Yo! How's it going! Ya'll ready for another chapter?! Knock yourselves out!
Oh, and I made a few changes that you all should know.
Remember that Bullshit about Xanxus being on ice for 8 goddamn years? Yeah, well I call Bull (If it isn't already obvious). I mean, what kind of Dad would let his kid be a damn block of ice for 8 fricken years? So I'm making it four. That's still a lot, if you look at it logically. So he'd be on ice from 18 – 22 instead of the original 16 – 24. *Whispers* Ridiculous.
Also, I'm making the age difference between Tsunade and him 6 years instead of 9. Because it's simpler that way. So when he's finally defrosted, he'll be 22, just like Squalo and Dino, and Tsunade will be 16. Sound good to you all?
Aaaaannnd… I think that's it. *Shrugs*.
Well, go on then! Enjoy!
"Now that everyone is present, this meeting shall convene."
Everyone present in the room deferentially bowed to Seigi and waited for him to sit. Once he gracefully slid into his seat, everyone else followed.
Tsunade nudged Jiraiya, who made no movement to stifle a yawn. She saw that some of the people in Miyamoto's faction throw them a disgusted look.
She examined the room now that it was finally filled. All of the Noble 10 members were present and seated at a long conference table.
Behind each member were a handful of seats where affiliates of their factions were able to sit. It was generally obvious as to which faction each member belonged to. All of Aizawa's members were dressed in impeccable Japanese garb and their manners were impeccable. Akiyama's seats were occupied by people who were obviously from the Military, as dictated by their haircuts and stiff postures. Takikabe's seats contained shifty-looking men all dressed in crisp suits. Ji Min's faction were all well-groomed and gorgeous, with stylish clothes and eye-catching hairstyles.
Tsunade and her two teammates were seated in Seigi's seats besides his lieutenant. Tsunade wasn't very familiar with the man, but he had a twinkle in his eyes and laugh lines around his mouth. He wasn't, however, laughing at that moment, but was quietly and vigilantly observing the proceedings in silence.
Kyoya, for once, wasn't glued to Tsunade's side and was seated in his father's faction. Beside him, she eyed Masai's second-in-command, Kusakabe Tadashi. He worked with the man in the Police Force, and Tsunade knew that he confided everything to him.
Over the months, Kyoya had grown more and more attached to her, almost rivalling his indomitable will to grow stronger. He had progressed at an insane rate and had gone through all the theory that aspiring Shinobi went through at the Academy in six years in only one and a half. He was so voracious about learning that he even hounded Orochimaru and Jiraiya to impart bits of knowledge whenever he demanded it.
He was now a constant shadow at her side. He had declared that she, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were pack and was puzzlingly possessive over them. She was baffled at first, but she decided to roll with it. The kid was already a little loose in the head, but in her presence he was able to gain a semblance of stability. She wouldn't sacrifice that blessing for anything.
But Kyoya wasn't the only one being trained up quickly. Tsuyoshi's kid, Takeshi was coming along swimmingly, according to Jiraiya. The boy was quite fond of baseball, but had decided to take up the art of the sword when both he and Jiraiya had accidentally stumbled upon Tsuyoshi dispatching some Hitmen targeting him for his rather large bounty from his Assassin days.
Once the jig was up, Tsuyoshi decided to explain to his son about the world he used to be in, and the one that Jiraiya was currently in. Takeshi was so upset with them for keeping their secret from him that he had run away from home that night.
Unfortunately, there were the remaining group of Hitmen who were able to identify him and kidnap him.
The resulting bloodbath that Tsuyoshi and Jiraiya caused to rescue him had made the young baseball lover vow to learn to protect both himself and his loved ones. Both Tsuyoshi and Jiraiya had reluctantly agreed, and Tsuyoshi showed him the coveted Shigure Soen Ryu style of the sword.
Just like Kyoya, he showed himself to be a natural Assassin and easily picked up the style. Jiraiya was tutoring the boy in other aspects while his father took over his Kenjutsu training.
Kyoya adored the boy, even though he refused to admit it to Tsunade. Both Kyoya and Takeshi regularly sparred, one intensely aggressive and one happily carefree. With each confrontation, both progressed in leaps and bounds. It was obvious that they had declared the other their rival.
