss is about?'
It was a valid question, but Jiraiya found that it only served to hide his own cowardice. Would his father have hesitated when something nasty might be going on? No way sir! Jiraiya, acting purely on reluctant instinct, pushing himself with the humiliating image of himself fleeing, increased the Doton no Jutsu to its maximum level,. and swiftly walked among the baths, until he came to the door where the noise had come from. He could feel presences within, and peeked quickly.
They didn't see him, but he managed to get a very clear picture of the situation. Two people, a boy and a girl dressed in shinobi fighting garb, were busy holding down and tying a bundle of some sort. From the muffled curses and thrashing of said bundle, it wasn't an easy task. He noticed that the headbands were of the Mist, and stiffened. 'More Mist! That makes five, this close to Konoha! What the hell's goin' on here?!'
"Damn, that kid sure made this difficult. You sure she was the last? If anyone from Kumo got through-" the male worried, panting. Obviously they had both tired themselves out in some way, Jiraiya realized. 'Kumo...the Hidden Village of Cloud.' he thought.
"You worry too much. This one was the last." the female snapped.
"However..." the man tried.
"However, what? Whatever message the Raikage wanted to tell the Hokage, he should have taken better precautions. As if genins would pass undetected!" the female growled in a firm tone. The man seemed to admit defeat on that point, and both concentrated on tying the bundle firmly.
Jiraiya nearly threw his hands up in defeat. 'Why did I, oh why did I listen! Now that I know that whoever that is had something to tell the Second, I can't leave it like this!' he briefly thought about getting Sarutobi-sensei, but dropped the idea. 'It'd take too long they'll be gone soon. They'll take that messenger to a secluded spot, and there...' he shook his head and grunted inaudibly. 'Can't sit this one out. Dammit! My first battle, and I'm scared as hell!'
He had to act. Fortunately, he wasn't facing any ready shinobi. To Jiraiya's eyes, they seemed rather tired. 'I might have a chance here. I can't take them on in combat. But if I could just do a little diversion.' Frantically, he prepared a kunai, settled himself mentally, and moved.
He threw the kunai at the opposite wall, causing the Mist shinobi to whirl to face him. Tired as they were, they didn't hesitate, crouching and bringing their arms up defensively. The two side stared at each other a moment.
"Sorry, people. If this one wants to tell the Hokage something, I'll make it happen! Bunshin no Jutsu!" He molded chakra as hard a he could, drawing upon himself, and created six versions of himself, which separated into two groups and surrounded both enemies. The male seemed more disbelieving than anything else as he looked back at the genin.
"You want to take us on with Bunshin? Have you lost you mind?" he asked, and both advanced towards the bunshins in derision. Both stepped a good step away from the struggling bundle. Jiraiya could barely suppress a manic, fear-filled grin, as he ran forward, his hand forming a seal.
The three explosive notes, which Jiraiya had rolled around his kunai, blew at the same moment, a deafening deflagration that brought fear-filled screams from everywhere at once. The other occupants of the baths had finally noticed that something was wrong. As it blew, Jiraiya threw his arms forward to protect himself from the blast.
"Why you little leaf runt!" the female growled, fatigue and the momentum destabilizing her as she tried to step back towards him. Jiraiya took hold of the bundle, which still struggled, and using both adrenaline and chakra, brought it to the gaping hole. Outside, people were beginning to congregate, and he knew that his sensei couldn't help but hear the sound of an explosion like that.
And Jiraiya couldn't resist turning back once, and giving the two angry enemies his most arrogant smile.
"You really should train more!" he winked, and then ran outside.
And he poured on the speed, drawing as much chakra as he could. There was no way something like that would slow them more than a few instants, even in the state they were in. He had taken two enemy shinobis' prey. He had learned what doing something like that meant. Once that happened, the prey was the one who stole. The hunt was on.
All because he'd wanted to peek at some girls. The world wasn't fair.
"Damn day keeps getting better and better! Why do I have to play hero!" Jiraiya shouted once, as he disappeared from sight as quickly as he could.
The Present...
"I knew it! You were already a pervert back then! Gross!"
"Just listen to the damned story already, you noisy brat!"
38 years earlier...
Jiraiya's father and mother had been good shinobi. His father, although he had refused to undertake the special trials to become a Jounin, was as respected in Konoha as if he held the rank. His mother had never risen far in the ranks, but her defiant recovery from crippling wounds had inspired respect among the shinobi elements of the Hidden Village.
The white-haired genin had nothing but respect for either of them. And, he had to be frank with himself as he ran with a struggling bundle; he truly wished one of them was there to give him some sound battle advice.
His escape had been followed by a dash through the streets. Using smoke bombs to hinder their sight, bunshins to confused them, and every stealthy spying trick he'd ever developed, his luck had held, if barely. He had managed to elude them after many close calls that - thankfully - had never turned into fights. His breath short and frantic, the genin finally found himself in a small park of sorts, with people strolling about. It was far from any festivities, but Jiraiya wished to avoid any embarrassing questions as to his cargo, and he dashed behind some tall bushes to examine whatever it was that he had caught.
He reeled backward when he found a man and a woman. Both were blissfully unaware of his presence. Both were also engaged in an embrace even Jiraiya's budding hormones couldn't conceive. Part of him was repulsed, while another found itself intensely fascinated by the sight. He didn't know how long her would have stared, if the bundle had struggled and brought him back to reality sharply.
