-Futema Mudoya
I hate battle. Even moreso because I happen to be excellent when it comes down to it.
-Sarutobi, to Ayako
Future Legends
Chapter Eleven
Jiraiya had rarely felt like this. He'd gone through life not only by being a shinobi with very strong talents for ninjutsu and uncanny summoning skills, but also by knowing when to say the right thing to the right person. It had allowed him to find Tsunade in a few short weeks whereas other fruitless searches had lasted far longer.
His late father had been the same, only to a higher degree. Futema Mudoya had been a strong ninja, Jounin-level even though he never accepted to officially rise beyond chuunin. But it had been the way he had to make others talk and understand them which had made Mudoya one of the most popular and respected shinobi in Konoha. His mother, while gentle and caring, had always been blunt and prone to temperamental pronouncements. Futema Fusae had been very glad to see that her son had inherited his father's manner when dealing with people.
Looking at his oldest remaining friend, however, Jiraiya wished that his blunt and forceful mother or his far more diplomatic father was there talking in his place. Tsunade was being dragged down by old grief, and there was nothing he could say to stop the landslide. A landslide that had Orochimaru's twisted plan as the end.
"Don't talk about the Third that way again." he sighed suddenly, while drinking some sake. Beside him, his old teammate seemed shaken out of her musings.
"What's that? The Third...?" Tsunade asked, then her face stiffened. She remembered.
'Sarutobi-sensei was the same. An old man dreaming...no wonder he died.' Jiraiya remembered what she'd told him and Naruto. She said it in a voice clouded by old pain. Unlike the young Genin, Jiraiya hadn't believed she had meant the words. But they had still infuriated him. Infuriated him because she'd spoken them at all.
"Don't belittle what the old man was, or what he did. He did more for Konoha and for the Fire Country that both of us put together in his time." He told her pointedly. 'And if I sound a bit harsh there, too darn bad for her!'
For a moment, she glared at him through a face which had been preserved through special medical jutsu and genjutsu. It was a beautiful face - a fact he usually kept to himself - but also a troubled one. Then, after a tense moment, she relaxed into a slightly sullen stance.
"Give me a break, Jiraiya. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
"I hope so. Because that would belittle you." 'And the two whom you loved so much.' he thought, but he wisely kept the last part silent. Talking about Dan and Nawaki had become almost taboo over the years.
"Don't start giving me lectures. You're as bad as that brat of yours." Tsunade said. Only a minute earlier, they'd been talking about how similar Naruto and Nawaki had been, in both mind and body. Jiraiya shook his head wryly as he began to feel slight drowsiness in the back of his mind. 'Naruto always seems to make an impression on people. If the brat ever becomes an Hokage, he won't be a quiet one.'
"Hah! The kid might have some issues, and he screws up a lot. But that's because Konoha screwed up his life. He knows pain and loneliness only too well. Because of that, he takes a dim view of people dismissing others out of hand. I do too. But unlike him, I don't think you meant all that crap you said." 'I hope not. Or else not only am I really a poor shadow of dad's talent, but Konoha might be positively doomed.'
Jiraiya knew he would take the title of Fifth Hokage if Tsunade refused, but he would be a poor Hokage. He loved Konoha, but he didn't have the knack that had made the previous Leaf leaders great.
"The old man may have lost things, but not like me." Tsunade mused almost idly, while pouring herself more sake.
"He lost a lot too." Jiraiya pointed out. His mother's ire mounted, but it was mired by this growing fatigue. 'Guess I'm really getting old.' He thought.
"Yes, well, not that way. He never had someone more precious than life snatched away in a meaningless battle." She said, as if this settled the argument. Jiraiya coughed into his sake, and opened his mouth to retort. But what slipped out of his mouth surprised even him.
"Remember the Cold Mist War?" He asked. It seemed to take her aback, too. 'Good. Something of the old girl's still in there.' He rejoiced. She seemed to struggle as she heard what he said.
"That's really old history, Jiraiya. That was...what...thirty-seven...thirty-eight years ago? What's the point with it?" She asked. But there was hesitation in her eyes. A yearning to have new insight, new wisdom. And, perhaps, new choices.