The Sannin agreed that watching their sparring matches was some of the most entertainment they had in their new lives. Kyoya would mindlessly snarl like a beast while Takeshi laughed like an idiot the entire time. It was glorious.
Both Tsunade and Jiraiya had ribbed on Orochimaru for not yet choosing an apprentice, but he had simply stated that he hadn't found anyone suitable enough yet. They accepted his answer easily enough. Not just anyone could be apprenticed. The apprentice always forms a deep bond with their master, and they have to have a high initial level of compatibility. It was a surprise in itself that both Tsunade and Jiraiya had found apprentices in a single town, but it was a well-established fact that Namimori was filled with weirdos.
He'd find his in due time. There was no doubt about that.
Seigi sat regally at the head of the table and waited until all of the chatter died down completely.
"I have received the invitation for the ICUO."
Excited murmurs exploded throughout the room.
Tsunade's eyes widened. The ICUO. The International Convention for Underground Organizations. This… this was big. The reason she knew so much about it was through Jiraiya's sources and Orochimaru's knowledge about it when he was helping out with the Clan's paperwork.
The Sannin exchanged anticipating glances with each other.
Nagata leaned back in his chair and brought his hand up to his mouth. He casually removed his cigarette and blew a plume of smoke in the air. He fixed his sharp eyes on Seigi. "So. Who's going this year?"
Nobunaga leaned forward with his hands folded on the table. His entire form dripped with excitement. "Yes, have you decided yet?"
Seigi's intense gaze never wavered. "As a matter of fact, I have not-"
There was an uproar of epic proportions as everyone present tried to advocate for their allies to be chosen. The Noble 10 members attempted to wait for the thunderous din to die down, but as it continued to only grow in intensity, their faces became strained with irritation. Finally, when it looked as if several people were at their limits, Miyomoto pulled a heavy handgun out of his pocket and brought it up to remove the silencer from the end. Once he finished screwing off the contraption, he raised it and shot a single, deafening round in the air.
"Oi, shut the hell up, you freaks! The man hasn't finished talking yet!"
Almost instantaneously, the sound stopped.
Ji-Min tsked. "Damn Miyomoto. You're paying for the repairs."
The hefty man scowled. "What was th-"
"As I was attempting to say earlier," Seigi interrupted with an icy glare, "I have not decided the exact representatives for the Clan. However," He glared once more, quelling any other suggestions, "I have decided on one person. His companions will be decided by him."
Quieted murmurs ran through the factions as they tried to figure out who he was referring to.
Akiyama voiced what everyone was thinking. "Who is it, Hibari-san?"
Without any inflection, Seigi monotoned, "Hibari Kyoya."
Almost immediately, the entire room was once again in an uproar.
Tsunade could see Kyoya's eyes narrow in surprise, but Masai and Li Fen showed no discernable reaction other than pride. So they must have known about it, then. Kusakabe slung his beefy arm around the 10-year-old in congratulation.
"As he is the heir, I selected him to represent our Clan. From each Organization, a total of five people are allowed to attend, and Kyoya will choose his companions."
Takikabe's smarmy vice cut through. "Hibari-sama, if I may…"
Seigi scowled, but waved him ahead, bracing himself for what was obviously going to be a troublesome rebuttal.
"Young master Kyoya has not even attained his Tattoos yet. Is it really suitable for him to be representing our illustrious Clan?"
He was immediately assaulted by a number of glares. Li Fen's voice could cut through glass. "Are you saying that Kyoya is lacking in any way?"
The conniving old man rapidly backtracked when he realized that he had gravely overstepped. "No, Tian-sama, that is not what I intended to-"
Li Fen was merciless. "Then what were you trying to imply? I assure you, you had better watch your words, otherwise I swear that I will challenge you to a duel for his honor. Do not presume that you can disrespect my son and your future leader and get away with it."
Takikabe's aura was thunderous, but he wisely backed down, acknowledging that this round went to Li Fen.
The Chinese lady had a miniscule triumphant smirk and she mumbled something about Jesus while Masai face-palmed himself.
Seigi just looked done and ignored them. He turned to his frowning nephew. "So, Kyoya, who will have the right of accompanying you to the Convention?"
Kyoya snorted derisively. "I only have three. Tsunade, Orochimaru and Jiraiya."
