Chapter 10: The Legendary Sannin Battle
The morning following the three days offer from Orochimaru, Tsunade left her room to meet with Orochimaru and Kabuto, the minion that stood behind Orochimaru when they last spoke.
They met by the famous landmark of the town, where they agreed to meet.
Orochimaru and Tsunade
Meeting her former teammate, Tsunade slowly walked towards him with a small smile on her face. She approached him and then, she stopped within a few feet of him and looked at him.
"Hello, Tsunade. Have you decided?" asked a creepily smiling Orochimaru,
"Yes I have."
"What is it? You can see your loved ones again and I can destroy Konoha or we both lose."
"Orochimaru. My answer is …"
Flashback (Evening)
After Jiraiya told her, she was feeling torn about her decision so she decided to go for a drink. They left the room. Tsunade and Jiraiya were enjoying some sake at a stall, where Jiraiya start to discuss what Orochimaru had said with Tsunade. He comments that if Tsunade betrays Konoha, he would not forgive her, Tsunade denied any allegations. He tells her that he would kill her himself if she did.
As they both drank sake, Tsunade slipped in some powder into Jiraiya's drink unbeknownst to him. A couple of hours later, he collapse on the counter fast asleep. She left him at the sake stall and went back to her room to stop Shizune interfering by rendering her unconscious.
She left the room and ponders on what Jiraiya told her.
"First of all, his real name is Naruto. He is twelve years old and is now an ANBU. He works directly for sensei and is currently on a mission. But, I cannot tell you what the mission is as it is classified." Not telling her the full truth as he couldn't interfere." Replied Jiraiya.
"What is he doing here?" questioned Tsunade.
"I don't know." Lied Jiraiya.
(End of Flashback)
"My answer is NO! Orochimaru!" A chakra-infused fist came towards Orochimaru's face but missed as Kabuto was there to defend him.
A stunned Orochimaru looked at Tsunade and said.
"You made your choice Tsunade"
"Yes, Things that happened in the past should just stay there." said a fuming Tsunade.
Getting into a battle stance, Tsunade stood there for a few moments when blurs could only be seem as the battle commenced and walls began to fall down around them.
Lifting a fist, she punched the ground and cracks appeared, then chunks of rock hit Kabuto and Orochimaru. They fled away from the scene and luring her to follow them.
Few Minutes Later
Reaching a large green field that had nothing in it except a few boulders and mud patches on the ground. The two Sannin looked at each other, then punches and kicks starting to fly and they tried to hit each other. But they missed their targets.
Craters started to appear all over the green field as more blurs was seen. It was a high-speed battle between high level ninjas.
Jiraiya and Shizune (At the Same Time)
Both person awoken to stiff posture, they both shot up as they remember the last thing they saw was Tsunade. They both got up and left to find Tsunade, when Jiraiya bumps into an incoming Shizune from the inn.
"Jiraiya-sama, have you seen Tsunade-sama? I cannot find her. She's gone." Asked a worried Tsunade.
"I know what she is doing. But I hope she had made the right choice." Explained Jiraiya.
"I hope so too". Glancing at Jiraiya. She was holding a squirming pig in her arms. The little pig was also worried about her mistress. She squealed worryingly.
Jiraiya tried to gather his chakra but couldn't control it and tried to use a summon jutsu.
Out came Gamakichi, a small red toad with a blue vest.
"Ohayo, Toad Sannin. What do you want?" said the small red toad.
Jiraiya gasped.
"It not you I want. I want a tracking toad." Claimed Jiraiya.
"Oi. Don't make fun of me. I am just as good as them. I may be small, but I can make in skills." said Gamakichi in anger.
"Okay then, go and locate Tsunade for Me." asked Jiraiya.
"Who?" questioned a confused Gamakichi.
"Jiraiya palmed his face in horror.
"Tsunade is my former teammate and she is currently missing. We need to find her." Said Jiraiya.
"Fine. What does she look like?" asked Gamakichi.
"She is young looking with two blonde pigtails with a very big chest." Said Jiraiya drooling with the image of Tsunade.
Shizune, upon hearing this, slaps Jiraiya and tells him.
"Jiraiya-sama, control yourself. Don't talk about Tsunade-sama like that." Said Shizune.
"I just was complimenting her." Smiled Jiraiya.
Gamakichi, annoyed that the two adults ignored him and shouted.
"OI, LETS GET BACK TO THE MAIN ISSUE. You want me to find this Tsunade woman." Said the small toad with a tick on his forehead.
"Yes, I do." Said Jiraiya.
"Fine" and left.
With nothing to do, the two adults waited for news.