"It was a pretty tight moment for us...all of us. I mean, our spies were captured - including Ayako-san - or killed outright. The Mist had been fed some inside information, and it was moving in." He sighed sombrely. "And then there was that-" Jiraiya began again, then decided to let the subject drop for the moment. Both knew what he'd been about to say, and knew that it was something Jiraiya would never quite live down. Tsunade looked into her sake for a moment.
"Yeah. It sure was... a dangerous time." she admitted.
Outside, people drifted on their own affairs. 'Lucky devils.' he thought 'They're here because we shinobis fought the Cold Mist War, and the others which followed after. But these people...they probably lost precious people in the war too.'
"You want to know my point? That I miss my parents. I really miss them. Every single day. But I don't let that grief rule my life. They wouldn't want that." He underlined the 'they' slightly to show that it wasn't meant to talk only about his parents, but also of those two whose deaths had scarred his dear friend so.
The answer was immediate. Tsunade's shoulders tensed, and her eyes flared with hurt and anger. Anger at Jiraiya for even skirting the taboo, but also anger at herself for being unable to let go. She struggled with her emotions for a moment, and then gave a ragged hiss.
"You can't understand, Jiraiya-" She said, only to find Jiraiya stare straight back at her.
"You're the one who can't understand. You're not the only one who's suffered." He then turned away. He was starting to feel slightly dizzy, and that took away most of his anger. He stared at no point in particular, remembering the past. His time as a Genin, when Orochimaru had been a comrade, if never quite a friend. Of his departed sensei and his also-departed wife.
"They found each other at that time. The old man and Ayako-san. Before, I think they never quite faced their feelings. But after she'd been captured...after all of that... things began to change. I still remember that team the Third had led to save her." Jiraiya said.
"The best Konoha had, or just about." Tsunade agreed.
"But that didn't matter to Sarutobi back then. I think he would have gone at it alone. I remember when he told me about that time. From what I understand, he never let his feelings show, always kept control. But he never stopped thinking about Ayako-san nonetheless."
38 years earlier...
Hebi Team was very small, being made up of five shinobi. Compared to the hundreds of the other teams and forces that Konoha had assembled in order to meet the possible Mist threat, it was minuscule.
But the power contained in the five who had swiftly crossed a staggering distance in only a mere three days was by no means minuscule.
Among them was Hyuuga Mizuri, thought to be the strongest female Hyuuga alive. Some indeed thought that, had the Main family leader not been supposed to be male, she would have ascended to that position in the near future. Her Blood Limit ability - the Byakugan - as well as her Jyuuken fighting style was second to none among the entire bloodline.
The second was Uchiha Kubo. At twenty-two years of age, he'd been a Jounin for nearly five, and had proven to be a resilient, talented ninja with a strong Blood Limit in the form of the Sharingan, as well as being a first-rate Fire Jutsu user. There were rumours that he could use something else as well, but that those who'd had it used on them were either dead or catatonic...
Compared to the other two, Nara Vaina seemed ordinary. She wasn't extremely powerful, nor were her skills - aside from stealth - much better than the average Jounin. Yet Sarutobi had taken her without hesitation. Not because of her skills, or because the woman happened to have a good grasp of the shadow techniques inherent to the Nara Clan. It simply had to do with the fact that Vaina was never wrong in her guesses. She was an intuitive force to reckon with.
The last man of the team was no less than Kai, Sarutobi's rival and comrade of a hundred missions. Kai had no special ability, but rather had worked everything he had learned as high as he could. His specialty field, however, was Genjutsu. In that, even Sarutobi did not quite match him. Although the two had argued and sometimes fought all of their lives, Sarutobi knew that Kai was a Shinobo one could count on.
Sarutobi, if it had been any other mission, would have felt pride and even some unease in leading such a team. It was certainly the strongest collection of five that Konoha could do. Moreover, each was a talented and highly respected Jounin with a spotless mission record. Yes, at other times, it would have made him worry whether he really had what it took. But not on this mission. All that mattered was that Ayako was out there, and that he was leading a team to rescue her. Failure and even doubts had never been considered.
They glided from tree to tree like ghosts, leaving no trace of their passage, hiding their presence perfectly. They had entered the Mist's borders for the last two hours. So far, they had escaped detection, but they all knew something was bound to happen. He looked to his right as Vaina came at his side.
