-1

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Demon/Summon/inner Sakura speech

Demon/Summon thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters created by Kishimoto, but all OC's are my own creation.

battousai222: Unfortunately it won't be in this Chapter, but in chapter 13 Naruto will learn who his parents are.

TheDon1023: Sorry about that, I meant that Sarutobi will try to keep the fact that Sasuke tried to kill Naruto secret from Anko, but she will find out. Zabuza will end up telling them a little of his past with Yugito in this chapter, it won't be much, but he will tell them what he thinks is the reason for Yugito's assault.

Raptor2001: I've already got a design for the Kodachi, but I'll keep your request in mind for the other sword that Naruto gets later.

Rooster455: Yes, Kushina is head of her own village.

xXChristineXx: Team 7's third member will be revealed at the start of the Chunin Exams. Hinata is still part of team 8 under Kurenai. I'm thinking of calling it Kumorigakure no sato (Hidden Shadow village) is its translation, but I like to say it like this 'The Village Hidden in the Shadows' and if your wondering I plan to have it located in the former Whirlpool country.

The Rogue Stallion: He'll be learning it in this chapter.

dragoon-zerox: Kakashi sent Hinata, as a bodyguard, with Tazuna as he went to go and buy some more sake. Now as for Sarutobi, I won't saw much, but he doesn't know Kushina is alive, Kushina had already escaped before Sarutobi was reappointed, so there are only a few people in Konoha that know she's alive. I'll reveal more later as the story progresses.

Tw33ty JR.: No, Naruto will never forget about Tsunade. In fact she will always be one of the most important people in his life.

silent-moradin-of-the-abyss: Catches the cookie thanks; now as for your question, I honestly didn't think of that, I just thought that he would feel ashamed of how his village treated Naruto. Maybe I can use it later when Naruto returns to Konoha.

Author's Note: Now I know I said Anko's major reason would be revealed in this chapter, but the outline I did for this turned out to be so long that I had to split this chapter in two, the end of this chapter was only meant to be the halfway point, but as you can see it turned out to be very long. So it will defiantly be in the next chapter. I also wanted to say that the Chunin Exams will start by chapter 15 or 16, so you know what that means, Naruto will be returning to Konoha within the next few chapters, and then everyone will get to see what Konoha's reaction will be.

Now on with the story.

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Chapter 11: Orochimaru's offer… and Tsunade's Decision.

(Konoha- Hokage Tower)

Sarutobi was having a good day, his paperwork was all caught up, his grandson hadn't tried to attack him at all today, and he was planning to take an afternoon stroll after the mission briefings. That is it was a good day until Team 7 came in, and Kakashi had asked for a private briefing.

His fears were proven right as he heard Kakashi's mission report. He looked over at Team 7 until his eyes settled on Kakashi he then said "You realize what this means, don't you Kakashi?"

"I do Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi rested his head on his hands as he said "Then I'm leaving all disciplinary action to you, and labeling this Information as an S-Ranked secret, so you are not permitted talk about this with anyone, is that understood?" 'If Anko finds out this, who knows what she'll do?

"Hai Hokage-sama." came the reply of Team 7.

After dismissing Team 7 Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and stared at the picture of the Yondaime. A sad smile crept on his face as he thought 'At least my student succeeded, where I had failed, and maybe there is still time to make up for past mistakes.'

He then summoned two Chunin messengers and relayed his orders "I want you two to go, and bring Jiraiya and Anko here at ONCE!"

"Hai Hokage-sama." said the two Chunin as they race off to complete their mission.

(Outside the Tower)

Hinata had just left the tower when she ran into Kurenai who asked "How was your first C-Ranked mission Hinata?"

"A-Actually Kurenai-Sensei, i-it turned out to be an A-A-Ranked mission." said Hinata as she poked her index fingers together.

"What!? How did that happen? Are you alright? Did anyone get hurt?" asked a very concerned Kurenai.

"I-I sorry S-Sensei, but I-I'm not aloud to talk about it, b-but I-I can tell you t-that no one was s-seriously hurt. H-Hokage-sama ordered us to s-secrecy." said a nervous Hinata as she put her hands in her pockets and touched the scroll Naruto had given her.