Kitsune
Having spent so much time trying to track Orochimaru around the town. He finally found a lead as he tracked Orochimaru's chakra signature in a nearby cave. He enters the cave and found the presence of a fire being previously lit there. He looked around to see if there were any more leads.
Not finding anything, he left the cave and found himself looking the town.
It was in his line of sight.
Fitting the pieces together, he deduces that an injured Orochimaru requires Tsunade to heal his hands. So he would have to look for Tsunade. He left quickly towards the town to locate Tsunade.
Quickly and silently, he summoned a tracking type of bird, to locate Tsunade and let it go. He ran back into town and walking down the streets in the shadows, when he came upon a slumped Jiraiya and a worried looking Shizune, outside the inn.
Then with a poof of smoke, a small toad appears in front of Jiraiya.
"Oi, Toad Sannin, I have found the lady that you wanted me to find." Replied a cheeky small red toad.
"Thank you very much."
"I can take you there." Said a proud Gamakichi.
"Wait, Kitsune come over here." Jiraiya said out of the blue.
Having detected Kitsune's chakra signature, Jiraiya spoke out and then the young ANBU appeared out of nowhere in front of him. He was still wearing his ANBU uniform and cloak with his katana on his back.
"Jiraiya-sama. How I may be assistance." Said a polite Kitsune.
"I need to track Tsunade. She might be in trouble."
"Yes sir. I am currently tracking her and am now awaiting information." Kitsune replied stoically.
Then a screech was heard. A bird flew overhead and Kitsune lifted his right arm and the bird flew down.
"We have found Tsunade. She is currently fighting Orochimaru at the green field at the very edge of this town." Said Kitsune.
"Oi, PEVERT! I told you, I have found her. I could have told you." Said an angered Gamakichi.
"Okay, it seems that our two trackers have found her. Let's go." The elder of the three indicated to the others.
The bird flew ahead with Gamakichi on its' back. All three started to run with the bird/toad overhead to the proposed destination.
Orochimaru and Tsunade
Still locked in combat, Tsunade and Orochimaru were fighting a fierce battle with constant interruptions from Kabuto. She was punching him when Kabuto interrupted with a kunai coming in for the kill when she flipped over him and slammed him on the floor. She turned towards Kabuto and started to pummel him with numerous punches. Kabuto avoided some of the hard punches and retaliated with his own and pushed her back a few feet.
Orochimaru was trying to help but without his hands, he was limited, so he used his long tongue to grab her and slammed her on the floor. She got back up and glared at the two men. She wiped the blood from her mouth and looked at them. Then with a blur, she ran up to Kabuto and somehow caught him in the face and he was thrown back to a boulder.
Smirking a bit, Kabuto got back up and flew towards her with chakra scalpels and tried to slice her but missed. She countered it by messing up his nervous systems. He couldn't move any of his four limbs correctly as he tried to get back up.
"What did you do to me?" asked a confused Kabuto to Tsunade.
"I sent some chakra into your chakra network and interrupted the chakra impulses to your brain. You are getting mixed messages to which ever limb, you are trying to move." Said an experienced Tsunade.
"Che. This is annoying." Said an annoyed Kabuto.
"You cannot fight anymore. I wouldn't kill you yet."
"You know. You should kill me now or I will kill you when I get back my control of my limbs." Said Kabuto to Tsunade.
"As if you can" she replied and turned away from him.
Turning towards Orochimaru, she starts to run to him, when a bundle of snakes came towards her. She dodged them and rammed a fist into his right cheek. He spat out some blood and tried to hit her.
Again, she dodges his hit with a hard kick to the chest. He bounced back in pain, when he threw some kunai with exploding tags at her, using the snakes to do what he couldn't.
Keeping an eye out on Kabuto, she noticed that he was figuring out very quickly where his limbs were working. He was testing his limbs to get them working normally.
But she was engaging Orochimaru at the moment.
"Damn, his knowledge of medical ninjutsu can rival my old, when I was in my prime." Exclaimed an amazed Tsunade. She was looking at the younger ninja with amazement.
"Tsunade, where are you looking? You are supposed to be fighting me."
"Grrr. Orochimaru, you are going to die today. You traitor. I will make sure of that." Said Tsunade.
About to punch him hard, in the face when she stopped for a second as she panted. She was tiring as she fought the two men for a while. She was running low on chakra. She knew she was in trouble.
It was in that second, that she was placed in a genjustu. Orochimaru has casted a genjustu at her and she didn't realize it until it was too late.
Inside the Genjutsu
She opened her eyes and in the distance, she could see some eerie figures. They were walking towards her until they were a few feet from her. She gasped when she recognized all the figures.