"Swing around by the right. Straight ahead's no good." She said, seeming almost bored with the entire ordeal. Her eyes, however, were intent.
Sarutobi had seen her work too often to even argue. Wordlessly, he led his team around to the right, before coming back to the direction leading to Hidden Mist. It wasn't long before Mizuri stopped all of them with a swift signal which meant 'Stop. Enemy patrol.' At once, everyone stopped at a tree, pressing themselves against the bark and making no sound. Mizuri's eyes had large veins protruding around them, as she had been using Byakugan for a while now, ever since they'd come inside the enemy territory.
"Have they spotted us?" He asked through special, silent signs.
"Not yet. They haven't lessened their speed, or altered their course." She signalled back in response. The team waited tensely. Sarutobi could sense them now, and once more thanked Vaina's uncanny insight. If they'd continued, they would have met the patrol, and their cover would have been quite blown.
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity but actually was certainly less than a minute, the Hyuuga relaxed ever so slightly. Knowing what that meant, the others left their spot and went to meet her.
"All clear." she confirmed. "They didn't see us or feel us."
"That was a close one, though. We're in the midst of the Mist alright." Kubo muttered. "It's only going to get worse now."
"We all knew that. We might have some casualties, but we can't let them take Idakawa's secrets to the battlefield." Kai would muse silently, but it closed the discussion. Sarutobi, however, vowed that he would bring back his team and Ayako back safely. All of them. If he couldn't do that, then he wasn't worthy to follow his sensei's path as Hokage.
"We don't want casualties if we can avoid them. I say we find the weakest point in the Hidden Mist Village and infiltrate from there." Vaina mused.
"Agreed. Remember that we're here for one reason only: Ayako's rescue. We're not here to sabotage their efforts in any way. I have confidence in Hokage-sama that the Mist will be stopped." Sarutobi said firmly. It seemed to agree with all but Kai, who smirked.
"You'd say that. After all, its your lover in there, isn't it? Wouldn't surprise me if you got emotional on us about her." the Jounin said with a wolfish grin. Hyuuga Mizuri looked at him in disapproval.
"You're out of line, Kai! This personal attack is unbecoming of a Jounin of the Leaf!" She said fiercely. Before the conflict could escalate further, however, Sarutobi put a hand on the powerful Hyuuga's shoulder, and stared at Kai.
For as long as he could remember, he and Kai had been rivals in everything they did. That Sarutobi seemed to always have slightly more talent had infuriated the other man, and Sarutobi had been challenged more than once. Still, he didn't believe that Kai's feelings were that strong. He heard petulance in the man's voice - as if he was seeking fault in his rival. Still, he found Kai's sudden comment petty above all else.
"Kai. When I took this mission, I took it for Ayako first and Konoha second. That much is true. However, since the mission is about rescuing Ayako, there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't lessen my loyalty to Konoha. As for my feelings, I assure you I can control them. I've proven that many times. Please stop trying to throw the work this team has to accomplish by being petty in what you say. Is that clear?" Sarutobi said, glaring at Kai coldly.
The moist forest fell silent as he hissed the last words, the only sounds being the wind and the occasional rustling of the leaves as the wind blew. Kai looked to the others for support, only to see Kubo glaring at him and Vaina looking absolutely uninterested. Whatever Kai was, however, he wasn't a fool. Seeing that his plan had backfired rather badly, he admitted defeat.
"I apologize, commander. It was a rude and unnecessary comment." Kai said. Sarutobi stared at him a moment more, then grunted as he nodded. As far as this incident was concerned, things were under control again.
"Good. We'll follow Vaina's advice. Let's go." he said, and began jumping from tree to tree at inhuman speeds, followed by the others closely. Despite what he had said, however, Sarutobi still doubted himself.
After all, if they were too late, what would he do?
The jutsu washed over Ayako's body, and the chained Jounin couldn't hold back a moan of pain as the chakra-fueled water attack seeped into her nerves. It was all her disciplined mind allowed the body to utter, however, before her jaws clamped shut tight, and she glared at her captor. Having been stripped of clothes except for undergarments, she shivered in the cold of the stonewalled interrogation room.
Her hands had been manacled, and chained to the ceiling. In a way, she was rather glad of that. She had to spend her entire days and nights standing, amidst her own excrements. But that was a trial she had long been prepared for as she had undertaken the necessary training to become a spy for Konoha. At times, however, the pain made her body weak, and when her knees buckled a moment, her chained hands prevented her from falling face-first.
