A/N: Thank you for the faves, follows, and reviews. Those emails are like a hot drink with whipped cream and marshmallows on a cold day.
Warnings: Language, feels, personal regrets, possible fluff
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Chapter Ten: Jiraiya Makes a Difficult Decision that not many will like. He's the Legendary Toad Sage – Too Bad!
**0**
Zoro slowly turned to face him. Naruto ducked behind Zoro, and it honestly pained Jiraiya that Naruto – his godson – was looking at him with fear and even anger.
"Listen…" Zoro said, looking up at Jiraiya. "Naruto can't go back to Konoha."
Of all the things Jiraiya expected to hear, that certainly wasn't it.
**0**
Jiraiya raised a brow, and when the other Kiri-Nin joined them on top of the Toad, they obviously were ready to attack. But for now, they kept their distance, observing the scene carefully, waiting to see what everyone would do.
"What?"
"I said 'Naruto can't go back to Konoha.'" Zoro said, now pulling the redheaded boy so that the teen was between him and Jiraiya. He turned so that he was facing the Toad Sage, but he ran hand through the redhead's hair. "It'll be alright, sand-brat. We're just talking, got it?"
The boy looked up at Zoro in a way that made Jiraiya feel as if he was observing how a younger sibling would view an older one. It was a mildly surreal scene. The boy silently nodded, but he did give Jiraiya another glare.
"I don't think you're the one who gets to decide that." Jiraiya replied, not bothering to mask his irritation. "You kidnapped a kid from Konoha – one who is extremely important-"
"Bullshit."
Zoro spat the word as he glared back at him. The sudden shift in hostility put Jiraiya even more on edge.
"Excuse me?"
"You wanna to take Naruto back to Konoha? Do you know or even care how he was being treated?"
The blond in question ducked behind Zoro again, looking worried.
Jiraiya was about to retort, when the Toad below them interrupted.
"Oi, Jiraiya!" the Toad they were standing on called out. "Sorry, but my time's running short, so you should get down now. Unless you wanna fall a few hundred feet."
Zoro stood up and grabbed the two boys, and then walked over to the Kiri-Nin, saying, "Hang on."
Before Jiraiya could say or do anything, they were gone, as if they had faded out. The Toad Sage balked, seeing what a Kūhaku could do. At first, Jiraiya thought that they had run, but he saw the small group on one of the islands further down, and they weren't making any attempts to escape. Sighing heavily, Jiraiya made his way down to the others while his Toads both disappeared.
Down below, Zoro swayed, feeling lightheaded. He hadn't teleported that many people before, and he collapsed to the ground. He seriously wished he had a drink right then. Afterwards, he could then take a nap.
Jiraiya made his way towards the group, a thoughtful look on his face. He scowled at Zoro, saying, "You and me have to talk, now."
Zoro stood up, and Naruto grabbed a fistful of his shirt.
"Zoro-nii…" Naruto looked scared, and Gaara wasn't any better because he had Zoro's arm in a vice grip tight enough that if Zoro had been anyone else, his arm would probably have been broken.
"You two stay here with Tape-Face and the others, got it, brats?"
Zoro pulled away from Gaara, while Naruto glanced around Zoro towards Jiraiya with a mistrustful glare. Unexpectedly, Naruto bolted forward before anyone could react and stood in front of Jiraiya with a defiant look on his face. Jiraiya blinked, looking down at the kid.
Naruto then kicked Jiraiya in the shin, causing the man to hop around on one leg while he held onto the one the boy had struck. The thing was, Jiraiya wasn't necessarily faking. That kick had hurt – at least a little; it would more than certainly bruise. Jiraiya paused when Naruto started speaking to him.
"I hate you!" Naruto started shouting, his fists clenched tightly. "I wanna become an awesome Ninja before returning to Konoha! I like being with Zoro-nii!"
Naruto's shoulders sagged, and he held back tears as he looked up at Jiraiya. "I'm happy, being with Zoro-nii and Gaara…why are you trying to take me away from my family, 'ttebayou?"
Jiraiya looked at Naruto, feeling somewhat guilty. Of course, that was how the kid would see it. But then, the tears started to fall, as Naruto didn't bother to hold them back anymore.
"No-one at the orphanage wanted me. They said I was dangerous and a monster and kicked me out. I was always alone…no-one wanted me around." Naruto stared at the ground. "But, during the festival that always happens on my birthday… a man grabbed me and I couldn't breathe. That was when Zoro-nii beat him up and he was really cool, 'ttebayou."
Naruto sniffed loudly as he continued. "Zoro-nii's the only one who's ever wanted me. He bought me new clothes and this sword. He always gives me food when I'm hungry. Zoro-nii gets lost without me or Gaara there. He's also scary when he trains, but he's showing me how to fight, 'ttebayou…"
Blue eyes that were far too much like Kushina's and a hurt, desperate expression that mirrored Minato's looked up at Jiraiya.
"Why do I have to go back to Konoha? Why can't I stay with my family, 'ttebayou?"
Jiraiya looked down at the boy, an unpleasant feeling was building in his heart and throat. Jiraiya was aware that Zoro had saved Naruto from some drunken idiot that night, and he knew that there had been various issues with the orphanage, but this… this made Jiraiya feel as if he were the bad guy in all this.
He almost didn't notice Zoro moving.
Slowly, Zoro moved forward and squatted down next to Naruto, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Oi, brat. Look at me."
The Toad Sage was quick to notice that 'brat' wasn't being used in a derogatory way.
Naruto turned to look at Zoro with a crushed expression. Zoro smirked, and was about to say something, when Naruto suddenly enveloped him in a tight hug. "You aren't gonna let him take me away, are you Zoro-nii?"
Instead of responding, Zoro pulled away. Looking very serious, Zoro took Wado Ichimonji out from his haramaki and handed the sword to Naruto. "Take care of this for me for a bit, okay, brat?"
Naruto pulled the sword close, as if it were going to float away. This was Zoro's precious sword – the one that belonged to his friend – and the one he always made promises on. Naruto nodded seriously, not meeting Zoro's eyes. He felt Zoro ruffle his hair again.
"Go stand over with Tape-Face and the others."
There were still tears running down his face, but Naruto silently nodded and complied.
Once Naruto was over with the others, Zoro put a hand on one of his two remaining swords and outright glared at Jiraiya. Jiraiya actually felt as if he were looking at a cornered beast and not a teenager.
Zoro wasn't yelling, and the odd, quietness to his voice made him unnerving. "Do you even care about what happens to Naruto, or is this just about the Kyuubi?"
Jiraiya didn't get a chance to respond, because Zoro continued, "Are you gonna make sure that he gets food every day, or at least have one of those ANBU guys make sure that no-one gangs up on him?"
Zoro really did care about the brat. The kid had no-one. Zoro wanted to say something snarky, but instead, he continued to glare.
"Things are complicated, kid." Jiraiya replied tiredly. "So tell me: why can't Naruto return to Konoha?"
"Because that Fugaku guy is planning to use the Kyuubi to attack Konoha."
Jiraiya looked at Zoro who had just said that sentence with a straight face.
"You could be lying about Fugaku." Jiraiya said, crossing his arms. But something in Jiraiya's gut told him that Zoro wasn't lying. The few times Jiraiya had seen Fugaku throughout the last few years, there was something about him that seemed strangely off, and he could never exactly place it. He knew that after the Kyuubi's attack, that the Uchiha Police hadn't really been the same in view of the public, and so Jiraiya had assumed, well, more like hoped it had something to do with that.
"Look…" Zoro said nonchalantly after a moment or two. "It was an Uchiha who asked me to look after the kid. I promised I would."