Hinata pulled the scroll from her pocket and after looking at it for a second she said "K-Kurenai-sensei, d-do you know a p-person by the name of A-Anko?"

Now this completely floored Kurenai, of all the questions she was expecting Hinata to ask that was not one of them. Filing the information about the classified mission for later she answers "Yes Hinata, I know Anko-san, but can I ask how you know her name?"

"S-Someone asked me to give her this scroll. S-So could you p-please take me to her?" asked Hinata.

Kurenai nodded her head and lead Hinata to Anko's location.

(Dango Shop)

Anko had just finished her last dango and had started to wonder how Naruto was doing when she saw Kurenai approach her followed by one of her students.

"What are you doing here Kurenai, and who's the brat?" asked Anko as she flicked her Dango stick to finish the leaf pattern she had made on the wall.

"This is Hinata, and she has something to give you." said Kurenai as she gestured to Hinata.

Anko just turned back toward the counter and said "Well, whatever it is, I don't want it."

"ANKO!" scolded Kurenai as she looked at Hinata's lowered head. 'She's been like this ever since that boy died.'

"B-But N-N-Naruto-kun…" said Hinata as she looked down at the scroll.

At that one word Anko's head shot up and she looked at Hinata for the first time, that's when she noticed the scroll in her hands and said "What did you say?"

"N-N-Naruto-kun gave me this, h-he told me, t-to d-deliver this to y-you." said a meek Hinata as she tightened her grip on the scroll.

Kurenai started to pay attention to the conversation the moment she saw Anko's head snap up, and when she heard Hinata say that name again she started to wonder. 'Naruto? I know I've heard that name before, but where? Wait! Isn't that the name of…?' "Anko?"

Anko looked up at Kurenai with a serious expression and said "Kurenai, promise me you won't tell a soul."

Anko saw Kurenai just nod her head before she turned back to Hinata and took the scroll and began to read it:

Dear Anko-neechan,

I hope you read this letter before the old man talks to you. As you can guess by the fact that Hinata gave you this, Konoha now knows I'm alive, and well. We all knew this would happen eventually, but man, are all the shinobi of that village complete assholes totally obsessed with power? ('He must be talking about that brat of an Uchiha.') I meet this one guy who tried to kill me by throwing a spear in the back, just for being better that him, and he nearly killed my new friend in the process. (Anko gritted her teeth and her grip tightened on the letter, her mind already coming up with ways to make the Uchiha suffer) Now I just have one favor to ask of you Neechan, since I couldn't do anything because he has the protection of Konoha. I was wondering if you could do something about that, the only thing I ask is that you don't kill him, that way he can learn his lesson (make it as painful as possible please). (Anko got a sadistic smile on her face as she thought of all the things she was going to do to Sasuke 'Oh I'm going to enjoy making him pay, Heh, heh, heh…' she then continued to read) Anyway I getting off track here, the main reason I wrote this letter is to ask if you would help train Hinata here, it seems her life in Konoha was almost as hard as mine. Please be patient with her for she has absolutely no confidence in herself, so it's going to take some time to build that up. I've already started helping her, but I can't help her when she's in Konoha so I'm asking you this one favor, please train her, if nothing else it will really piss off the ones responsible for her mental state.

Naruto

After she read the letter Anko sat there for a moment and thought about what she should do. If it had been anyone else asking her this she would have immediately said no, but this was her otouto asking so she decided to do it on a trail basis.

"Fine, I'll help you kid, but if I feel you're not making any progress, I gone, got that" said Anko as she looked at Hinata.

Kurenai looked on in shock as she sees Hinata nod her head, never in a million years did she expect to see Anko agree to train anyone especially after what happened to Naruto.

Before Kurenai could ask any questions a Chunin messenger arrived and approached Anko.

"Excuse me Anko-san, but Hokage-sama summons you to a meeting, he wants you there ASAP." said the Chunin as he nervously awaited her reply.

"Fine" was all Anko said before she headed to the tower.