She had little left in the Hidden Village of the Mist, except her pride. She had decided that she would not fall into the ground. Nothing approaching begging or grovelling.
She had held on to her personal oath - and the secrets she knew - for five entire days. Her body had been alternatively burned, shocked, frozen, lashed and had most of everything visited upon her. Yet she hadn't broken. And she felt it annoyed the Mist-nin to no end.
"You're something, I admit." her torturer - a lanky, hawk-eyed Shinobi - mused. His tone was one of boredom, but his irritation was plain to Ayako, who had been trained to see and interpret any subtle nuance.
"Its not that great." She sneered.
"Oh, but it is. By this time, after having your chakra cut off with a seal, with all the tortures you endured...a Leaf Shinobi is usually a very pathetic - and very talkative - puddle of broken oaths. And that's in three days, not five. You're interesting. Annoying, but interesting."
"Yeah? I don't feel that delighted about it. You're a pretty lousy torturer as far as I'm-" She clenched her teeth as the jutsu was activated once more. Her battered body stiffened under the assault, but her knees remained firm. 'Hold on. Please, hold on. I still got that. If he just...' she thought as she saw the torturer pace in front of her. 'Fifteen paces out. Can't risk it.' The Jounin part of her mind told her.
Fleeing was of paramount importance. Although she'd lived through the pain so far, she knew it wouldn't last. Her mind had stayed focused, but it would inevitably unravel from the pressure and the pain. And she would tell them, little by little, about Konoha's defensive plans, escape routes and, most of all, their weaknesses. She didn't know enough to allow them to destroy the Hidden Village. But it was enough to get Jounins - like her dear Saru-kun - killed.
She wouldn't allow it.
Her seal - imprinted on the front of her right shoulder - suddenly flared, and she winced even as the other man laughed at her attempt.
"Now 'that' is amusing! You think you can use your chakra to get free? Don't you Leaf Jounins know that this type of seal negates any drawing you might do?" The Mist asked as he approached her grimacing face. Whether it was imprudence, overconfidence or simply an effect of his gloating, the Mist went forward as he spoke. One, two steps. Three steps.
"Now, maybe I should start a more direct approach with this seal. It can be used in more than one way, most of them painful. I might just-" The torturer said. Four steps. Five.
Controlling her body as only a very select few could do, Ayako regurgitated a dart, which she'd swallowed days before, and which had been protected through a special jutsu she'd invented herself. Knowing that she had but one chance, she aimed and spat it in the enemy's direction. Flying flawlessly, it struck the man on the neck.
He took it out with a surprised gasp, looked at her in fury, took a few angry steps forward, then stopped. His movement became sluggish, and he blinked many times. The poison which had been put in was taking effect. Ayako immediately used her leverage and dexterity to use one naked leg to yank the man close, while the other searched nearly as deftly as fingers. After a while, the Jounin's face smiled grimly, and her feet threw something that her battered left hand caught easily. Pain shot through her from many wounds as she did all of this, but Ayako refused to feel the pain, instead looking at the element she'd taken.
Keys.
She tried a few, until one finally fit. With a deft click, her right hand was freed. She ignored her raw, bleeding wrist and worked to free her other arm.
"Don't feel bad, Mist. You shouldn't. You did hurt me. If this had continued, I would have broken. But the problem was this: I'm the best in Konoha where it comes to this for a reason." Ayako said as her left arm was released. Her entire body screamed, but she gritted her teeth and moved towards the man, whom she'd thrown off a bit with her leg.
His eyes were wide, regarding her with fear but mostly surprised and anger. Ayako nodded - that one had been a sadist, but by no means a coward. Her impressions had been right.
"The problem was that I'd been preparing for the possibility of capture. Mentally, and physically. You sealed me, but I'd managed to draw and keep a good deal of chakra active within my body. That way, I could still do some things - such as that dart which got you." She added as she listened if anyone else was coming. Now wouldn't be the time to be caught. Yet she heard nothing.
She coughed suddenly, and blood splattered on the ground. Some of the jutsus and her constant chakra circulation were rupturing her systems. She wiped her mouth and began searching the man.