Jiraiya's frown deepened, realizing what that meant. If there was inner conflict with the Uchiha… there were a few hundred Uchiha. This was treason in more ways than one. It would be near impossible to figure out which one was responsible for this whole ordeal if Zoro wouldn't give him a name.
"Why would an Uchiha want you of all people to look after Naruto? Who was this, and why wouldn't they just go along with Fugaku's plan?"
"Well…" Zoro said thoughtfully, as he scratched his cheek. "They had black hair and annoying red eyes." The teen continued onto the other questions as if he had just described the mysterious Uchiha in the most helpful way possible, "Because I'll be impossible to find and follow once I leave. If Naruto goes back, the Uchiha will all be killed. Some bandaged-burn victim guy named Danzo figures that if Naruto's in Konoha, then the Uchiha aren't needed, or whatever. There's enough balance of power or something like that."
"'Bandaged-burn victim'…?" Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose. It appeared that Danzo was still up to his old schemes. His sensei for a long while had suspected that Danzo was planning something, but this… if Zoro was telling the truth that meant that Danzo was more than willing to throw away hundreds of lives. Danzo's beliefs had often differed from Hiruzen's, but this was beyond what Jiraiya had initially presumed of the man.
Glancing uneasily over at the Kiri-Nin who were standing a distance away and talking among themselves, Jiraiya had to ask.
"Did you reveal any of this to the Kiri-Nin?"
"I'm not Konoha-Nin or Kiri-Nin, so I'm not breaking anyone's rules." Zoro huffed irritably.
"You still shouldn't be revealing stuff like this to people."
Zoro scowled at Jiraiya, and simply to mess with the guy, Zoro blatantly lied, saying, "Well, I already told 'em plenty. They know Gaara and Naruto are Jinchuuriki."
Well – it was partially true.
Jiraiya scowled at Zoro disapprovingly.
"But still, this is extremely sensitive information." Jiraiya replied with an annoyed scowl at the teen. "Where's your other associate, by the way?"
Zoro just gave Jiraiya a blank look, which annoyed the man.
"He's a guy around your age, this high with dark eyes and black hair. Goes by the name of 'Gin'."
At first, Jiraiya was wondering if Gaara had somehow passed for Gin, because of the description he had been given back at the inn.
Of course, Zoro didn't know what Jiraiya did, and was thinking of Kakashi's alternate ego of 'Gin'. So he was being perfectly honest when he replied with,
"We split up back in Fire Country."
"Alright fine," Jiraiya said, figuring he would grill Zoro later about 'Gin'. Or maybe T&I would. It all depended on if Zoro cooperated. Unless Jiraiya had to resort to killing him.
There was an uncomfortable silence between them, but Zoro broke it by asking, "Did you know I saw him get kicked out of a store? The bastard accused him of stealing, even though the brat had money. That night, when some dumbass was choking him, people saw what was happening, and they didn't do shit." Zoro looked at Jiraiya. "Are you gonna to protect him from Fugaku? What about Burn-Victim?"
Jiraiya didn't respond, so Zoro continued. "I promised I'd look after him. He's got no-one else."
Jiraiya felt as if he had been punched in the gut. There were painful truths laced throughout Zoro's words. He did care, but things were complicated. There were quite a few things that happened that night so long ago, and Jiraiya had had no choice but to leave Konoha, and Naruto behind.
Ignoring the fact that Zoro just revealed which Biju he was hosting to the Kiri-Nin, there might have been some truth there. But this was also about Naruto, and getting him back to where he belonged. But… Jiraiya looked over at Naruto; blond hair and blue eyes, looking so much like Minato and Kushina that it was almost like that kunai to the gut twisted the wound.
Taking Naruto away from Zoro – or rather taking Zoro away from Naruto – it was almost like a cruel, morbid joke. Like tricking a kid into thinking that they have a family only to rip the rug out from under them.
He thought of Naruto looking up at him, with tears in his eyes, and the way Zoro got the Kyuubi half of the boy to calm down somehow. That honestly didn't make any sense, but it had happened. If he hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have believed it. Jiraiya thought about the interactions he had seen between Zoro, Naruto, and Gaara: Zoro putting himself in between the boys and the potential threat. The way Zoro ruffled the boys' hair, and the way both of them looked up at Zoro.
There was obviously something special about that white-sheathed sword; because when Zoro handed it over to Naruto, there was a shift in the boy. Like he was tasked to hold onto something sacred.
While Jiraiya had been told some of what had been going on with Naruto, and what had happened at the festival… He glanced over at Naruto, and took in the boy's appearance. He was still thin, but had filled out. His clothing while clearly used, was of good quality. His shoes were a little too big for him, but they still looked fairly new. He had both a short sword and a kusarigama in his possession.
The words that Naruto had said to him just moments earlier were just salt to the wound.
Zoro, a complete stranger; a wandering kid; had taken more care of Naruto in a few months than the village had during the eight years Naruto had lived there.
But then, there were the factors of Fugaku and Danzo; two people that Jiraiya knew to be wary of. Hiruzen had tasked him to keep an eye on them when and where he could, but both men were shrewd enough to keep their hands just clean enough to not garner enough suspicion to warrant an all-out expulsion.
A thought entered Jiraiya's mind: would it be so wrong to let Naruto stay with Zoro?
"Roronoa Zoro…tell me: how could you possibly hide from the likes of Fugaku and Danzo?"
Both of them were well-connected, and Jiraiya would even go so far as to say that Danzo had more influence than Fugaku did.
"I'm not planning to stay in the Elemental Nations."
"What…what are you talking about?"
Zoro smirked. "There's a fog barrier surrounding the entire Elemental Nations. Idiots get lost in the fog; when it's actually pretty easy to navigate."
For some reason, both Zabuza and Haku found themselves inexplicably wanting to yell at Zoro, while Kimimaro felt like a face-palm was in order.
"Show me."
"Huh?" Zoro looked at Jiraiya with a slightly perplexed expression.
"I'm still considering whether or not to believe you about this who thing involving Naruto." That was a weak excuse in Jiraiya's opinion. He honestly wanted time to think. "I want to see this 'barrier' that you're talking about."
"On the condition they come too." Zoro said, nodding to Zabuza and the others. He figured it would help them out somehow, and seeing the forest for themselves would help put things into perspective for when they returned to that Mei lady and the others. "It would really help 'em out."
"Fine." Jiraiya said, although he was wary. He was confident enough that if any of them tried anything, he could easily fight each of them off. Besides, that little altercation earlier was simply a tame preview of his fighting prowess. But he'd still have to be cautious.
Both of them made their way over to where the others were standing, and several pairs of suspicious eyes landed on Jiraiya.
"We're going into the barrier, and all of you coming." Zoro stated candidly, before anyone could ask questions. "The old man here wants to see it for himself."
"'Old man'?" Jiraiya questioned. He wasn't that old.
"We also kinda need a boat." Zoro's gaze went to Naruto, who looked sheepish. "Our last one was broken."
Jiraiya was one to always be prepared, and so he had a boat Sealed away just in case of emergency. Luckily, the boat was big enough to fit all of them, and they climbed in.
Without a word, Zabuza immediately took over rowing.
"Shouldn't Zoro here be the one rowing?" Jiraiya asked, and he blinked as three Kiri-Nin and two children looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"The guy's a directionless idiot." Zabuza said flatly.
"Zoro-nii gets lost too easily." Naruto replied.
"He needs someone to be there so he won't wander off to be lost forever…" Gaara said in a way that garnered sympathy.
Zoro laughed in the fakest way possible before whacking both Naruto and Gaara over the head, causing the boat to rock.
"Stop messing around you three!" Zabuza yelled, but went ignored.
"I don't get lost you idiots!" Zoro glared. "I told you dumbasses before; the stupid paths move." Zoro smirked as he smugly asked, "Besides, who's the one who navigated us through the fog?"