Without missing a beat, Takikabe butt in. "Hibari-sama…"
Seigi rubbed his face in his hands and groaned quietly, which only able to be heard by his wife and the Sannin.
"…Yes?"
Tsunade smirked. She could hear his irritation in every syllable.
"Hibari-sama, our Young Master is very young, and the companions he chooses are young as well. Do you not think that this is… negligent?"
Besides her, Tsunade could hear Jiraiya growl and Orochimaru sniff with offence. She shared their sentiments. Negligent? How dare he? The utter disrespect!
Before any one of them could speak up, Seigi's voice, cold as ice, cut in. "Are you doubting members of my Faction? Ones specifically handpicked by me?" Seigi stood, clearly indicating the end of the meeting. "Questioning them is questing my judgement." His eyes were slits as he coolly gazed at the politician. "Watch yourself, Takikabe Koutaro. You overstep."
Takikabe snapped his mouth shut and resentfully glared at him, grinding his teeth in fury. "... Hai, Hibari-sama."
Ji-Min stood as well and took his arm. "Well then, you're all dismissed! Go make yourselves busy!"
The other members of the Noble 10 stood as well and began to make their ways out the door. Slowly, everyone else shuffled out as well.
Orochimaru smirked. "This is a most interesting development. I never expected that we would be allowed to attend the ICUO so soon."
Jiraiya let out a perverted giggle. "It's beautiful! Think about all the wonderful gossip I'll be able to hear!"
Tsunade and Orochimaru shared a look of resignation. Sometimes he acted too much like a gossiping old lady than a perverted old man and it was just creepy.
Tsunade huffed out a puff of air. "Well, whatever happens, it should be interesting…"
Dubai. That was where the conference was being held.
After a grueling 12-hour long flight, they had finally arrived.
To be honest, the flight was actually pretty fucking awesome, since they were riding in First Class on United Airlines. Plenty of leg room, pull-up shutters for privacy, a gigantic option of movies and two entire seasons of Big Bang Theory, an open bar, Tsunade was in heaven.
The flight was going just dandy up until Tsunade had a rather disturbing notion about halfway in.
"Oi."
She pulled down her shutters and saw Orochimaru dozing, listening to a collection of Chopin's best works, and Jiraiya laughing his ass off to Sausage Party. The ingrate. Kyoya was watching another one of those damn nature documentaries, but she decided to leave him out of it.
"Oi!" She leaned in and nudged the both of them.
"Ahh? Hime? What happened? Feeling nauseous?" She smacked him with a mild glare then dropped it, letting a mischevious expression flash across her features.
"I was just thinking… what if Iemitsu's representing Vongola?"
Orochimaru's and Jiraiya's twin expressions of absolute horror would be in her memory for the rest of her 2nd life.
And with that disturbing thought, she rolled her shutter back up again to leave the two to fester with that unholy thought, going back to enjoying the wonder of nature which was Sheldon Cooper.
She smirked. She is such a sadist sometimes.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were still shell-shocked after they had gotten off the plane and made their way to the hotel.
As Tsunade was riding through the city, she was awestruck.
As a woman of… considerable age, she had seen some pretty amazing things in her 2 lives. But the architecture of the buildings in Dubai had her speechless. It was if they were challenging the laws of the Natural World, and as a Medic, that was a sentiment she could appreciate.
Their hotel was something extraordinary, a vision of twisting glass and metal. The taxi dropped them off at the front and Tsunade led them in, Kyoya, as always, just one step behind her, and her teammates trailing mindlessly behind them.
She made her way to the receptionist and was greeted with a bland, polite smile. "Hello, and welcome to the Jumeirah Al Qasr Hotel. How may I be of assistance?"
Tsunade returned a civil smile. "Hi, we're booked under Kiyoijuu."
The woman didn't even bat an eye and typed at her computer. Tsunade was impressed with her level of professionalism. Most people would ask questions due to her obvious youth.
"Here we are. 5 reservations for Kiyoijuu. Rooms 13 to 17 on floor 9."
"We only need four rooms, thank you."
"Alright then, four rooms." She typed a bit more on her keyboard, then procured four cards. "Here are the room keys, to enter you scan on the pad below the handle."
Tsunade accepted the cards and nodded her thanks, then led her group to the elevators.
Once inside, she handed each of them a card. "Don't lose them."
"Hn."