"Your seal broke my ability to draw new chakra out, but it didn't block my tenketsus. I was never as helpless as you thought I was."
The man opened his mouth, gargled something, then glared at her with unrestrained fury. Whatever he'd said, she guessed it hadn't been a compliment. She took a kunai and held it over the man.
"But now, if I want to have a chance in hell of making it through this, I have to move. Sorry. I guess you should have remembered how stubbornly we Leaf cling to life." She remarked, her voice cold, even as she plunged the kunai into the enemy's throat. Blood splattered around a moment, and then came out in waves as she ruptured the artery. Even as the Mist drained himself of blood, she began to undo the flak vest to get at the other garments.
It would be too big; it would reek of death and blood. But it would allow her to escape. It seemed to Ayako that the seal had become only a minor nuisance, and she knew why.
She could move again. She was a spy again. And, mostly, she hadn't betrayed Konoha or Saru-kun.
Quickly, Ayako set to work despite her wounded body. There was much work to do.
The Present...
"Yeah, Ayako-san wasn't too shabby. Even after all that, she still held her own."
"I'd have expected it. She was the best spy there was in her days, some say."
"Geez, Tsunade. Can't you taste the nice, romantic feel here?!"
"You mean when you where head over heels over that..."
"...yeah. Back then."
38 years earlier...
Jiraiya couldn't help himself. He'd tried to hold it in for nearly a minute, thinking it would pass. He had been grievously deceived. It was there, and it wanted out - no matter the work he was doing at that moment.
Consequently, his body acted without his consent, and Futema Jiraiya yawned rather loudly.
The effect was immediate. A tired sigh came from afar - the exact place was unknown to the genin's closed eyes - and he heard steps coming in his direction. 'Darn it! This old guy really hears every little thing.'
"Jiraiya, a meditation is not supposed to induce sleep. It's supposed to free your spirit." An old, patient - well, less patient now - voice told him, as it had a dozen times already. Jiraiya squirmed; caught between his irritation and the fact that he knew quite well how important the person he was talking to was.
"But...Hokage-sama...if I close my eyes, I eventually want to sleep, you know?!?" The white-haired boy exclaimed, and actually opened his eyes to stare into another white-haired face. That one was wrinkled, showing years of training, battles, joy and sadness of many decades. The Second Hokage had been leading Konoha since before Jiraiya was born, taking the reins while the First Hokage had still lived. He was certainly the most revered and respected man in Konoha, and probably one of the best in the Fire Country.
Jiraiya didn't care if he was arguing with a legend, however. He was tired, and that was that.
"You're not supposed to void your mind so that you'll fall asleep. You need to focus your mind on something so that you can access your chakra better. Look at your comrades." The Second sighed, gesturing at the other two Genins. Neither Orochimaru nor Tsunade had moved form their sitting position, their face as serene as a gentle breeze. "Even the tomboy can do it. Why can't I?!" he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, and he was gratified to see Tsunade's eyebrow twitch for a moment.
The Second seemed to consider his words for a moment, and looked about to say something, when a grey-garbed Chuunin came into view, walking to the elder shinobi briskly.
"Hokage-sama! The elders need your counsel." The Chuunin said respectfully.
"Very well, then. Orochimaru, Tsunade. You may stop now. Good work on controlling yourself. It'll allow you to extract more chakra if you use what you felt carefully. Jiraiya, you have to find your centre. Only then can you truly begin to attain chakra mastery. Training done for now. I will see you three tomorrow." The old man said.
It was all Jiraiya could do not to make obscene signs at the Hokage's back. 'That old man really gets on my nerves!'
"Meditation, molding, concentration techniques, jutsu discussions... at least Sarutobi gave us jutsu! That old guy's not giving us anything!"
He received a sound whack by Tsunade for this, but it was Orochimaru who replied in his not-quite-snide voice.
"All of that's been very helpful. The Second's giving us advanced training, you know. A few of these tricks are meant for Chuunins at the least. I'm personally finding it enlightening. Not that it'd register to someone like you."
Jiraiya glared, but knew better than to argue with the snake-like boy. The Second had praised Orochimaru's ability to concentrate more than once, and that had made the snake's ego soar. Orochimaru had always acted like he was somewhat better than every other Genin in Konoha. This tendency was starting to get stronger these days, however. Even Tsunade had gotten into one or two arguments with the pale-skinned boy.