"Alright, already. Hold on." Jiraiya muttered, and dashed away from the repulsively fascinating couple to dash up a large, bushy tree. No innocence-shattering - although Jiraiya wasn't hypocrite enough to consider himself that - sight greeted him there, and taking out a kunai, he worked on the cords holding whoever or whatever he had been carrying.
After a few swift movements, a person emerged, and Jiraiya couldn't help but stare in shock. The person that the Mist shinobi had been so keen on keeping from escaping looked like a girl barely older than he was. Red-haired, with a slim build, the girl didn't look any different than Tsunade. What shocked him even more than all the rest was that the girl was naked. Bound, gagged and blindfolded, she seemed to tensely wait for something. 'She's got a nice chest, unlike the tomboy.' he thought wildly, before realizing that the girl, of all things, might be cautious of him.
"Ah, yeah. Listen...I'm going to free your hands, okay? Just don't, you know, slap me silly for being a guy. I'm a Leaf, not a Mist, so you don't have to worry. And I only stared a little. Honest, just a little! No more than that! Really!" Jiraiya exclaimed. He prattled on nervously as he cut the ropes holding the girl's hands. Then came the second shock. In such a state, Tsunade would have torn the gag and blindfold off and probably either chewed him out or killed him. The girl simply undid her gag, and took out her blindfold, and regarded Jiraiya calmly.
"You're definitely not a Mist." she said simply. It almost made Jiraiya forget about the girl's state of undress, and the fact that she'd struggled so much before he'd freed her.
"Sorry, but how the heck can you tell?" he inquired. She gave him a level look.
"Your eyes aren't haunted enough. You don't have blood on your hands. So you can't be a Mist." She answered, then sighed and smiled slightly. "I don't know how you managed, but thank you for your aid."
'Cold like Orochimaru, but nice in her own way.' Jiraiya wondered. He then self-consciously scratched his head, grinning.
"Nah, just lucky. I'm pretty good at sneaking, and I just happened to catch them off-guard. Shaking them off after that...that was a pretty nice piece of work, however!" Jiraiya, although he had to admit he had been lucky pretty much all the while, felt he ought to give himself some credit. So he hadn't fought those two fair and square.
'So what! I'm not a Jounin here!' he defended himself mentally. The girl only look at him, then looked down. With a swift move she covered herself. A small part of Jiraiya's mind - a growing small part these days - sighed in mild disappointment.
"I see. Is it...possible for me to have some clothes? I don't think we'll be able to pass undetected if I walk around like this." She stated. He nodded swiftly.
"Right, you're right. That's right." he remembered the troubling scene in the bushes, and clapped his hands once. "I got it! Wait here...urm..."
"Maya. Kunichi Maya of Kumo." She answered, again with that small smile. Jiraiya found he didn't dislike that way she had.
"Nice! I'm Mudoya Jiraiya of Konoha! It's a real pleasure! Now, just hold on! Be back!" The white-haired Genin answered. Inwardly, however, worry was starting to creep in. These shinobi were bound to look for them. Sarutobi-sensei was busy guarding the others, and getting to him would leave them exposed. They had to get to Ayako-san. Three against two, with a strong Jounin on their side - Jiraiya could trust such odds.
So intent on their own dealings, the couple did not see the white-haired boy as he grabbed several articles and carried them to Maya. None of them fit, of course, the clothes being from a fully-grown woman. But they managed to make enough fit to cover her rather decently. She'd look strange, but at least be able to walk through the crowd.
They started off slowly. Although some people stared at Maya's appearance, both youths managed to get through over three quarter of the way before Jiraiya glimpsed shapes briefly appearing at the edge of his vision.
"They're here." He told the girl, only to see her forming seals. The girl turned towards the place the shapes had vanished to and thrust one hand, the other held up in the Serpent Seal.
"Ninpou! Tataku Inazuma no Jutsu!" She yelled, and five arcs of chakra-made lightning struck at the other roof. Bits of spiritual electricity raged as Maya sagged visibly, making the crowd roar in panic, then turned towards him. "This should make them a bit more cautious. But not for long! Lets use the commotion I caused!"
Jiraiya swallowed, then stiffened himself. Orochimaru and Tsunade had fought when forced to, and so would he. Still, he ran rather gratefully, grabbing Maya's hand to guide her to the hotel. Time and time again, he looked over his shoulder, expecting an attack any moment. So intent was he upon his back that he nearly bowled into Ayako-san herself, as she exited a shop with arms full of groceries. Her gaze had been fixed upward, and Jiraiya guessed that she had felt the hostile presences from afar.
"Here you are Jiraiya-kun! I see you've run into some bit of trouble yourself! Good thing I don't have to rescue you, too!" the jounin said brightly, but there was steel in her voice as she spoke. She looked at Maya with a gentle yet penetrating gaze. Jiraiya felt his mouth glue. Fortunately, the Kumo girl held to her voice.
"Are...are you a jounin of Konoha?" she asked hesitantly, yet hurriedly. There was a look in her eyes then. As if she was near a goal long sought. Jiraiya could only gaped at the intensity. Ayako, face still pleasant, merely nodded. The girl suddenly grasped the older woman's sleeve urgently.
"Please take me to Konoha! I have an urgent message from the Fourth Raikage to the Second Hokage! The Mizukage has set his sight on controlling the Hidden Villages, and Konoha is next!" She cried, her voice intent and serious. Upon hearing the words, Jiraiya froze. Maya's words meant only one thing: war.