"…Uhh? Ah, hai, Hime."
"…Of course."
Tsunade shook her head at her teammates' absentmindedness. "If you two are so worried, just send a Shadow Clone to see if Iemitsu is with the Vongola group. If he is, then we'll just use a Henge. Not a preferred method, but it'll work out. Calm down."
Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru noticeably perked up at her suggestion. She sighed and shook her head. They were both such idiots, sometimes.
It turns out, much to the Sannins' relief, that Iemitsu was not a part of the Vongola entourage.
Very, very much to their relief. Tsunade disliked her father on principal, Jiraiya hated the old man's guts and Orochimaru was still scarred from being treated like a small animal by him.
All of them were dressed in rich Kimonos, but they were all modified to allow for ease of movement in case they ended up in a situation where they had to battle. Tsunade's had two long slits running on the sides of her leg up to her hips, but the slits weren't easy to spot due to the extravagance of the garment. All of the extra folds and cloth covered it up quite nicely.
The three boys looked quite comfortable in their own clothes. Tsunade thanked all the gods above that there was some serious air-conditioning in the hotel, otherwise they wouldn't have survived, especially in the notorious Dubai heat.
Bracing themselves, Kyoya led the way to the grand hall reserved for the Convention.
This was it. This is where alliances were forged and broken. Where entire political wars were fought. Where some of the most powerful leaders in the world decided if people lived or died.
But no pressure. Tsunade was used to this Bullshit.
They stepped into the room and entered the maybe, maybe not metaphorical lion's den.
Tsunade shook her shot glass around and stared into it.
It had been hours. Tsunade lost track of the number of people she had spoken to and had conversed with.
The group had been separated around 2 hours into the meeting. Orochimaru had been dragged away by a group of engineers, Jiraiya had gone jumping from woman to woman and Kyoya had stalked off to god-knows-where.
Which left the brunt of the business on Tsunade's slim, stressed shoulders.
She really loved her teammates. She kept telling herself that.
Finally, finally, after hours of grueling politics, she was able to find herself in front of the bar.
She plopped herself down and waved vaguely in the direction of the bartender. "Yo, old man, shots of Gin. Keep them coming."
The aging man murmured his agreement and pushed a glass towards her. Ah, the perks of being in an Underground Convention. Minor things like age weren't an issue here.
Tsunade grabbed it and knocked it back, relishing in the burn at the back of her throat. She exhaled in relief and picked up the next one.
The man besides her chuckled darkly. Tsunade glanced at him from the side of her eyes. He was tall and built, a young and good looking with pitch black hair and glowing red eyes. He was dressed in a crisp black uniform, and he had a feather braided in his hair.
Tsunade turned herself fully to him and narrowed her eyes as she sipped at her drink. "What? Got something to say?"
He just snorted and downed his drink. "It's surprising to see someone other than me drinking alcohol so early on."
Tsunade's expression softened and a smirk crawled onto her lips. She raised her current glass, saluting him. "What can I say? I know how to appreciate the finer points in life."
The man's hard features melted into a sardonic smirk as well. "Touché." He lifted his glass as well and Tsunade gently clinked hers with his. "To the fine pleasures in life."
They both sipped at their drinks in silence, until Tsunade looked over to him again. "So, what's your name, big guy?"
The man eyed her with red eyes and scoffed. "Xanxus, and don't you forget it, scum."
He looked at her expectantly and she smiled. "Tsunade."
He eyed her. "Tsunade."
She nodded, reaching for another glass. "Yup. Just Tsunade."
He let out a rumble of acknowledgement. "Japanese?"
"Mmmm. Italian?"
"Mmm."
She was surprised when he switched from the neutral English that they had been using to her native Japanese. "Which Syndicate?"
"Kiyoijuu."
His eyes narrowed in consideration. "Part of the Holy Trinity Alliance?"
"The very one." She gestured to the bartender for more shots. "And yourself? From the Vongola?" Wild guess, but The Voice told her that she was right.
Xanxus snorted. "Obviously, scum."
Tsunade smiled. Rude little bugger, wasn't he? "Ever met a guy named Iemitsu?"
Xanxus' demeanor rapidly cooled. "Of course," he stated neutrally. "You know that trash?"
Tsunade waved her empty glass in a non-committal gesture. "Eh. Seen him around town a few times. Stupid scruffy fucker, he is."