They were her late brother Nawaki, her late fiancé, Dan and the three late members of the Namikaze family: Minato, Kushina and baby Naruto.
"Tsunade, you forsake us. You left us. You have forgotten about us." Said all five figures.
"No, I didn't. I still think about you all the time. I haven't forgotten about you." Replied a sad Tsunade. She was crying as tears fell from her brown eyes. She started to shiver and started to hug her hands around herself.
"…."
"I am sorry. I am sorry that I wasn't there." Replied a still sad Tsunade.
Minato then said.
"You could have saved Naruto."
And a baby started to cry and cry, when Kushina comforted him and then she looked up at her.
"Tsunade, I thought you were my friend. I made you into my son's godmother. You were supposed to look after him, when we died." Said an unhappy Kushina.
Tsunade was choked up with tears and grief.
Outside
"Kukuu. That was easy. Tsunade. The Great Tsunade falls in such a disgraceful way. Oh well. Sayonara, Tsunade." Orochimaru commented chuckling. And then he summons his Kusanagi sword to pierce her in the heart. He started to run towards her with his sword extended towards her ample chest.
About a mere inch from her chest, he was blocked by a katana, who knocked his sword away.
Orochimaru bounced back a few feet and saw the three new arrivals.
One was carrying a pig, a mask wearing ANBU with the katana and his former teammate, Jiraiya. They came in time to save Tsunade from death. She was still trapped in the genjustu that Orochimaru has casted on her.
Orochimaru looked at the three new arrivals. He sees Kitsune, standing there with Jiraiya and a fretting Shizune. She was holding a pig in her arms. She let her go and she ran off towards a boulder and hid behind it.
Shizune got into a battle stance when she saw a bleeding Tsunade. She was sitting on the ground but was panting. She looked dazed as if she was trapped in a genjustu.
Shizune started to run towards her master while keeping an eye on the others.
Orochimaru started to glare at the interruptions.
"WHAT THE HELL? YOU SUPPOSED BE DEAD. HOW CAN YOU BE ALIVE?" Shouted Orochimaru.
"I was lucky. I was saved by Tsunade-sama, the same day you injured me." He said, looking around him.
He saw Shizune dispel the genjustu that Tsunade was under and started to heal the injured and tired Tsunade. She gave her a soldier pill and started to heal her wounds.
Jiraiya and Kitsune was still standing there looking at Orochimaru and Kabuto, who was walking normally towards his master. He was holding a curved kunai in his hand.
"Ah Jiraiya, you are here as well. You are going interfere with our battle." Said the Snake Sannin.
"Damn right. I am not letting you hurt Tsunade. Orochimaru, you are going to fall today."
"Says the idiot of the team. That is wishful thinking. You can try and come and kill me. I will even give you a shot of my face." Replied a smirking Orochimaru.
"Grrr. Orochimaru. You will fall." Exclaimed Jiraiya.
Jiraiya placed his palm onto the ground and tried to summon his toads but the result was another small toad. This time it was yellow toad with a blue vest. He was smaller than the first Toad that he summoned earlier on.
"Ohayo, please give me some candy" the small yellow toad asked cheekily.
Jiraiya sweat drops in disappointment.
"No. not you I want. I wanted Gamaken and the others" exclaimed the Toad Sannin.
Kitsune just stood there watching as this was going on. He raised a blonde eyebrow and waited for further orders.
Overhead on the bird's back, Gamakichi spots his brother and indicated to the bird to go down. He jumps down next to Gamatatsu, the smaller yellow frog and reprimanded him.
"Oi Oi Gamatatsu, what are you doing here." asked Gamakichi.
"I was summoned by him and I wanted some candy nii-san." said the now named Gamatatsu.
Gamakichi sweat drops.
"Oi Oi, Candy at time like this. No" Gamakichi tells his brother.
"Eeeehhhhhh." Said an unhappy Gamatatsu.
Jiraiya overhearing the brothers' conversation and yells.
"Get out of here, you younglings. You are getting in the way here. Either you move it or you dispel yourself." Shouted a frustrated Jiraiya. His chakra control was over the entire place.
Spying TonTon was behind a large boulder, they ran towards her, in fears as Orochimaru was chuckling at Jiraiya's antics.
"You are still an idiot after all these years. You cannot even summon a decent frog to fight with. Those two pipsqueaks cannot help you." Said an arrogant Orochimaru.
"Oi, we are not pipsqueaks. We haven't reached our growth spurts yet. Just you wait; we will crush you like a pancake." Exclaimed an angered Gamakichi. Gamatatsu was rubbing his head as he didn't understand what was happening. Ton Ton was squealing with worry as she could see her mistress sat on the floor.