"You're the only one who can say that!" the three Kiri-Nin found themselves shouting, their wild movements causing the boat to rock even more.
Naruto started laughing, while Gaara smiled as well.
Zabuza just muttered tiredly, while both Haku and Kimimaro just looked at Zoro in subjective horror at the strange, compelling feeling that had come over them momentarily.
Jiraiya observed the scene with a mix of curiosity and confusion. It was as if a momentary lapse of sense happened, and only the Kiri-Nin were aware of it.
"What the hell."
"If you hang around Roronoa long enough, you get used to it…kind of."
They rode in silence that Jiraiya was pretty sure was only awkward for him. As they rowed, Jiraiya had to ask, "So how'd you end up with the Kazekage's son? I heard he was dead."
"You're the Kazekage's son?" Haku looked at Gaara in surprise.
Now Jiraiya observed, because that response meant that there were things Zoro hadn't told the Kiri-Nin. Now, he wondered if Zoro had lied to him about what he had told the Kiri-Nin. As to why he had done it, Jiraiya couldn't be sure. But the few things that seemed to be true were the matters of Danzo and Fugaku.
Gaara became nervous and began fidgeting with the hem of his coat. "He…my…father…tried to kill me…but my uncle…told me to go with Zoro-nii…" Gaara then glared at Jiraiya as if he were an animal cornered in a cage. "If you take Zoro-nii away from me, I'll kill you."
Zoro snorted, and ruffled Gaara's hair. "Try not to look so cute when you make threats, sand-brat."
Gaara glared at Zoro, but it wasn't hostile – rather, there was a light blush on Gaara's cheeks, and the boy was only slightly annoyed.
The other occupants of the boat save Naruto and Kimimaro, all sweat-dropped, wondering what about Gaara's expression and threat Zoro considered 'cute'. Relief was on Haku and Zabuza's minds as they felt mildly comforted at the thought of Gaara threatening someone else. While Zabuza thought that maybe Gaara liked him and Haku well enough, simply because the boy hadn't directed any dark glares or violent threats at them for nearly a week.
Jiraiya sighed, something he seemed to be doing a lot of within the last twenty minutes. This kid had attached himself to Zoro at the hip, and he had heard through his network about Rasa and his treatment of his own children; especially that of his youngest son. Under different circumstances, Konoha would be legally obligated to return Gaara – but knowing that there had been an attempt on his life – the life of a child – Hiruzen would never allow it.
But Konoha and Suna had a peaceful enough partnership that Rasa could visit Konoha for some kind of political meeting. If he were to see his son there, Rasa would legally have every right revoke any partnership Suna and Konoha had – and even go to war if they didn't return his son. That would result in interference from the civilian side of the Council, who likely would vote to return Gaara to avoid war altogether.
Dammit…Jiraiya scratched his head. Things were becoming increasingly difficult, and when he glanced over at Naruto, he caught the boy staring at him; mistrust and an underlying hint of fear. His own godson was scared of him, and it bothered him.
Before long, they reached a wall of mist – it was here that every instinct in everyone but Zoro made them want to turn back. It was as if they were knowingly walking off a cliff without a backup plan on how to land safely. Zabuza handed the oars off to Zoro, who suddenly had a look of concentration on his face. Before, it was an expression of boredom and annoyance; but now, it was as if Zoro was one of the Inuzuka's hounds on a scent trail.
Zoro didn't seem concerned, and he continued to row forward, not really caring about the mist or anyone else's personal feelings on the matter. They rowed through an archway that suddenly appeared – it honestly didn't seem like it had been there the whole time, and Jiraiya immediately noticed the numerous intricate Seals layered over the structure.
There were innumerable Genjutsu Seals with the sole purpose of making sure that the mist would stay active and that the archway would be ignored. In fact, the longer Jiraiya stared at the Seals, his vision began to swim as if he had spun around in place while drunk. Jiraiya briefly looked away and then back to the archway, but it was like the archway was moving; bouncing up and down and back and forth, gliding away from him. He couldn't focus on it, and he began to fell nauseated.
"It's happening to you too, huh?" Zabuza asked when he saw Jiraiya looking equally ill. This was a disconcerting place.
"Umph…" Jiraiya grunted in response.
The mist was becoming thicker still; it was like being pulled through molasses before they broke through – into more mist. But this time, they were surrounded by a forest of tall pillars that were several hundred feet high. Thick ropes and chains lined the pillars, and none of the Shinobi had ever seen ropes or chains that thick before; Zabuza didn't think he could even reach his arms around the ropes in their entirety. Not without creating three or four clones so that they could just barely touch their fingertips together and circle around the ropes that way.
There were hundreds – thousands of Seals; layers upon layers of them on the pillars. Not only that, the Shinobi looked at the various shipwrecks surrounding them. The Kiri-Nin recognized several fishing ships from various countries that had crashed into the pillars, and there were even oddly designed ships of various sizes and styles with worn black flags and stylized skulls.
The sight of skeletons on board the other ships was a grim reminder that the place was a graveyard. There had to be hundreds of people here; and they were only seeing a fraction.
"Stop here." Jiraiya directed, and he went to climb one of the pillars, and sent chakra into his feet for when he wanted to climb on stone, but slipped the moment he made contact. Jiraiya barely avoided falling in the water, thanks to Zabuza and Haku who both quickly grabbed him and pulled him back into the boat.
"What the…?" Jiraiya sent a flow of chakra into his hand, and tested the stone. "This is…unusual."
Looking at the others, Jiraiya explained the absurd anomaly, "This is the same chakra output we'd use if we were walking on water."
"Water-walking on stone?" Haku asked, brow furrowed.
"Don't look at me, I have no idea." Zoro retorted when everyone looked at him.
Jiraiya carefully climbed out, and stuck to the pillar as he studied the Seals. Looking at them, it was evident that the Seals were there to keep the mist drawn in; others were for causing confusion and misdirection. But the Seals on top of the other ones… Jiraiya frowned. The Seals that were underneath were supposed to cause a person to enter the mist and simply come out again from where they had entered; but the newer ones… with these, there was absolutely no way anyone was getting out…unless… Jiraiya glanced at Zoro out of the corner of his eye. Unless they had a Kūhaku.
There was an uneasiness in the Shinobi that made them want to turn back, even though common sense was telling them that it was impossible. There was a sense of almost-panic, but truthfully because Zoro was there, there was no need. But still, that uneasiness made them want to run and get out of this place.
Their small group went from pillar to pillar, with Jiraiya finding increasingly complicated Seals. "This is amazing. This is truly impressive work…" Jiraiya had to admit. "These Seals…you know the Fourth Hokage's signature Jutsu?"
While Zabuza, Haku and even Kimimaro nodded, Jiraiya received blank looks from Zoro and Gaara.
"You mean my dad?"
"Wait, the Fourth Hokage is your old man?" Zabuza was looking at Naruto in disbelief. The Kiri-Nin almost burst out in disbelieving laughter. Zoro had the brats of two different Kages' in his care! It was like the start of a bad joke.
Jiraiya wanted to sigh yet again, because yet another Konoha secret had been revealed – this time, unwittingly by him. But that simple exchange proved that someone had been working with Zoro, leaving Jiraiya to wonder which of the Uchiha it was even more.
"Anyway," Jiraiya said, getting back to the point. "The Fourth Hokage had a signature Jutsu called, Hiraishin no Jutsu. It allowed him to teleport in an instant. You could almost say that his Jutsu was derived from this.