Xanxus continued to examine her intensely, but before he could say anything more, Orochimaru appeared at her elbow.
"Tsunade. I think you need to see this."
Tsunade sighed and mournfully looked at the vast collection of liquor behind the bar. She slipped out of her seat and wrapped her hands around Orochimaru's arm. She turned back to the brooding man sitting at the bar, still watching them.
"Well, catch you later, you big grouch. Don't die of Alcohol Poisoning before we meet again."
"Trash."
She grinned and turned back to her restless teammate. "Lead the way."
Jiraiya was having the absolute time of his life. It was such a beautiful time to be alive. Such beautiful women, such beautiful information, he was in paradise!
And the best part was that because of his age, all of them indulged him! He even received a few hugs from a few particularly friendly women!
He loved his rebirth. Nothing could compare to this. Nothing.
Just when he was in the middle of a very interesting conversation about the real (the not friendly for public version) politics going on in France, he caught a glimpse of a bright red Kimono.
He craned to look again and glimpsed a gorgeous Asian woman with the most killer curves talking to other Asian men.
Well, it would be rude to not introduce himself.
So he politely excused himself from the conversation and bounded over to the Kimono-wearing woman and glomped her from behind.
His sudden movement startled the two men that she was with and Jiraiya found himself with the barrels to two guns pressed to his head.
Well, that wouldn't do. Time to turn on the waterworks.
He blinked his teary eyes at the woman and sniffed. "Nee-san…"
The woman's eyes softened immediately and she snarled at her two companions to put their guns away. She bent down next to him and smiled softly. In Japanese, she asked, "Hello there. Are you lost?"
Jiraiya shook his head and blinked his big, golden eyes at her. "No. Otou-san said that I could play. I wanted to play with you because you look like Okaa-san in that Kimono."
The woman cooed and pulled him closer to her chest. Jiraiya smiled evilly at the two men who looked on in envy.
"Nee-chan's so nice!"
He cuddled closer to her, smirking at the bristling men. One of them stepped up hesitantly. "Uh, Madam…"
She glared at them, then glanced down to Jiraiya. She switched from Japanese to English, carefully watching if Jiraiya showed any indication of comprehending their conversation.
Jiraiya carefully put on an oblivious façade and cuddled into the woman's chest, carefully listening for any hints of useful information.
He had to forcefully keep his body from tensing up when he realized just which Family these people were from.
"Madam, I don't see him here."
"Calm yourself, Kinmaru. Takikabe said that he would be here. We just have to find the little brat and take him out."
The man glanced at the oblivious looking Jiraiya and frowned. "How do we know that this kid isn't the one?"
The woman snorted sardonically. "For one, look at him. He looks nothing like that bastard Seigi. And remember the report on his personality? He's supposed to be a complete antisocial monster. Someone like that wouldn't run up to me and call me 'Nee-chan'."
"But still, Madame… shouldn't we take this kid out just to be safe?"
"No! You idiot! He's obviously some bigshot's kid! If we kill him we could start a war! We don't need that when we're already dealing with that Kiyoijuu pain-in-the-ass." She flipped her hair and muttered under her breath, "Not that they'll matter soon, anyway. The day of the attack is close. They'll be wiped out before they know what hit them. Then that uppity bitch Ji-Min will stay dead for good! How the hell did she survive that hit, anyway? It was perfect!"
"Madam, your skills are flawless. She just got lucky, is all."
Jiraiya felt his pupils dilate in fury when the full realization of what was being said hit him.
So, this was the cunt which almost killed Ji-Min? It took every ounce of his self-control to not display a reaction.
He needed to remove himself from the situation, and fast. With his mind and emotions going haywire, he could blow his cover at any given moment.
He extricated himself from the woman and smiled brightly. In Japanese, "I gotta go, Nee-chan! Thank you for the hug!"
He wrapped his arms around her one last time, then bounded away, occasionally hugging other women just to keep his cover.
When he was sure he was out of sight from them, his expression darkened.
The damn Kowazumi Group. They were here to take a hit on Kyoya. From that motherfucker Takikabe. And they were planning on attacking in the near future.
Shit, shit and double shit.
He just wanted to punch something.
He was still stalking around, pissed, when he saw Orochimaru signal him from across the room.