"I will show you how it is done." Swiping some blood, he summons a gigantic black snake to face off with Jiraiya and Kitsune.
"Kitsune, you stay out this battle. I am fighting Orochimaru. He is my fellow Sannin, he is too high of a level for you to fight." Commanded Jiraiya.
Kitsune about to reply when Orochimaru laughed. He was telling to Kabuto to attack the now defense-less Tsunade and to kill the others. Kabuto nodded and started to advance towards them.
"Jiraiya-sama, I will defend Tsunade with Shizune-sama then. I will leave this battle with you then."
"Okay. Protect Tsunade and either kill or capture Kabuto." Commanded Jiraiya.
He left him there and ran towards the two women.
Tsunade, Shizune and Kitsune
Arriving at the women's side, Kitsune got into a battle stance and waited for Kabuto to make his move. Kunais was flying at them from every direction, he batted them away with his katana and tried to stab Kabuto and missed. He got punched in the shoulder when he pushed back two feet. He grasped his shoulder for a moment, when a flurry of senbons flew towards Kabuto.
Shizune was shooting poison tipped senbons at him but he has managed to dodge them all. He was advancing towards Tsunade when a katana was swinging near his head and he had to duck to avoid being decapitated. He rolled away and got back up. He pushed his glasses up and then with a blur a clang of metal could be heard.
Kitsune and Kabuto were fighting for dominance when he sneakily cut the right muscle on Kitsune's leg. Feeling the pain, Kitsune fell on his left knee and gasped out in pain.
"Ahh. Grrr." Kitsune grasped his right leg
Shizune tried to help by firing more senbons, but Kabuto dodged them all and came towards her and with a chakra scalpel, he cut her leg muscle. She fell down on the floor in pain. She tried to get back up but failed again.
Arrogant in the way, he walked, Kabuto walked towards Tsunade with a smirk on his face. He was enjoying the fact that he can get to kill the great Tsunade that can fight on par with his master.
"Sayonara, Tsunade. Time to die."
About to strike the deadly blow, he was intercepted with a porcelain masked ANBU in front of him. His armguards on his arms blocked the majority of the force but it still hit his mask.
Kitsune's mask cracked. He tried to punch him in retaliation, while wincing in pain.
"Ahhhhh."
"Ah...ha... Make a mistake and then I will kill you." Said a smirking Kabuto.
Kitsune reined in his lapse of controlling of his feelings. Then with a clear mind, he started to recall all of his training and then with no hesitation, he blocked all of Kabuto's shots. And he pushed him back to show him why he is the Legendary Kitsune of Konoha. He will not go down like that.
"Kabuto Yakushi, I will kill you. I will not let you live." Getting in a battle stance, he used his katana and rushed him and managed to score a few hits on him. There were some cuts on his arms, legs and torso. They were bleeding.
"How, how did you injured me?" said a confused Kabuto.
"That is a secret. I cannot tell you Kabuto Yakushi a traitor to Konoha. I will eliminate you." Replied a cold ANBU.
The battle commenced for a few more minutes when they were both panting. They were tiring but they both resisted each other.
Shizune meanwhile was healing herself when she noticed the two battles and found that Kitsune and Jiraiya weren't doing so well. They were tiring and they needed Tsunade. She looked at her master and found her slumped on the ground. She has been silent the whole time crying in her own world. She limped towards her to wake her up. Shizune tried to get a reaction from her master, when Kabuto was suddenly in front of her and punched her out of the way. She got hit.
"Tsunade-sama, wake up! Wake up! Ahhhhh." Shouted Shizune on the ground. She was unconscious.
"This is it. Sayonara, Tsunade, no one to save you now." Repiled Kabuto.
"No you don't." replied a cold voice.
"Not you again. You don't go down do you. "Replied an exasperated Kabuto.
"I have to protect Tsunade-sama. As an ANBU of Konoha, I will fulfill my mission." Replied a cold-voiced Kitsune. He was standing up again.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru (At the Same Time)
Fighting his former teammate was no fun as they try and outwit each other. Jiraiya tried to fire several jutsus at him but he dodged. But he managed to dispel the gigantic snake before he could use it to fight him.
"Oh crap, my chakra is still not back to its original level. Shizune couldn't extract what Tsunade gave me yesterday. What to do? What to do?" thought Jiraiya. He flipped away from the snakes that Orochimaru was using to fight him.
"Damn, he is seeing through all my moves and I am running low on chakra."
"Is that all you got? You have always been the idiot of the three of us. You will never beat me." said a smirking Orochimaru.