"These Seals are…" Jiraiya tried to think of how to describe it. "They are incredibly advanced and intricate. I mean…" Jiraiya trailed off to think of the right word for what he wanted to say. "This is art. Seal Masters like myself train for literal years to be able to pull stuff like this off." Jiraiya was starting to get excited. "Just about every one of these Seals are all lost techniques! I can't believe I'm actually seeing this! It would likely take me months, maybe even years to fully decipher all them." Wistfully, the Toad Sage admired the Seals. "It's a shame that all of this was lost."
Jiraiya was busy admiring all the Seal Work around them, as this was clearly the work of the Uzumaki Clan, when he looked over at another one of the Seals on another pillar that had a mix of ropes and chains that went on to disappear into the mist, being connected elsewhere.
Jiraiya frowned when he saw it. "Roronoa-kun, take us over to that one."
Zoro complied, and Jiraiya quickly climbed out to study the Seals. His frown deepened when he read the script the main Seal contained. From what he could tell, this was one of the more advanced Seals – in fact, it was a Lock Seal, and it required the chakra from the Gobi. Not only that, the Seal could only be deactivated at the same time as the other Biju released their chakra, while in their pure forms. But the 'pure' portion of the script was slightly off. Jiraiya looked at the script a little more carefully. There was something about Humans and keys… having a synergetic relationship with each other… Oh. Oh… Jiraiya put a hand to his chin.
If he were correct in his thinking, somewhere along within this forest was eight more of those Lock Seals. This would mean that say, Naruto for example, would have to have access to the Kyuubi's chakra freely – having a synergetic relationship with the Kyuubi, and be able to obtain all nine tails without going berserk. But would that even be possible? To his knowledge, none of the previous hosts had been able to get beyond five tails – only Kushina had been able achieve six, if only temporarily, and even then that had always been a risky ploy.
In his personal experience with the Kyuubi, the Biju was always antagonistic towards its host.
"Zoro." Jiraiya climbed back into the boat. "Would you mind taking us out on the other side?"
Zoro just nodded, "Sure."
He rowed until they reached a point in the fog between a Seal-covered archway that began to feel as if they were being pulled back and pushed through at the same time, and a few seconds later was when the scenery around them changed. They were still surrounded by fog, but they were in the middle of a lake on a small island. The lake had a small river that led out to the ocean, which was impressive; even from what they could see.
A huge sea creature that looked like a cross between a flamingo and a snake rose out of the water several miles away, and dove back in.
"What was that?" Kimimaro asked in awe.
"That was just a Sea King." Zoro answered easily, not even thinking about the shock that someone who had never even seen or heard of a 'Sea King' for that matter would likely go through. "It was actually one of the smaller ones."
"That's considered small?" Kimimaro responded, wondering how big these Sea Kings could get.
Both Jiraiya and Zabuza stared, because that 'Sea King' was roughly the size of a C-Class Summoning. So things that big was normal?
"I've heard from sensei that they can get around a few hundred to a few thousand feet long." Zoro replied offhandedly.
Jiraiya glanced at the two boys, who were staring at the sea creature in awe, and he sighed heavily once more, knowing what he was about to do would cause quite a bit of an uproar once he returned to Konoha. He guiltily glanced over at Naruto, who was chatting excitedly with Gaara over that flamingo-beast. The redhead was looking at Naruto with wide eyes and nodding, a small, shy smile on his face.
If only Jiraiya had stayed behind in Konoha, then surely they wouldn't be where they were right now. They were in between a rock and a hard place, and in that middle ground was this bizarre reality that Jiraiya of all people failed to put words to. The Toad Sage wondered about what Zoro had told him; Naruto getting kicked out of stores, getting beat up. It wasn't really surprising, but what was surprising was the fact that it had happened in Konoha. At least, a part of Jiraiya wanted it to be. He was aware of the laws his sensei had made. But they hadn't really helped, had they?
So, Jiraiya formed a plan, and he didn't even know if it would work, but it was worth a shot.
"You might as well take us back, then." Jiraiya said, and Zoro silently nodded, making his way back into the Gate. "This is a serious headache. I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to the Hokage, on top of telling him about you three…" Jiraiya indicated the Kiri-Nin. "Plus, you've got the Kazekage's brat."
The second time going in wasn't so bad.
"Why don't you team up with Kiri?"
Everyone paused and looked at Gaara, who looked confused at the expressions everyone was giving him.
"Well…I mean," Gaara started nervously, twiddling his fingers as he looked down at his lap. "I-I don't understand ev-everything, but Kiri's in a lot of trouble, and Zabu-jii was talking about how his friend Mei wants peace and for the war his country's involved in to stop, and people are dying, and he's sad.
"…so if your village and Kiri worked together, would-wouldn't that help everyone?" Gaara looked up at Jiraiya with those big, green eyes of his. "They already know stuff about us…and the barrier-thing, right?"
"Kid," Jiraiya sighed. "…It's complicated."
He was about to try and explain the concept of war and politics to an eight-year-old when Zabuza jumped on the chance to team up with Konoha.
"There's important information about the Elemental Nations we'd be willing to share if you teamed up with us. I'll have to talk to Mei, first. But if she agrees, how about we pick a time and you pick a place?"
There would certainly be benefits in having allies in Kiri, Jiraiya had to admit. Hiruzen had said that he wanted to avoid going to war if they could help it, but it was clear that the Kiri-Nin were desperate if Zabuza was agreeing with the team-up. He wasn't sure how much more he could spring on Hiruzen in one day, but Jiraiya knew that these decisions weren't going to come lightly and they would have to be accepted due to his better judgment.
"Another thing," Zoro now piped up. "Kimimaro here needs a healer. So some bigshot like you's bound to know one or two, right?"
Jiraiya glanced at the pale kid and then to Zoro, who had stopped rowing. "I might know one…" Wait. Jiraiya looked around. "Why aren't we moving?"
Zoro smirked. "Well…I'm kinda tired, so I'll nap while you and Tape-Face have a conversation on what you're gonna do about the war in Kiri and all."
Just like that, Zoro settled down to sleep and was snoring within seconds.
"How can anyone fall asleep that fast?" Jiraiya wondered aloud. "Are you even asleep?"
"Let's make a deal, Toad Sage." Zabuza muttered. "We might as well, otherwise we'll likely never get moving."
At Jiraiya's look, Zabuza replied, "I spent around a week-and-half with this kid. He's a crazy, stubborn ass who can be a thorn in your side and a headache all in one; and we have no choice but to go on his terms. This is actually the first time I don't mind."
"Agreed, Zabuza-sama." Haku said with a smile.
"I think you should talk with Zabuza-san," Kimimaro offered his input. "Zoro-san was exhausted before coming here, so we should give him ample time to rest."
Naruto was glaring at Jiraiya from his spot besides Zoro, and Gaara glared at him as he positioned himself in between Zoro and Jiraiya, as if the old man would actually attack them. While the glare wasn't as intense, Gaara remained suspicious.
Sighing heavily and crossing his arms, Jiraiya rubbed his temples for a brief moment before asking, "So what exactly is going on with Kiri? I know that the Fourth Mizukage is ordering blood purges on Kekkei Genkai users, and there seems to be something else he's up to, but my sources could never figure out what it was."
"He's crazy…or at least that's what I thought." Zabuza replied. "He might not be as insane as we first assumed, but his reasoning doesn't make much sense either. He worships the moon, or at least I think he does."
"…and you're not gonna tell me anything beyond that unless I agree to have our Kage's meet up."
"Sounds like a plan."
Jiraiya sighed again, before Summoning a small Toad, who looked at the scenery around them in awe before turning to Jiraiya. "Hey, Jiraiya!"
"I have a message for the Hokage." Jiraiya said as he swiftly wrote something down on a scroll. He showed the message to Zabuza, proving that he was simply requesting a meeting between the two Kages, and the other details could be sorted out later. Zabuza nodded, and then the Kiri-Nin proceeded to Summon a large, blue, fire-bellied Newt.