Not that he showed it in front of the Second. Of course not. 'Damned, boot-licker! Trying to get on the Second's good side, huh?'
He huffed and left his comrades, rubbing his head even as he walked away. Tsunade hit just as hard as ever, although she seemed to have been calmed somewhat since the Second had talked to her. She had never told him about the discussion, and glared at any attempt to talk about it.
Deep down, Jiraiya knew that it was his own impatience that was making him fail. However, he was too prideful to admit it to himself. 'Well, outside only. Inside, I know better. It's just like my dad kept saying all the time: Power isn't the only Shinobi Path. Guess there're worse things. But, damn! Why do we have to meditate so often, anyway?! It can't be helping us that much!'
Letting it go for now, Jiraiya began to debate on how to spend the rest of his day. Training, he was pretty sick of, so he elected to take a leisurely stroll instead.
He had barely begun walking it when he heard a familiar voice calling to him. He turned to see Maya walking towards him. A smile came to the Genin's lips, unbidden. For some reason, Maya always seemed to be nicer to him than to the others, and he felt warm every single time she singled him out for something.
"Hey, Jiraiya. Whats up?" she asked him, smiling at him in a way she didn't to others. He shrugged in response as they crossed one of Konoha's many bridges.
"I've been practicing meditation under the Second. But I can't seem to get the hang of it. Never was a guy to stand still." Jiraiya noted. She seemed to consider this for a moment, then shrugged herself.
"Just tell him you don't like it." she noted. The white-haired Genin nearly strangled himself in surprise.
"What? Even I'm not stupid enough to go and tell the Second Hokage, a shinobi they say helped build our Hidden Village more than the First himself, off like that! Sarutobi-sensei would kill me outright!" He gasped. He already had imagined several scenarios revolving around that theme. None of them were specially pleasant. Some were rather frightening.
She stopped, then looked at him with an odd look, as if assessing him, then her face bloomed into a smile.
"Whatever you do, Jiraiya, I trust you. You trust me, don't you?" She asked, and he squirmed with the implications some budding part of his mind was grasping.
"S-sure. Of course I do!" He exclaimed. The budding part urged more caution, but Jiraiya easily crushed the very idea. 'Who needs caution? That girl is great!'
"That's what I like about you, Jiraiya: you're an honest guy. Well, keep it up, and protect Konoha well!" And with that, she startled him with a slight peck on the cheek, before walking off.
Jiraiya just stood there for a few moments, touching his cheek, before raising his fist in the air and startling many a passerby with his cry.
"LEAVE IT TO ME!"
Fusae, Jiraiya's mother, had never been a soft woman. Caring, gentle, compassionate, spirited. All of these, she could be. But never soft. It was a trait that had driven Jiraiya's father towards her, just like his father's wisdom had drawn his mother towards kind Mudoya. His mother, Mudoya often told his son, had never allowed personal weakness to deter her.
Knowing the garden his mother kept, Jiraiya agreed completely.
When the Futemas had bought the cozy home and space, there had been little else but some ferns and dried earth, with barely a few boughs to add a little green. The two had planted trees to put a little life, but the crux of the matter came when his mother had been wounded. Refusing the doctors' prognostic that she would never recover, Fusae had taken gardening as her own battleground, using the tasks needed to build a magnificent garden as her way of training her body.
Although she had never recovered enough to be a Shinobi, she had still made a miraculous road to health. She had thus become an herbalist of great talent, and it showed in the green and colours of the Futemas' garden.
Jiraiya, however, did not take much heed to the flowers, boughs and medical plants which artfully dotted much of the backyard, having grown with these plants as far as he could remember. It was only when he heard a voice he knew well that he stopped.
"I see. So using this plant's roots boiled in water can cause temporary paralysis." Orochimaru's voice drifted in from far side of the backyard. Intrigued, Jiraiya walked towards the sound.
"Yes, but you must remember that you must use the right amount. Too much can cause a loss of consciousness which can be rather hard to break. Too little may actually give the person more energy, because it will stimulate the nerves instead of straining them." He heard his mother say patiently. 'Patiently. Why is she always patient with the snake, and not with me?' he thought.