"Just shut up, shut up. You are going to fall today."
Oh yeah. You and what army? You are at half capacity. I believe Tsunade drugged you to not interfere and she is too grief-stricken to fight." Said a conceited Orochimaru.
"What did you do to her?" Jiraiya asked.
"Nothing much. Just a handy genjustu that harnesses a person's wishes into reality. It tricks the brain in thinking what you wish comes true." Explained Orochimaru.
"You didn't. You did. You are despicable. Prepare to die." Said Jiraiya.
Then two blurs could be see as they tried to outdo each other.
Tsunade, Shizune and Kitsune
The battle between Kabuto and Kitsune was still on when they struck each other. Kabuto hit his mask again and his shoulder. Kitsune gasped out in pain. He retaliated with a dense wind chakra infused fist towards his stomach and knocked him into a nearby boulder. Kabuto spat some blood in shock. He tried to push himself out of the rock.
Tonton, Gamakichi and Gamatatsu
"Woah that is one fierce battle. That masked boy is very good. He managed to block all of those shots and manages to get back up. He is good. No, he is really good." Replied an amazed Gamakichi.
Even though they got off the wrong foot, the small red toad is impressed with Kitsune's performance.
Gamatatsu agreed with his brother and Ton Ton squealed in agreement.
They were watching behind a big boulder and saw both battles.
Meanwhile Kabuto used his regeneration skills to regenerate his body and got back up. He faces off with Kitsune again, and then punches and kicks flew again. They were in for the kill. This went on for a few more minutes in reality.
Finally, Kitsune struck him again and he flew towards Orochimaru and Jiraiya. He was stopped by Orochimaru's snakes. He was in their direct path. He was caught by the snakes and place on the ground.
He started to regenerate his body to normal.
Orochimaru glared towards Kitsune and summoned his Kusanagi sword and flew towards Kitsune. Jiraiya reacted late and chased after him but was too late, as Orochimaru stabbed Kitsune through the stomach. He gasped and spat out blood.
"You snake Orochimaru! I will not fall like this." And tries to get back up again but fails as his body felt numb from being stabbed
Orochimaru starts to smile evilly.
"The Legendary Kitsune is going fall today this is the end of you kid"
"I don't think so. Orochimaru, this won't stop me" Replied a hurt Kitsune as Orochimaru pulled out the blade, Kitsune wincing silently in pain
Orochimaru about to strike again, when Jiraiya came in and move him out of the way and he noticed that his female teammate hasn't moved yet. Shizune and Kitsune are on the ground. They were in trouble.
Kabuto, after he has healed himself, got back up and approaches Tsunade. He looked around and smirked and held up a chakra scalpel and about to slash downwards, when Kitsune was again in front of him
"You again. You don't stay down do you? I saw Orochimaru struck you with his sword" Said an annoyed Kabuto.
"My body moved on its own. I will not let you harm Tsunade-sama." Replied an injured Kitsune.
"I am going make sure you die this time. You will die today Kitsune!"
Both rushed each other and they both struck each other in the chest area and Kitsune fell down on the ground. Kabuto has stopped his heart. He turned to Tsunade before falling on the ground dying
Tsunade seeing the action of the courageous ANBU that saved her life three times now reacted when Kabuto tried to strike her down. She caught hold his hand and twisted and he yelped.
"You will regret that. You will not hurt him again." She threw him and he hit the same boulder. He fell on the floor.
"Ah… I cannot regenerate my body. I used up all my chakra. I need to get up." Trying to get up, he failed and watched from his spot and made a rude comment.
"He isn't going to live. He is too wounded to be healed. Hahaha."
"Damare, you be quiet, I am going to heal him." Spying a conscious Shizune, she commanded her to watch over Kabuto. She nodded and stood next to her.
Tsunade flipped Kitsune over and place her head on his chest and heard no heart beat and losing blood by the second. She gasped and opened his cloak and saw his ANBU uniform. She then saw the necklace that she hasn't seen for 12 years. She has given it to her godson, baby Naruto at his birth. He was supposedly buried with it.
"Why does this ANBU agent have it? No, he can't be. No he is dead." She thought.
"I have better saved him first and when he wakes up and gets him to answer my questions." Still thinking of the necklace. She went to work to filter out the poison and to restart his heart.
Coughing after a few minutes, Kitsune's heart and wounds was healed by Tsunade. She sat back on her knees. Kabuto was amazed that she managed to cure Kitsune that easily.
"The great Tsunade has managed to save that ANBU. That is what you get when the Legendary Slug Sannin can heal anything." Said a coughing Kabuto. He was still on the floor with Shizune guarding them.