(Hokage's Office)

Sarutobi sat in his chair awaiting the arrival of Jiraiya and Anko. He was also contemplating this turn of events. 'What am I going to do now? By law I have to inform the council, but what will that mean for Naruto?'

Sarutobi was brought out of his thoughts when a voice said "What do you want Sensei? You interrupted my research, and it was just getting good to."

"I have more important matters to discuss with you, than your interrupted research. Like for starters, why you failed to report the fact, that Naruto Uzumaki was alive and well, and is in Tsunade's care." said Sarutobi as he put his pipe on his desk.

Jiraiya got a serious expression on his face as he said "I did that for the boy's protection. You know as well as I do, that most of the villagers want him dead. What would you have me do, tell everyone that he survived, so they could hunt him, and finished what they started all those years ago?"

"That's not what I meant Jiraiya, and you know it. You could have at least told me about it. That way…"said Sarutobi before he was interrupted by a knock on the door "Enter."

As Anko enter the room she saw Jiraiya standing in front of the Hokage's desk, that's when she knew for curtain what this was about, so she said "You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair as he said "Yes Anko, it's come to my attention, that you have withheld information about a certain boy's survival."

"I see." was all Anko said as her face remained neutral and she waited for Sarutobi to continue.

"Don't worry Anko, I haven't told the council yet, and I don't plan to until I have a talk with Tsunade. So, I've decided to send both of you to go find her, and escort her back here. This will be an S-Ranked mission, and I'm not taking no for an answer, now Anko, I trust you know where they are." said Sarutobi with a serious expression.

"Maybe."

"Anko, I have no time for games, it's only a matter of time before the council finds out on its own, and I would like to talk to Tsunade before that." said Sarutobi as he picked up his pipe and lit it.

"Fine." said Anko as she bowed and then left the room with Jiraiya not far behind, but the moment the door closed behind her, Jiraiya stopped in his tracks and turned to face Sarutobi.

"Sensei I have to know, is Naruto Ar…Minato's son?" said Jiraiya as he watched Sarutobi for any indication of the truth.

When Sarutobi just lowered his hat and remained quite Jiraiya had his answer.

He shook his head and said "I thought as much, but does she know about him?"

"No, she still thinks he's dead." said Sarutobi as he took a puff from his pipe.

"Why?" was all Jiraiya that could say.

Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose before he said "The council had already declared him dead before I was reappointed, and at the time she was too young to be looking after a newborn baby anyway. So, I went along with it, and gave him his mother's clan name, to honor her memory."

Jiraiya simply crossed his arms and said "You do realize, that she is going to be really pissed when she finds out right? It wouldn't surprise me in the least, if she decided to leave the village."

"Which is why I'm ordering you, not to tell either of them about this, until I think they're ready, understand. It's become an SS-ranked secret of the village Jiraiya." said a very serious Sarutobi.

"Fine, I'll keep your secret for now, but they deserve to know." said Jiraiya in a disgusted voice as he walked out of the office.

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and thought 'I'm getting to old for this.'

(Tanzuku Town)

Naruto and the others have just arrived in town, when Tsunade decided that her first stop would be one of the local casinos. As Naruto watched her walk off, followed shortly by Shizune, he let a sigh and said "I can't just let her go off like that, there's no telling how much money she's going to lose, and I really wanted to go, and pick up the sword I ordered the last time I was here too."

"I'll get it for you kid, I'm not really fond of casinos anyway." said Zabuza while Haku was wondering if Tsunade was really as bad as Naruto said.

"Thanks Zabuza-sensei, here, in this scroll is the money for the sword, as well as all the proof you'll need to get the sword." said Naruto as he hands Zabuza the scroll.

As Zabuza took the scroll he looked at it for a second before he said "Alright, after I get this sword of yours, I'll be waiting for you guys at that pub we saw a few blocks back."

When Zabuza was out of sight Naruto turned to Haku and said "Well, shall we go Haku-chan?"

Naruto and Haku finally caught up with Tsunade and Shizune, Tsunade was already in the middle of a losing streak and after watching her lose some more Haku asked "I thought you were kidding when you said, there's no telling how much she'll lose."