"Oh, hey! Zabuza!" The Newt grinned at his Summoner as he peered over a pair of black sunglasses.
Nodding a simple greeting, Zabuza also wrote out a message for Mei before showing it to Jiraiya, who also thought the message looked good.
"I have a message for Mei." Zabuza replied. He stopped when he noticed that the Newt and the Toad were both glaring at each other with absolute spite.
"Toad."
"Newt."
The simple words were spoken with venom, and fortunately the two Summons didn't get into anything beyond simply calling each other by what they were, and messages to their respective Kage were sent.
Kimimaro prodded Zoro awake, and Zoro yawned and stretched before taking them back. Once they were out of the mist, Zoro stopped, and stared at the floor of their boat. He was tense; almost resigned to being dragged back to Konoha, but not without a fight. Having to fight against someone who wasn't a Swordsman would be doable, but annoying.
Zabuza and Haku were making their way back to shore by crossing the water, but they looked ready to fight.
"What are you going to do?" Zoro finally asked.
Jiraiya looked over at Kimimaro. "Would you be able to go to shore with the others? I need to have a private chat with Zoro, here."
Kimimaro looked worried, so Jiraiya added, "I just want to talk with him, that's all. We'll be coming back to shore in a few minutes. If you would tell the others that, it'd be appreciated."
The Kiri-Nin walked to shore, leaving Zoro and the boys with Jiraiya.
Silence reigned for what felt like hours to Zoro, when Jiraiya crossed his arms, finally saying, "Honestly kid, I'm a tad annoyed that you took Naruto like you did, along with making me travel all this way. And you got mixed up with this guy." Jiraiya nodded in Zabuza's direction. "And in all honesty, I have every right to drag your ass back to Konoha for trial. But I'm not going to."
Zoro, Naruto, and Gaara all looked at the man in disbelief.
"Truth is, there's not really a way I can accuse you of lying about either Fugaku or Danzo. Fugaku is a bitter man and Danzo's a manipulative bastard. They both would have their reasons for getting their hands on the Kyuubi, and it wouldn't matter what happened to Naruto.
"Plus… there's no way I could willfully take Naruto back when it's pretty clear how he feels towards you and Gaara, while keeping my conscience clean.
"So. I'm going to let you take him wherever it is you intend to go out there." Jiraiya fixed Zoro with a glare. "And you had better take care of him. You understand?"
"Yeah." Zoro said seriously, still somewhat processing what Jiraiya was saying.
"I'll come up with a believable explanation as to why Naruto's no longer in Konoha." Jiraiya continued talking, as he pulled the large scroll on his back around. "Naruto, come here."
Naruto glanced at Zoro before making his way over to Jiraiya, who now unfurled the scroll.
"This is the Toad's Contract. With this, you'll be able to Summon a Toad just like the ones you saw me with earlier. You can write letters back and forth using them."
"Eh, really?" Naruto asked with wide eyes. "How do I do that, 'ttebayou?"
"Well, learning to channel chakra is part of it…" Jiraiya paused as he thought about trying to explain the process to an eight-year-old. He looked to Zoro. "You know anything about Summoning Contracts?"
"Do I look like I know about that sort of thing? Tch."
Maybe Koshiro had mentioned it once or twice…but since it didn't involve keywords like 'swords', 'training', and 'naps' among others, it had probably been lost on him.
Oo00oo
Back at shore, Naruto was sitting across from Jiraiya as he was going through sensei-lecture mode.
"So you can either bite or cut your thumb to Summon a Toad." Jiraiya wrote down the instructions.
"So does that mean Naruto has a limit of ten times to Summon one of those Toads?" Gaara asked.
Jiraiya paused. "What? Limit? What do you mean?"
"He only has ten fingers, so he can only cut off so many." Gaara said very seriously.
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted, and he started freaking out. "You mean I have to cut off my fingers to Summon the Toads?! I don' wanna do that, 'ttebayo!" Naruto was near tears as he continued, "I need my fingers! Zoro-nii wanted to cut them off before to see if I grew them back! I don't wanna cut off my fingers, 'ttebayo!"
Jiraiya was looking at Zoro with an expression as if he were almost considering changing his mind. Zoro was looking irritated at Naruto's wails. The Kiri-Nin were having varying thoughts concerning Gaara; because they each were certain the boy would have quickly and easily understood how Summoning worked. Gaara meanwhile, had a subtly pleased smirk on his face that he sort of hid with his head bowed as he poked Naruto to gain his attention.
"I was joking."
"…"
Naruto stared at Gaara in disbelief before pointing an accusing finger and yelled, "You bastard!"
Zoro burst out laughing, Jiraiya gave up with his verbal explanation and simply wrote down how Naruto needed to train in the simplest terms possible for the sake of a small child, and likely for the sake of Zoro too.
Zabuza sighed as Gaara put up a sandy sphere around himself as Naruto ran around it throwing useless insults, kicks, and punches. The blond kid was far too loud and gullible for his own good; and the redhead was turning into some macabre comedian.
Haku just smiled, commenting, "They're a lively bunch, aren't they?"
"That's a nice way of putting it, Haku." Zabuza muttered.
"I'm glad to have met them." Kimimaro said.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Zoro and the two boys were ready to go.
"Take care of yourselves." Haku said seriously.
"You too!" Naruto said with a grin. "Next time you see me, I'm gonna be an awesome Ninja, just you wait!"
"…I don't want you to die, so be alive next time we see you." Gaara muttered, not really looking at the Kiri-Nin.
"We'll try not to, kid." Zabuza replied, actually finding himself amused at the redhead. He now turned to Zoro, looking very serious. "Roronoa. Thank you for what you did back there. We wouldn't be standing here…"
Forgoing his pride and any irritation he might have held towards Zoro, he gave the teen a slight bow in thanks. "You've really helped us out, Roronoa. Thank you." Zabuza stood straight and looked at Zoro who stood somewhat awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, whatever Tape-Face. Just don't go dying any stupid deaths or anything, got it?"
Haku knelt down in front of Naruto and Gaara, and smiled. "You take care of your precious person, alright?" Haku sent a purposeful look to Zoro before winking at the boys. "He definitely needs it."
"Oi!" Zoro objected. His irritation was interrupted by Kimimaro, who walked up to him and gave a bow.
"Thank you for giving me my freedom, Zoro-san." Kimimaro stood straight once again, and smiled. "I look forward to seeing you all again when the time comes."
"Yeah…sure." Zoro replied.
Once again, Jiraiya found himself in an awkward position; he felt as if he was intruding on something between the Kiri-Nin, Zoro, Naruto and Gaara.
Jiraiya motioned Naruto over to him.
Naruto hesitantly approached him, and stood just out of arm's length. Jiraiya looked down at Naruto sadly. But this was no longer a time to focus on regrets. He got down on one knee so that he could be at Naruto's level.
"Here, kid." Jiraiya handed Naruto a book.
Naruto took it with a curious expression, and gave the cover a scrutinizing look. With some uncertainty, Naruto read the cover slowly, "'The Tale… of the Gutsy… Shinobi'."
"Yeah, that's it. Good job." Jiraiya said with a smile.
"Thanks…Zoro-nii's been teaching me how to read. Haku and Kimimaro helped too, 'ttebayou."
There were a few more painful jabs to his chest at that statement. While he certainly wouldn't have been an expert, Naruto should have been able to read with more skill than he showed. How had he failed so badly? "Well…ask Zoro to read it to you. I wrote it, I'll have you know. First book I ever wrote. In fact, your old man read that book all the time."
Naruto paused, and slowly looked up at Jiraiya. There was no longer an uneasiness in his expression. In fact, it was now hopeful curiosity. "You…you knew my dad?"