Then Kitsune's mask broke to reveal blonde hair as bright as the sun, with whiskers on both cheeks but with blue eyes but was cold as ice, instantly recognizing only two people have that specific coloring of hair and eyes. She knows the person before her was her godson whom she thought had died a long time ago.
Tsunade embraced her godson Naruto in her arms and cried with tears.
Naruto unfamiliar with the situation questions what was going on, unbeknownst to him, he started to shed tears as well. He has never felt these emotions at all.
"What is this?" whispered Naruto before he fainted into blackness.
She replaced his hood of his cloak on his head as his identity must not be revealed as he was an active ANBU agent.
"Shizune, look after him." Commanded Tsunade.
She ran off with towards Orochimaru and Jiraiya. They were still fighting.
Tsunade and Jiraiya versus Orochimaru
Arriving on the scene, she looked around and saw her two former teammates locked in battle. They were try to hit each other and kept on missing. She aimed a punch at Orochimaru's head and he flipped away a few feet away and then the three Sannin was at a standstill.
Finally, the Legendary Sannin are back together again. This is the day that the three of them were together again. The last time was a few decades ago in Konoha. They were all jounins that fought in the Third Great Shinobi War.
"So, we are all together again." Exclaimed Tsunade. She looked at both of her teammates with distain. She didn't want to be there. She wants to get back to Naruto. She knew that they cannot leave the battle alive. Someone has to die that day.
Jiraiya was getting his chakra control back but he wasn't sure that he can control his jutsu.
Orochimaru wasn't sure he could beat the both of them together.
Then three blurs could be seen in the distance. It was definitely a high level battle between the Legendary Sannin. Jiraiya managed to avoid being impaled in the chest by a few inches. He tried to grab hold of Orochimaru and missed.
Tsunade punched the Snake Sannin in the face and he spat out some blood and then charged Tsunade again. She dodged then aimed a high kick onto his back. Orochimaru flipped away and started to hit Jiraiya with his kicks.
The three Sannin battled like there was no tomorrow. They fought each other like when they were younger. The people on the sidelines were watching with amazement.
Kabuto was still on the floor watching, with Shizune on guard of Naruto's body. He was still unconscious from earlier.
However, the battle was taking a toll on all three Sannin; they all have minor wounds and were bleeding from various wounds. All of them were panting as they were tiring.
Orochimaru notices Naruto on ground and hurries to deal the final blow, "Oh No he's heading towards Naruto" Jiraiya was behind him "Please let me make it in time"
In that split second, Orochimaru impales his sword into what seem like Naruto but was really Tsunade's left shoulder as she used her body to defend Naruto. She flipped out of the way and tried to stand back up again.
"I have to release the seal. I have to recover these wounds or we are going to fall." She mentally thought.
Tsunade got into position to release her seal to the Souzo Saisei. She knows that it can heal her wounds but it will reduce her lifespan. Shizune paled considerably after seeing what she doing and she shouted.
"Tsunade-sama, I will heal your wounds, please don't use your seal." Explained a frantic Shizune.
Tsunade ignore her and faced her teammates. She used the summoning jutsu and summoned Katsyuu. The other two recognized her stance and they summoned their respective summons.
All three slammed their right palms on the ground.
"Oh Jiraiya, why have you summoned me here?" said a huge toad called Gamabunta. He was smoking a pipe. He looked like a Yakuza boss with a large dagger on his side.
Jiraiya was on its head, while Orochimaru and Kabuto were on Manda's head.
Tsunade stood on Katsyuu's head, a big blue and white soft-spoken slug.
"You summoned me? Tsunade-sama." asked the Slug Boss.
TonTon, Gamakichi and Gamatatsu (At the same time)
"Oh, it's Daddy. Daddy, look down here." Replied a happy Gamatasu. He was trying to attract his father's attention. No-one but Manda looked at them.
"Oh crap, Gamatatsu, you shouldn't have drawn their attention to us." Replied Gamakichi. He had see Manda looking at them. He swallows in fear and told his brother to run for it.
"What? Why are we running away? Daddy is here. He will protect us." Replied a confused Gamatatsu.
The two small toads hopped away with Ton Ton running towards Naruto and Shizune. She was watching the fighting while guarding the unconscious Naruto.
The Three Sannins
A few seconds of silence when Gamabunta made a comment after blowing a huge smoke cloud.
"Oh ho. That is Tsunade and Katsyuu. Orochimaru and Manda. Are you holding a reunion or something, Jiraiya?" commented Gamabunta.
"Baka, you must be joking. This is the day that we take down Orochimaru. He has been a pain in the back side for so long. We are going to defeat him today." Replied Jiriaya.