"Well, in all the years Kaasan's been doing this, I don't think I've seen her win once. Her luck has been so bad, that everyone started to call her 'The Legendary Sucker'." said Naruto as he turned to face Haku.

The moment he finished that statement the sounds of bells going off could be heard indicating someone has won the jackpot. When Naruto turned back he received a shock for it was Tsunade herself that won the Jackpot with three '7's' this caused him to yell out "What the hell!?"

Tsunade continued to hit the jackpot several more time causing Naruto to stare at her wide eyed and slack jawed. He then recovered from his shock pointed directly at Tsunade and said "Ok! Who are you, and what have you done with my Kaasan!?" This outburst caused Haku and Shizune to just shake their heads as Tsunade turned to face him.

"Knock it off Naru-chan." said Tsunade as she went back to playing the slots, but when she hit another jackpot she thought 'Naru-chan's right, I never get three 7's, let alone get them this many times in a row. I've got a bad felling about this.'

After Tsunade and the others left the casino, they started to make their way up the street to meet up with Zabuza when Tsunade suddenly stopped and said "Once we meet up with Zabuza, I want to leave this town as soon as possible."

This caused the rest of the group to stop dead in their track as Naruto turned to look at Tsunade before he said "You can't be serious Kaasan, we just got here, and you already want to leave? What's going on?"

Before Tsunade could even answer the building in front of them exploded as a giant snake came barreling through. As the smoke cleared two figures could be seen standing in the area of the destroyed building.

Shizune's eyes widen as she recognizes one of the figures and started to say "That's…"

"Orochimaru" said Tsunade as she lowered her head and glared at him.

"Ku, Ku, Ku, I've finally found you Tsunade." said Orochimaru as he tilts his head back and to the left but never takes his eyes off of Tsunade.

"And what business could you possible have with me?" asked Tsunade as she moved to the front of the group so that she was between Naruto and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru got a smile on his face as he said "Nothing much really, I've just come to see if you'll be willing to help me."

"Help…you? And what would you need my help with?" asked Tsunade.

"Oh, it's just a little project I've been working on for awhile now."

Tsunade started to get a little irritated and tapped her foot while she said "And that would be?"

"Why, the utter destruction of Konoha of course." said Orochimaru as his smile got bigger and his snake like tongue ran across his lips.

At hearing this Tsunade's head shot up as her eyes widen and then she said "What!?"

"I said, I plan to burn Konoha to the ground, and wipe it from existence." said Orochimaru in a menacing voice.

"And what makes you think, I'll help you with that?" said Tsunade as she raised her right eyebrow.

"Tsunade, Tsunade, Tsunade, do you take me for a fool? I know all about your bitterness towards Konoha, I even know that it has increased over the years, and that you're just waiting for your chance to strike." said Orochimaru as he stared at Tsunade as if he was looking into her soul.

Seeing Orochimaru stare at Tsunade like that really pissed off Naruto and he vocalized it by saying "Hey freak! If you glare at my Kaasan like that again, then I won't be responsible for the consequences."

'What an annoying brat.' thought Orochimaru as he looked at the boy who had gained his attention before he got a sneer on his face as he said "Look here you little brat, don't butt into an adult conversation, or you'll find out that you've bitten off more than you can chew. I'll personally see to that. Ku, Ku, Ku."

"Orochimaru, if you talk to him like that again…" said Tsunade in a sickeningly sweet voice as she slammed her left fist into the building beside her. As the wall crumbled Tsunade got a pissed off look on her face as she said in a menacing voice "AND I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Now, now Tsunade-sama, I'm sure Orochimaru-sama meant no offense, and as for his offer you don't have to decide now, but we'll be back by the end of the week, and we'll expect your answer by then." said Kabuto as he gave a slight bow.

"Come Kabuto, lets get going." said Orochimaru as he turned to leave, but he stopped halfway into the turned tilting his head back he make eye contact with Tsunade before he said "Oh, and Tsunade, I plan to reward you for your help, but I'll keep that to myself until you decide, so I expect a favorable reply."

Later that night Naruto and the others meet up with Zabuza at the local pub to discuss the situation they are in.