"I used to be his sensei. Taught him everything I know."
"Did you know my mom, too?"
Jiraiya smiled sadly. "…I did."
Naruto hugged the book to his chest before hesitantly asking, "When I come back after I'm an awesome Ninja and all…will…will you tell me about them?"
"It's a promise."
Naruto smiled at Jiraiya. At that moment, Jiraiya felt as if he were looking at both Kushina and Minato once again.
The spell was broken when a voice called out, "Oi, brat! Let's get going!"
Naruto grinned and turned around excitedly. He looked over his shoulder at Jiraiya. "Bye, old man!"
"I'm not that old…" Jiraiya muttered.
He watched as Naruto ran to Zoro, and happily held up the book. He was too far away to hear what was being said, and the wind carried away anything they were saying. Zoro took the book and stuffed into a pocket of the bag that Naruto wore, and the teen was making sure that it was secure. They all climbed into the boat, and Naruto waved enthusiastically with both hands while Gaara just gave a simple wave. Zoro nodded to each of them, and started to row away from shore.
Briefly, Jiraiya wondered what Minato and Kushina would have thought of Zoro. Both of them probably would have teased the teen; but would have truly appreciated how he acted with Naruto.
As the boat disappeared into the mist on the horizon, Jiraiya knew that there could no longer be any regrets. He had made this decision, and there was no going back on it. The members of the Council would be pissed. Although there were a few who probably wouldn't mind that Naruto was gone – but would care about the Kyuubi that he contained. Others, would be just be happy that Naruto was safe.
"Do you regret letting them go?"
Jiraiya turned to look at the deceptively feminine young man at his side.
"Among other things." Jiraiya admitted. Sparing the horizon one last glance, he turned his attention to the Kiri-Nin. They would have to wait for a response from their respective Kage anyway, so they might as all relax.
"So, how exactly did you three get mixed up with Zoro?" Jiraiya questioned, as he sat down on a large rock.
Zabuza, Haku, and Kimimaro all sat down as well.
"Wellll…" Haku looked amused as he began, "It started when Zabuza-sama and I were at a restaurant in a small, run-down village in Kiri…"
00oo00
Once Jiraiya had heard back from Hiruzen, and Zabuza had heard back from Mei, he was on his way back to Konoha. It had been a difficult thing to let Naruto go, but after hearing Zoro's explanation and knowing that the teen would be impossible to track, he could only hope that Naruto would be safe (or at least as safe as he could be) in the Outside world.
The guards at the main gate both made faces of concern at him when they saw that he didn't have either Naruto or Zoro in tow. But Jiraiya marched forward with his jaw set. He ignored how various people in the village looked at him, and he silently wondered which shop it was that had thrown Naruto out.
It was a thought that made him feel guilty. If he had been there, then Naruto wouldn't have been tossed out of stores and he wouldn't have had to deal with getting attacked on his birthday. It was in the past, but still… Jiraiya couldn't get the look that Naruto had given him, and he couldn't help but think of Naruto actually fighting to not return to the village. Well, Naruto had said that he wanted to return someday, and Zoro had said that he wouldn't stop him.
When Jiraiya reached Hiruzen's office, his old sensei was smoking a pipe. When he saw Jiraiya, he pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. He had only received a message about meeting with someone named Mei, that she was vying for the Mizukage's position, and that she wanted to bring peace to Kiri. All details would be sorted out later in the coming days. There was absolutely nothing about Naruto or Zoro.
Plus, Jiraiya was here alone.
"What exactly is going on?"
Jiraiya looked stern as he simply replied, "We need to talk."
There was a secret room that the Hokage could use in case of emergencies; or at least when they wanted to make sure that the walls had neither eyes nor ears. The room was layered with Silencing Seals and Trap Seals, and only a fool would try and break in.
Jiraiya sighed as he looked at Hiruzen and said, "I let Zoro take Naruto."
"What?!" Hiruzen replied. "Why? Jiraiya, what's the meaning of this?"
"Zoro told me that an Uchiha asked him to take care of Naruto, because Uchiha Fugaku is planning a coup. If Naruto were to come back, Fugaku would go after him to try and use the Kyuubi. But Zoro wouldn't tell me which of the Uchiha asked him to take care of the kid." Jiraiya frowned as he added, "He was ever so helpful in describing the Uchiha in question as having 'black hair and annoying red eyes'."
It appeared that Fugaku was still bitter after all these years…
The majority of the Uchiha police hadn't exactly helped with the Kyuubi attack directly, and people had accused them of being cowards. A few Uchiha had died that night, and it was only the ones who had defied orders and been as involved as they possibly could with defending the village. From what Hiruzen understood, they had been ordered by Danzo to keep their distance and protect the perimeter for one reason or another. As far the civilian villagers were concerned, the Uchiha had been cowards that night. But out of respect and honor, the Uchiha wouldn't reveal that Danzo had ordered them to stay back. Even if they had, it would have made things look even worse for them. It would have been viewed as a pathetic attempt to share the blame.
"This also means we can't investigate the Uchiha; we simply can't risk it." Hiruzen sucked on his pipe. "If we investigate the Uchiha, we'll have the civilians on the Council and within the village claiming that they were right in that the Uchiha weren't to be trusted all along. It would put what diplomatic relations we have with them into upheaval."
Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh, releasing a plume of smoke.
"That's another thing, sensei. If we investigate the Uchiha, Fugaku will know that he has a family member who's against him. Not only did they prevent him from carrying out his coup, but they brought more humiliation down upon the Uchiha."
Both men knew that Fugaku could and would find a way to eliminate family members if he thought that they weren't complying with his wishes. All he had to do was pull a few strings to have the 'traitor' sent out to the battlefield or on an S-rank mission with low chances of survival and death would easily find its target. It would look like an accident or simply the perils of the mission. Hiruzen had his suspicions that Fugaku had pulled such tactics before; but it was difficult to prove he had sent family members to their deaths when others had died alongside them and death was a near-possibility while on those missions.
"But there's something else."
Hiruzen removed his Hokage hat and ran a hand through his hair. "What else is there?"
"Danzo intends to wipe out the Uchiha Clan; or at least, he'd like to. With Naruto in the village, the Kyuubi alone more than easily makes up for a few hundred Uchiha. That's why the Uchiha, whoever they are, wanted Naruto out."
Hiruzen pursed his lips and narrowed his gaze. "While I knew that Danzo was pulling strings, I never thought that he would go so far…so where are Zoro and Naruto now?"
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head. "That's another thing sensei… Zoro has Naruto, but he also has Gaara, the Kazekage's youngest with him. Just thought you should know, so it wouldn't be a surprise."
"That boy is far too troublesome." Hiruzen said flatly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Tell me about it. Anyway, Zoro's no longer in the Elemental Nations." Hiruzen gave Jiraiya a startled expression. "Look…I know it's difficult to believe, but the Nations are surrounded by this extremely complicated Genjutsu. I saw the Seals; it was incredibly advanced work. There's this entire outside world, which explains everything about Zoro. I saw it briefly, although from what I could see, it wasn't much to look at. Just miles of ocean, but there're numerous islands, according to the map Zoro showed me. I'll even stop by T&I so that Inoichi can scan my mind for the info.
"Zabuza said that once you and the future Mizukage agreed on a truce, he would have more information for us involving that barrier."
Hiruzen looked incredulous at the information.
"I doubted it myself too, sensei… and…" Jiraiya sighed. "Naruto's happy with Zoro. That kid just about worships the ground Zoro walks on. But there was something else. Naruto used the Kyuubi's chakra." Upon seeing Hiruzen's expression, Jiraiya quickly added, "It wasn't intentional, at least, not really…but Naruto attacked me, trying to protect Zoro. I was about to knock Naruto out, but that was when Zoro grabbed the kid and held onto him and got him to calm down. I still don't know how he did it, but Naruto went back to normal in under a minute."