Orochimaru glared at him when he said that comment.
Manda looked around and made a scathing comment to his summoner.
"You are a troublesome man. What do you want?" asked Manda.
He had seen Katsyuu and Gamabunta on the field. He snarled at his summoner.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, a dark pineappled head sneezed and then he returns to watching the clouds overheads.
"Manda, I need your help in killing Jiraiya and Tsunade today." replied Orochimaru.
The huge snake snorted with distain at his summoner.
"You bring me out in such troublesome situations Orochimaru." Manda commented.
"Orochimaru was silent.
"Fine, I want a hundred offerings after this." Suggested Manda.
"Jiraiya, you are so troublesome as well." Gamabunta said.
Tsunade on Katsyuu's head glared at her former teammate and then she looked at Jiraiya.
"He has a lot to answer when this battle is over." She mentally thought.
The three summoners remained quiet while their summons was having a conversation below them.
Gamabunta, smoking his pipe exhaling in front of Manda Manda snarled at him calling him "You dry out old toad you want to fight" Gamabunta retorted back with a comment of "I always wanted a snake-skin wallet." getting ready to draw his dagger while Katsyuu remained quiet like her summoner.
The three summon waited when the wind suddenly dropped. And then Katsyuu spat some acid at Manda. He dodged and coiled itself around Katsyuu, squeezing her. Gamabunta tried to stab Manda but was held hostage by his mouth. He flipped out the way and then Manda tried to squeeze harder around Katsyuu. She turned to many smaller versions of the Slug Boss and they escaped then they rejoin each other and made up the bigger Slug Boss. They continued fighting until Jiraiya was in the right position to burn Manda with a strong fire jutsu, using Gamabunta's oil that he spurted out his mouth.
But like all snakes, they shed their outer skin and escaped underground.
Looking around, they were trying to pinpoint his location, when a giant snake head popped out from the ground. He coiled himself around Gamabunta, restraining his movement when a huge shadow covered them, it was Tsunade. She has picked up Gamabunta's dagger and slammed it through Manda's mouth sealing his mouth shut.
"Take that. That should stop him." Exclaimed a tiring Tsunade. She jumped back onto Katsyuu.
Manda uncoil the rest of his body, trying to free the dagger but to no avail. He was pinned to the floor, when a free falling Tsunade smacked a chakra-infused fist into Orochimaru's cheek. He fell over on Manda's head.
Orochimaru flicked his long tongue at her, trying to strangle her by suffocating her when she grabbed him and slammed him on the floor with enough force to dispel Manda.
Before he left, Manda snarled out "Orochimaru, you owe me. I wouldn't be able to eat for a few weeks with this hole in my mouth." And with a puff of smoke, he left.
Orochimaru slither like a snake up to his feet and jumped towards Kabuto and together they left the field as they knew they couldn't beat them today.
That left the two Sannin and they free-fall to the ground and dispel their summons and they walked up to Shizune. Ton Ton was there. The two small frogs were still there. They were clustered around Naruto. He hasn't awoken, since he fainted.
They gathered him up and returned to the nearby town to let him rest and heal.
Tsunade checked him over and deemed him okay and to let him rest. She told Shizune to check on him from time to time.
The two small toads stayed with him through the night.
Meanwhile, Tsunade has pulled Jiraiya into her shared room with Shizune. She pushed him onto the bed. She started to pace up the room after a while. She was fidgeting a lot when she exploded at him.
"I think you have something to tell me." she asked him, looking at him.
"What do you mean?" asked Jiraiya confused.
"Who is Kitsune exactly? Is he Naruto?" she asked. He started to squirm and he looked away from her.
"I don't know what you mean?" he replied. Not answering her question.
"I'm not stupid Jiraiya, don't lie to me. Is Naruto, dead or alive? Is Kitsune, Naruto?" She questions him with a death glare.
"How did you know who Kitsune was?" he asked her.
"He was wearing a necklace that I gave Naruto as a baby. He had it around his neck. Then I saw his face and his coloring is the same as Minato's. He also had the markings of being a Jinchuuriki as well. So that means Kitsune is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto." Explained Tsunade.
"So, you have found out Kitsune is Naruto then." Explained Jiraiya.
"You KNEW and you didn't tell me until I have to find out this way." Exploded Tsunade. She lifted her fist and then restrained herself. She still has questions that need to be answered.
"Did you know he was alive all this time?" she asked him with controlled anger in her voice.