"Very interesting. And is there a way to use these roots and make a sort of time bomb? I mean, a paralysis that does not occur immediately." The snake pressed, although his tone was always polite. Respectful, even, which was a rare sight.
Aside from the Second and the three's sensei, Jiraiya's parents were the only ones who had the pale Genin's respect for some reason. What that reason was, however, the white-haired boy couldn't fathom.
"Well...oh, Jiraiya. I didn't know you were here. How was your day?" His mother asked. She had turned her face away from Orochimaru, and Jiraiya could have sworn he saw a glimmer of relief flicker through her eyes as she did.
"Pretty good day, mom. The Hokage still gives useless lessons-" he began.
"Hokage-sama is known for many things, but not for giving 'useless' lessons." his mother interjected with a frown. Jiraiya kept talking as if she hadn't interrupted.
"-But I got to meet Maya-chan because of it, so it's all cool!" he finished enthusiastically.
Orochimaru, who'd been looking at some roots in his hands thoughtfully, seemed to perk up at this, in the way that he raised his eyes and looked at Jiraiya directly.
"Maya? The kunoichi from Kumo?" he wondered.
"That's the one!" Jiraiya replied cheerfully, even moreso when he saw that Orochimaru seemed unhappy with the news. 'Ha! He must have tried his luck with her and's been shut down!' He thought gleefully. It was a rare sight to see Jiraiya best Orochimaru at anything, and that made Maya all the more precious to him.
"Well, don't get head over heels about this, Jiraiya! Your training comes first, remember that!" His mother told him firmly. There was no messing with that tone, the boy knew.
"Yeah, mom, I got ya. Really, I do!" he insisted.
"Good. Good! Well, boys, come inside and I'll give you some juice. Dinner'll be a little late, since your father has a meeting." Fusae said, and got up, dusting herself, barely limping as she made her way to the house. 'Now wonder dad is impressed by her.' Jiraiya thought. 'Still, I don't get why he gets so moony over things she says.'
"Jiraiya." Orochimaru said seriously.
The white-haired Genin perked up immediately. Orochimaru rarely called him by his name, and never used a tone that didn't have at least 'some' arrogance in it, hidden or otherwise. This time, however, all he felt from his egocentric comrade was a sort of...unease. Orochimaru was uneasy? 'Now the trees will come to life and attack Konoha.' his mind thought in twisted wonder.
"I...don't think you should be too friendly with Maya." The snake-like boy told the reckless boy. Jiraiya nearly fell backward in surprise. Was Orochimaru actually showing 'concern'?
"W-w-what? Why's that? I mean, Maya's a fine girl. She's gone through a lot to bring us this message..." Jiraiya protested.
"Maybe. But she's Kumo, right? Why isn't she going back home? I mean, she's been here a long while, and she's completely recovered." The snake-boy said thoughtfully. Jiraiya had to pause from the weight of the argument for a moment. 'She 'has' been here a long time.' He thought, only to have that replaced by 'She must have her reasons.'
"Who knows? It's probably something like the war between the Leaf and Mist heating up. Maybe scared she'd get caught in the crossfire or something." He tried. Although it sounded lame, it also sounded right to Jiraiya's ears. 'And, who knows? Maybe she has an even better reason.' But Orochimaru, annoyingly to Jiraiya's eyes, wasn't convinced.
"Get caught like that? Her message is delivered. From here on in, she's a simple Cloud Shinobi. And I'm willing to bet that even an aggressive village like the Hidden Mist wouldn't want to drag Cloud to Konoha's side by killing one of its people. It would be military suicide. Mist, from what I know, doesn't have the sheer numbers to beat Konoha in a war of attrition. With Cloud on Konoha's side, they'd be crushed. I'm sure the Mizukage wouldn't-" Orochimaru said patiently. More than he usually did. It was Jiraiya's patience that snapped.
"You're just guessing! Its possible she's got good reasons!" He told Orochimaru accusingly. His tone was becoming hostile, and he didn't care.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Just keep your distance. Because we're not sure."
"You're not sure! 'I'm' sure! Maya is fine! Now drop the subject! This is getting on my nerves! Just leave her alone! And leave me alone while you're at it! Since when do I need your advice, anyway?!?"
With that, Jiraiya angrily stomped away, while Orochimaru remained silent behind him.