He scowled heavily but followed the Snake Sannin.
His teammates had to know about this.
Orochimaru was pleased. This Convention was much more fruitful than he had previously assumed that it would be. He had met up with a variety of underground developers and they had bounced ideas off of each other.
After a certain point, however, he grew tired of them. There were more than a several arguments which had broken out due to the scientists' big egos. When the 4th spat about whether it was Rosalind Franklin who deserved that particular Nobel Prize instead of Watson and Crick sprung up, he politely excused himself.
Orochimaru made his way around the gargantuan hall, skillfully eavesdropping onto snippets of conversations and deeming them unworthy of his interest.
After several rounds and hearing nothing but mundane topics, he decided to look for his comrades.
Hmmm. Comrades. The word still filled him with a strong, indescribable feeling. He didn't know exactly what the feeling was, but he was alright with that. He'd leave inconsequential things like emotions to dobes like Jiraiya.
He scanned the room's Chakra signatures and was intrigued to learn that there were some people here that possessed truly enormous reserves.
One of which was in very close proximity to one of his Clan members.
He made his way in the direction that he sensed Kyoya's signature to be, curious as to who the boy was conversing with. After all, he wasn't exactly known for his people skills.
It didn't take long for him to find the boy, but whatever he had expected of his companion was nothing like the figure that accompanied the young heir.
A toddler, no, a baby, stood by Kyoya's stiff figure. It was tiny, barely reaching his knees, with a long braid and red traditional Chinese combat garb. He had a tiny monkey resting on his shoulder, and the baby held itself with poise that Orochimaru had only seen in the most accomplished of Taijutsu masters.
Orochimaru approached the duo and caught bits of their conversation, which was spoken entirely in Mandarin Chinese.
"-father tells me that you've been doing extremely well in your training, Kyoya."
"Hn."
"That is very reassuring news to hear. Have you found yourself a suitable teacher, then?"
"Hn."
"Splendid. He also mentioned something about a pond and Jesus… you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"…Un."
"Ah. I see. According to him, young Li Fen has been trying to start a Cult religion after you."
Kyoya looked mildly terrified, and the baby nodded in understanding. "I agree. I warned Masai about marrying her, but he was adamant, claiming that he loved her. Not that Seigi's any different, mind you…"
Both males shuddered at the brand of horror that was the Hibari women.
Orochimaru smiled. This was the most interesting conversation yet. He stepped with his hands in front of him and folded in his sleeves and bowed.
"Greetings. Would you mind if I were to join in this conversation?"
Kyoya glanced at him then turned away, affirming that he was indeed pack.
…Orochimaru still couldn't completely understand the bizarre behavior patterns that he followed, and as times, it drove him a little crazy.
The baby tilted its head and studied him. At last, it smiled warmly, its eyes pleasant little crescents.
"Of course, you're welcome to. And your name is?"
The reborn shinobi dipped his head in greeting. "Orochimaru."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Fon."
"The pleasure is mine."
Fon blessed him with another small smile, and his monkey, which Orochimaru assumed was his Nin-Animal, tittered loudly.
"Tell me, Orochimaru, are you familiar with Kyoya here?"
"Yes. In fact, my friend and teammate is Kyoya's Shifu."
"Ahhh, is that so? I must meet them to convey my thanks for training my Grandnephew."
"Orochimaru's eyes flashed with curiosity. "Grandnephew, you say?"
Fon nodded sagely. "Oh yes. My older half-sister is Seigi and Masai's mother."
Orochimaru could hardly contain his interest. A Granduncle, which, if he estimated correctly, should be around 45 to 60 years old, but is in the form of an infant. He possessed an almost unbelievable amount of Chakra, so Orochimaru was inclined to believe his claims, no matter how farfetched they seemed.
"Your Mandarin is excellent, if you'll accept me saying."
Orochimaru nodded his head in thanks, then raised his head to look Fon directly in the eye.
"Forgive me for asking, but how are you able to maintain such a form? How is it able to contain all of your Chakra?"
Fon's eyes wrinkled in puzzlement. "Chakra?"
In response, Kyoya raised his hand and channeled a flicker of his brilliant violet Chakra. Fon's eyes widened in understanding.
"Ah, you mean Flames." He eyed Orochimaru with surprise. "You have not heard of the Arcobaleno?"