"No I didn't. I only found out about a week or so ago. Sensei lied to me and you. He hid Naruto from us and had him in working in ANBU all this time. I was brought in by sensei to fix his seal after the Chunnin Exams. Then, we spent an evening together at his home." Answered Jiraiya. He was shivering from the glare that he was getting and then he looked at his former teammate in the eye and waited for further questions to be asked.
"What do you mean his home?" Does he lives at the Namikaze house?" she questioned him.
"No, but sensei is letting him live there with a guardian." He tried to squirm away from the topic.
"A guardian. Who is this guardian? Do we know him or her? They have no rights to being Naruto's guardian. We should be there to look after him as his parents are now dead." Exclaimed Tsunade. She was livid with the idea that someone else was looking after him while they was misinformed all these years.
"About that. His guardian has more rights than we do. He practically came back to look after him." Said Jiraiya. He knew she is going to explode with the suspense. He knew that he had to tell her about Minato.
"Who is it?" she asked him.
"Tsunade, what I am going to tell you is a SS-rank secret that sensei allowed me to tell you. So, don't say anything until I have finished okay." Jiraiya said with a warning in his eye. He was being serious all the sudden.
"Fine. Go on. What is it?" Tsunade huffed with exasperation.
"That guardian is Minato. He was resurrected by Orochimaru, using a forbidden jutsu during the invasion at the Chunnin Exams. He was there, with your late ancestors fighting sensei and Naruto. But then the Shinigami appeared and took away your ancestors and spared Minato. The truth was then revealed to Minato, I and Naruto. Only sensei and the three elders knew about Naruto's identity. They hid it from the rest of the village for the last 12 years."
"What?" she gaped?
"I am not finished. I went to check on the information. It is Minato, he is alive. He wanted to see Naruto and he found out that he was ANBU. He was livid. Sensei and he had a heated exchange and now they are living together at the house." Answered Jiraiya truthfully.
She opened her mouth but no sound came out of it. She knew that she wanted to be near her godson as she has witnessed his attitude and she didn't like it. She is going to return to Konoha with him and help look after him. She managed to get Jiraiya's agreement in doing the same.
The Next Day
Kitsune/Naruto woke up in a strange room and found the two small toads nearby. They were asleep on the opposite bed. They were curled around each other. Then on the floor was Ton Ton, the little pig that hangs with Shizune and Tsunade.
"Where am I? He asked himself. He looked around the room, the sun was shining into the room and he could tell it was near midday. He tried to get out of bed and but he fell down with a wince. He was aching all over.
Groaning with pain, Naruto tried to get up again but fell onto the mattress again.
The noise woke up the two small toads from their slumber; they looked at the awaken Naruto. They hopped off the bed then towards his.
"You finally awake then, gaki." Said Gamakichi with his brother behind him.
"Time to eat again." Said Gamatatsu.
Gamakichi slaps him on the head with his right arm.
"That is not important at the moment, Gamatatsu. Stop thinking of your stomach at this time." The small red frog said to his brother.
Naruto watched the brothers' interaction and silent chuckled about their antics. But didn't understand the feeling. He was alien to this sort of conversation.
Then a loud squeal was heard, it seems that Ton Ton has woken up. She squealed at the others and then moved to the door.
How she opens the door, nobody knows. She left the room to find Shizune.
The three males watch her leave when Gamatatsu asked him.
"Aniki, do you have any candy?"
Naruto sweat drops at this and shook his head negatively.
Gamakichi looks at Naruto with some respect to see a kid like him to be so strong.
Then, they can hear footsteps coming towards the room, then the door open to admit Shizune, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Ton Ton, the pig. She shot in the room and sat on the floor facing the beds.
Tsunade came up to Naruto and ruffled his head. He moved his head away as he didn't understand this sign of affection. Jiraiya notice the quick movement and remain silent.
"Oh gaki, you finally woken up then. How are you feeling then?" asked Tsunade to her godson.
"I am fine." He answered politely.
"No you're not. You are wincing and having trouble sitting up." Reprimanded Tsunade.
"I am fine. I will be okay soon. Have you heard anything about my squad? They were on their way to rejoin Me." asked Naruto.
"Yes, we have. They arrive this morning. But I have some bad news for you. They were all injured and there was a casualty of war." Answered Jiraiya. He finds out from him that one of his squad members, Ame to be precise was killed in action and he wasn't there as he was unconscious at the time.
Wanting to see his squad members, Naruto, turned back to Kitsune asked for information from Inu.
It seems that Orochimaru has killed Ame, when they coming to rejoin him so that they can carry on with the mission. They unfortunately ran into the path of the fleeing Orochimaru and an injured Kabuto.
They staggered to the town and found them at the inn.
It was decided that the mission is a failure and they would all return to Konoha, when he is able to get up for travel.