Jiraiya looked regretful as he continued, "Naruto was scared of me, sensei, and he hid behind Zoro." The man scoffed. "Naruto looked more comfortable around me near the end, but still. Zoro has something special with those two boys. He truly cares for them. Naruto told me that he wants to be an amazing Shinobi someday. He didn't say when, but Naruto wants to return to Konoha, once he's strong enough."
Hiruzen nodded in understanding. Naruto's letter had said as much. In his worry, he had gone off on hare-brained theories and trying to see if there was more to Naruto's letter than meets the eye. Again, he thought back to that night a few months ago, remembering how the two had interacted. "I see… I understand why you didn't write any of this down."
"I had Naruto sign the Toads' Contract so that we'll be able to send letters back and forth, although it'll probably be a few years before Naruto can actually Summon anything."
"That's good." Hiruzen nodded again, looking thoughtful. He fixed Jiraiya with his stern gaze. "Jiraiya, this situation involving Naruto and Gaara is to be an S-ranked secret. If Danzo is up to any tricks, then he'll very likely have Shinobi of his own seek out Naruto. So we'll claim that Naruto was in fact rescued; but he's traveling with you, because it'll be safer for him as you can personally train him."
A perfect lie always contained elements of the truth.
"We'll prepare to meet Mei-san as well in a few days' time." Hiruzen looked tired. "I'm getting far too old for this."
If they were going to war, they would need to prepare while they had time. Thinking of all the things one needed during war, one of the most vital of them being Healers. Jiraiya had no idea how the thought crossed his mind, but the idea wiggled its way into his brain and wouldn't leave.
Jiraiya smirked. "You know…one of those Kiri-Nin needs a Healer."
Hiruzen glanced up at Jiraiya, wondering what he was thinking.
"And I already know another boy I can take with me to meet her, and maybe help me convince Tsunade to return."
It would take some thinking and careful planning with Zabuza and Haku to do what he hoped would work. Haku was a damn skilled Shinobi, and he was fairly certain that if Tsunade saw this kid in action, she'd want to take him on as an apprentice. During their conversation, Jiraiya had learned that Haku was an Ice user – not only that, but he had passable medical knowledge. It could certainly use some honing.
Plus, all Kimimaro had to do was stay in Konoha – poor health and the warmer weather was better for him. But it would force Tsunade to return. Would she pass up the chance to treat a rare Kekkei Genkai sickness or just let the boy die? The Healer in her hopefully would step up.
000
Iruka wasn't sure why he was being called to the Hokage's office, but he was listing what parents could have potentially complained about in his head. As a result, Iruka was stressing himself out. But he put on his best serious face upon reaching the Hokage's office and he knocked.
The man stopped short when he saw Jiraiya there, standing next to the Hokage. Iruka quickly bowed, and said, "You asked for me?"
"Close the door please."
Iruka obeyed, and the two older men led Iruka into the secret room he knew was there only because he had heard about it in innumerable rumors. Once the door was closed, he wanted to ask what was going on, but he remained silent, letting his elders speak first.
Seeing Iruka's obvious nervousness, Hiruzen smiled in an odd way, looking wistful. "There are some things we can't share with you due to your rank, Iruka-san, but I thought you'd want to know that Naruto is safe. We decided to let Zoro take him—"
"What?!" Iruka realized that he had interrupted the Hokage, and his face flushed. He bowed, "Forgive me Hokage-sama, I-I was…surprised? Why…?"
"It's no problem. Zoro has promised to take care of Naruto, until he decides to return to Konoha, whenever that may be."
"Ah…oh… I see." Iruka's shoulders sagged with both relief and worry.
"This is an S-ranked secret, kid," Jiraiya said seriously. "So don't go telling people this. This isn't gonna be the official announcement that everyone else is going to hear. If anyone asks, Naruto is traveling around the Elemental Nations with one of my contacts for his own safety, before I take him under my wing."
"I understand." Iruka bowed again. "Thank you for telling me."
"Iruka." Hiruzen said with a small smile. "Naruto wants to return to Konoha – but not before becoming an amazing Shinobi."
Jiraiya smirked. "Zoro's taking care of Naruto, and the kid's happy with him. So, you don't need to worry." But there was a brief pause as Jiraiya quietly added, "too much."
Iruka was truly relieved, but he couldn't help but be curious about what Naruto was doing with Zoro. He hoped that the boy would be alright. He was now also curious about Zoro – Naruto was happy with him. Iruka hoped that he would get the chance to actually speak with Zoro someday.
000
Fugaku wasn't happy. Things had gradually fallen apart around him, and his Clan members – the ones who had supported the coup – weren't pleased with the news that Naruto wouldn't be returning to Konoha. Not for a few years, at least. Fugaku needed to take his frustration out on something, so he was taking out his anger on a poor training dummy in the Uchiha's personal training grounds.
His eyes flashed red, before slowly becoming black, and blood started running down his face. His eyes burned, and felt as if someone was using a hot poker to rip them out of the back of his skull. Cloudy, black dots started to fill his vision, and Fugaku collapsed to the ground when the pain became too intense.
He sat there, gasping and holding the sides of his head, as he tried to will the pain away. Fugaku fortunately had a towel in his pocket that he used to wipe the blood off, and he laid there and blinked slowly as the world swirled around him.
Fugaku frowned when the world stayed blurry longer than normal. It was almost like looking at a mirror fogged up by steam. His Sharingan currently wasn't active, and Fugaku found himself momentarily panicking. Fugaku wasn't sure how long he laid there for, watching blurry images swim by as his headache slowly turned into a dull, steady throbbing. But his vision cleared soon enough, and Fugaku pulled himself to his feet.
His disease was obviously taking its toll, and he cursed, because it made Fugaku realize how limited his time truly was.
000
Danzo wasn't happy. Something told him that he (and the Village Council) wasn't getting the full story when it came to Naruto's whereabouts. Hiruzen was telling people that Naruto was with one of Jiraiya's contacts, and that the Toad Sage would be raising Naruto outside of the village until a certain point in time – whenever that was.
He had tried talking to Hiruzen, but the man immediately shot down anything revolving around Konoha's Jinchuuriki. The Third clammed up, and stated that for security reasons, only select people would know about Naruto's whereabouts, but no-one knew who those people were. It truly aggravated Danzo that he wasn't one of the people "in the know" and it appeared that he wasn't the only one: Mitokado and Koharu, Hiruzen's own teammates, were kept out of the loop as well.
Sure, they complained to Hiruzen and pointed out flaws in his reasoning, but Hiruzen wouldn't budge. He wouldn't even drop a hint as to where the Jinchuuriki was. There was certainly a sense of betrayal felt by his teammates, and Hiruzen gave both of them and the Council a glare as he put a sense of finality on their argument.
"You have the village's interest at heart; not Naruto's. Naruto will be safer and happier where he is right now, and not back in the village." Hiruzen took in a deep breath, and exhaled, smoke surrounding him. "I've made one too many mistakes concerning the boy, and I intend to make up for them."
He tapped his pipe on an ashtray before setting it down. "Don't approach me again concerning Naruto. Consider the conversation over if any of you do."
Danzo said nothing as select members of the Council grumbled, while certain Clan Heads had looks of amusement. They were the ones who had been impartial to the Jinchuuriki and hadn't objected to anything concerning Hiruzen's decision.
In fact, it was Shikaku who simply asked, "So the kid's safe?"
"As safe as he'll ever be," Hiruzen replied, and it was left at that.