Orochimaru shook his head. Arcobaleno? As in 'rainbow' in Italian? He didn't see how the two were correlated.
Fon smiled, but his eyes were filled with unspeakable sorrow. "The Arcobaleno. The Strongest Seven. We who were cursed into this form to protect these."
He lifted the dull-looking pacifier from his chest. Orochimaru couldn't sense anything from it. It was like a black hole. It seemed to be steadily draining Fon's Chakra from him. How very curious.
"Are you saying that this… infantile form is actually a curse?"
Fon nodded in confirmation. "That is correct."
The gears in Orochimaru's brilliant mind churned. "If…"
Fon turned to him curiously. "Hmm?"
"I cannot be certain… but with the efforts of my teammates, returning you to your original form may just be possible."
Fon stared at him flabbergasted. "You don't mean…"
"I mean that we would be able to break this curse of yours, or at the very least neutralize it."
The cursed man now looked at him in disbelief. "Impossible."
Orochimaru smirked. 'Impossible'. Oh, how he loved crushing that word.
The Sannin stood in front of the Storm Arcobaleno and examined him, occasionally murmuring something out loud while they were deep in thought.
Finally, after a long observation, several brief tests and multiple Chakra scans, Tsunade announced, "It's possible."
Fon looked up at her with something akin to hope. "It's possible?"
Jiraiya nodded resolutely as he folded his arms. "It's possible."
Orochimaru nodded as well. "But…"
Fon looked overcome with joy and fear. Joy, because these three children that were Kyoya's age were telling him something he never dreamed of hearing for the rest of his life, but fear, because he allowed himself to feel the first pangs of hope, and for them to be crushed would be a very devastating thing indeed. "But…?"
The navy haired teen stared at him solemnly. "It will not be easy. This curse has severely affected your body and its function, and if it is handled incorrectly, it will result in complications that will likely lead to your death. It will take years for us to confirm the exact method for the procedure."
Fon was not afraid of Death. He wouldn't have been able to become one of the Strongest Seven if he was. If he was going to move to the next realm while he attempted to take his fate back into his own hands, then so be it. And time? He had more than he knew what to do with.
Was this it? Is it possible that he'd finally be able to take control of his life again?
Against his will, Fon found his eyes welling up. He closed them, then kneeled and placed his forehead on the ground. These three were offering him something out of his deepest, most coveted fantasies. He owed them no less than the entirety of his pride and honor.
"I place my life in your hands." His voice was barely above a whisper. Tears silently leaked from his eyes and hit the floor, and his small, diminutive, childlike body trembled lightly. "Thank you. Thank you."
Jiraiya rubbed his eyes tiredly. This day had been long. Not bad, just… long.
He told the Teme and Hime about what he had heard from the Kowazumi bastards, and they had obviously been less than pleased.
In the end, they decided that the best course of action was for him to place strong Barrier Seals around their rooms, preventing anyone from entering and exiting them. They were in the middle of unfamiliar territory right now, with little to no allies they could call for backup. If they were to pick a fight, it probably wouldn't go so well for them.
He sloppily flopped onto his bed above the covers, too lazy to pull them back and get under them. He let his heavy eyelids close shut.
The Clan just needed to be prepared. Everything would turn out fine in the end.
He grimaced. Of course it would be alright. He just hoped that the collateral was well worth it.
Phew. And that's all for now, folks! Thank you all so much for reading!
Aaaaaannd a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! *Whispers* Even though I'm a teensy bit late. I'm sorry. Forgive me! *Slams forehead to floor in desperate bow*
The results for last chapter's question are thus so:
Vindice: 10
Akatsuki: 21
Akatsuki for the win! \ (¯ ▽ ¯) /
Ok, for this chapter, the question is: Natsu (Tsuna's box animal) vs Gamabunta. SHOW SOME LOVE FOR THE CRITTERS!
… I completely understand that my question is as random as it gets… BUT NO SHAME!
And another, more informal question. Do you guys want pairings for Tsunade? If so, who and why, and if not, explain. Remember guys, final decision rests with me, though, (⇀ 3 ↼) And please, no Jiraiya or Orochimaru! *Whines* I don't want to pair either of them with her!
But yeah! That's it for now! I hope you all have a fantabulous day! See ya next time! MUUUAA! *Kiss*