Danzo was already planning to have some of his ROOT members look around, and even poke around the various other Hidden Villages, to see if anything came up. He would undoubtedly have to rework years of planning, but Danzo was nothing if not patient.
oo0000oo
The moment Ichibi saw the face of Ryuuma, it felt as if everything around him had gone still. It was him – the man with the black blade who had sat across from him with a smile and told tales of his amazing feats and the Outside world. How could he have forgotten?
000
Ichibi quirked an eyebrow at the Human who stood across from him, with a determined glint in his eyes. He gripped his black sheathed sword tightly, and he declared,
"Tanuki-san! I owe you my life! Allow me to repay you my debt!"
Ichibi only sighed, looking at the Human. He honestly didn't look like much; black hair, dark eyes, and worn clothing. In fact, it seemed that the most expensive thing he owned was that black sword. It made Ichibi wonder if he had stolen it – but there was no malice or anything of the sort connected to the sword.
Since when did Humans want to pay back the Biju for anything? This had been going on for the past week, with this Human repeatedly showing up, insisting that he needed to repay his debt. Sure, he spent time with numerous Humans who had made their way to the Biju's Sanctuary – the Kūhaku Clan were usually the only ones who came around simply to spend time with the Biju. The Clan always treated the Biju with upmost respect and Ichibi had many friends among them that went back a few generations.
Unlike the Elders and various lords who came in the hopes of making deals so that the wars they were waging would be turned in their favor. These foolish Humans often forgot that Biju were meant to keep balance; not win wars for any particular side. Sometimes even politics were brought up; things that were far too boring to even bother remembering.
Deciding that simply because he was bored, Ichibi would humor this odd Human, and maybe get a little fun out of it as well.
"Why?"
The man continued with his reasoning, "You saved my life, Tanuki-san! I must pay you back in full!"
Ichibi rolled his eyes at the dramatic and impassioned speech the man used.
"…You do know what I am, right? I have no fuckin' need for petty Human affairs such as these debts you're goin' on about."
"Tanuki-san, it would be dishonorable of me to simply walk away without paying you back in kind!"
"What's your name, Human?"
The man smirked confidently. "Ryuuma, the Wandering Samurai."
"Alright, then." Ichibi smirked. "I'm Ichibi, but Tanuki is fine as well."
"It's nice to officially meet you, Tanuki-san." Ryuuma bowed in a way that showed he wasn't exactly used to showcasing manners.
Ichibi frowned somewhat at the continued 'san' honorific. The others before him had always referred to him and his siblings as 'sama'. They just met and yet he's already acting so casual? Interesting Human indeed.
Kyuubi shivered, even though he wasn't cold. The sight of Ryuuma and Ikue brought out something in his long-forgotten memories. It made him feel like a fool, for having forgotten.
Ikue who smiled at him, as she proudly showed off her drawings of him and his siblings; and Ryuuma who often went out of his way to see them whenever he came to the Elemental Nations. He had gone out of his way to bring a bottle of sake from his home island of… Kyuubi couldn't remember the name. It had been considered the Elemental Nations' sister country, because... reasons he couldn't recall; it had been how long since he had even thought of it?
It was at the tip of his tongue, but it simply wouldn't come to him.
0000
A man carrying a black-sheathed blade stepped out into the clearing of the Biju's Sanctuary looking around unimpressed. He did give slight pauses whenever his dark eyes landed on one of the Biju, but they weren't filled with the usual awe or fear Humans exhibited whenever they came here for the first time.
"Ichibi, who is that Human?" Hachibi asked, since the Human had entered alongside the Tanuki.
Ichibi simply shrugged. "I unwittingly saved his fucking life, and now he wishes to repay his debts."
Nanabi laughed. "A Human wishes to repay the Biju?" she fluttered her wings briefly before taking flight and landing in front of the Human who didn't even stumble when the earth shook from Nanabi's impact. In fact, the Human didn't even blink an eye at Nanabi who stuck her face as close as she could into the man's own, coming within centimeters of him. "And who might this lowly Human be, that thinks he can pay back the great Biju?"
"Ryuuma, the Wandering Samurai."
"A wanderer?" Nanabi did not look impressed. She scoffed. "A lowly, Human wanderer with a cheap blade like that?" Nanabi was well aware that the blade was nowhere near cheap, but she was looking to get a rise out of the man. Humans often placed far too much value on fleeting possessions. Humans often focused on the most foolish of offences. Chakra hung in the air around her, as she lashed out. "What exactly can you do?"
Still, Ryuuma did not even react. In fact, he looked altogether bored. He scratched his ear. "I killed a Dragon, once."
It was not said as bragging; but rather casually stated as a fact.
"Did you now?" Kyuubi asked, waving his tails. He gave a mocking smirk. "And how big was this Dragon? The size of a small horse?"
"Naw, it was actually bigger than you, Fox-san."
Kyuubi laughed. "Such confidence! How could a Human like as yourself do such a thing?"
Ryuuma looked around for a moment before asking, "How connected are you with that huge rock?"
The rock in question was only a few miles away, and neared twelve meters in height.
"It is a mere rock, so do what you will, Wanderer." Kyuubi said, with a careless wave of his claw. What was this Human going to do?
Ryuuma drew his blade, and it reflected the sunlight. He got into position to execute an attack, and an odd, black sheen slowly covered his blade. He swung his sword, and at first, it seemed as if nothing happened. But then, the top half of the rock began to slide, and it hit the ground with a crash.
The Biju all stared.
"He cut the rock?!" Sanbi exclaimed.
Their shock was due to the fact that there didn't seem to be any chakra or Jutsu involved in that move.
They all looked at Ryuuma, who silently sheathed his sword. Within seconds, he collapsed to the ground, and a loud, growling noise escaped him.
"Eh…" he scratched his head, giving an embarrassed chuckle. "Would you mind if I got something to eat? It's been a few days since I've eaten…"
Kyuubi burst out laughing, at the sheer audacity of this Human. It would certainly be most entertaining to keep him around.
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EDIT: It seems in my sleep-deprived state I referred to Kushina as 'Kuina' more than once. I went through and hopefully fixed everything accordingly (sorry for the confusion!)
A/N: Memories ~ Foreshadowing ~
I'm gonna be busy in the upcoming weeks/months, so I have a few short chapters coming for some of the characters. Ye best be warned, though – Zoro and the boys won't be showing up again for a few chapters.
12 meters = 39 feet
We've got a bit of Q&A goin' on here!
Thanks for the reviews everyone!
Duskrider: Yeah, the Void Century is referenced, but it's not going to have a prominent role. I'd honestly rather leave it up to canon when it finally comes around, because I want to leave that particular mystery alone. Unless maybe I think of something that can be used as more UA/AU world-building.
TheTrueTree: I'm guessing chapter 17ish. It actually won't take long to reach that point, so yay~
TheLonelyWillow: *blushes* you're far too kind, thank you!
Battlesny: Ah, okay. Thanks for the info. Now to add my own rules for how scrolls work in this universe… and yes, various characters from the OP universe will be stronger.
KHR-Yunalesca: Ryuuma appears once again! Trust me, he's going to play a significant role, both in the past and in the future *cough* Thriller Bark *cough*
LegionnaireBlaze: While that is interesting, I've already got plans for the characters. Unfortunately, all of 'em having a Kekkei Genkai wouldn't work, and would be too confusing. BUT! It could definitely work as another story. Maybe some sort of challenge fic?
Gamelover41592: Thank you for the review! I googled Greek names of female gods to fit into the theme with the others, and came across Hecate. In Greek mythology Hecate was a goddess associated with witchcraft, crossroads, tombs, demons and the underworld. There will be more of her explained in an upcoming chapter. There is actually a ton of mythology surrounding her that can be worked into the OP/Naruto 'verse that I really want to play with.