"I really don't see what all the discussion is about, we either take him up on his offer, or we don't, it's as simple as that." said Zabuza as he took another swig from his sake bottle.

"It's not that simple Zabuza-san, you don't know him like we do. Whatever he's planning for Konoha, it's a safe bet, that it's going to involve the deaths, of a lot of innocent people." said Shizune.

"Innocents and Konoha, those two words should not be used in the same sentence." said Tsunade as she took another sip of sake.

"You can't mean that Tsunade-sama, at the very least, the children are innocent." said Shizune in a pleading voice.

"You may be right Shizune-neechan, but Kaasan is right as well, there aren't many innocents left in Konoha, and if the group we encountered is any indication, at least two-thirds of them can't be trusted. What do you think Haku-chan?" said Naruto as he to took a sip of the tea Shizune got for him.

Haku just sat there for a moment before she decided to speak "I've never encountered this man before, but I have heard stories, and they weren't pleasant ones either, they involved torture, and all sorts of strange experiments being conducted on people. The person that told me this also said 'For those people who are found unworthy of being part of sound, they simple disappear, and are never heard from again.'"

Tsunade just shook her head after hearing this 'Even after all these years, he hasn't changed at all.' "And we can't forget what he did to Anko-san."

Naruto's head shot up when he heard this, he turned to look at Tsunade before saying "What did that freak do to Anko-neechan?"

"He…" Tsunade never got to finish her sentence as Jiraiya came diving through the door as a kunai went flying over his head and imbedded itself in the wall.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" screamed Jiraiya as Anko came storming through the doors with another kunai in her left hand.

Anko just glared at the man cowering on the floor before she said "YOU FRIEKEN PERVERT! IF YOU EVER TRY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, I'LL CASTRATE YOUR ASS, YOU GOT THAT! Honestly! I don't know why my father, held you in such high regards!"

"Anko-neechan?" said Naruto as he looked on at the scene with complete amazement.

When Anko heard Naruto's voice she completely forgot about Jiraiya, she got a smile on her as she turned her head toward where she heard Naruto. She then waved her hand at them while she said "Hey Gaki! It's been awhile hasn't it?"

"First it's Orochimaru, and now Jiraiya shows up, what else is going to happen before I leave this damn town?" said an annoyed Tsunade as she took another swig from her sake bottle.

Before anyone could say anything else Jiraiya was back on his feet and walking toward Tsunade, he then got a serious look on his face and said "Tsunade, we have to talk."

A few minutes and several introductions later they finally got to the reason Jiraiya and Anko were there.

He just looked Tsunade in the eyes and said "Look Tsunade, I'll get straight to the point. Sarutobi-sensei, wants you to come back to Konoha, so he can have a face to face conversation with you, before he informs the council of Naruto's survival."

Tsunade just scoffed at the idea "Sarutobi-sensei must be getting senile at his old age, did he honestly think I would agree, to take Naruto back to that hellhole?"

"I'm not to sure, but I can hazard a guess, he wanted to get the full story from you, before the council started calling for a missing nin status for either Shizune, Naruto, or yourself." said Jiraiya as he poured himself a drink.

'Great, just great, as if we don't have enough problems to deal with, now Konoha wants to get itself involved.' thought Tsunade as she just stared into her drink.

Jiraiya let out a sigh and continued "You know you're going to have to face this eventually, so why not deal with it before it gets out of hand Tsunade."

"Shut up Jiraiya! I know what I have to do." said Tsunade as she gave him a harsh look.

The rest of the evening went by in silence until Jiraiya said "It's starting to get late, so I better go and get us our rooms, alright Anko."

"They better be separate, or you won't live to see tomorrow." said Anko as she chewed on a Dango stick and glared at him.

Jiraiya quickly made his exit after that and the moment he was out of sight Tsunade spoke "Anko-san, there's something I need to tell you. Orochimaru approached us earlier today, he wants us to join him in destroying Konoha."

"WHAT!? You didn't except did you?" yelled Anko as the dango stick dropped to the ground forgotten.

"We haven't given him an answer yet, but he expects one by the end of the week. And before you even ask, we know all the dangers that come with teaming up with him, and I don't think we'll be joining up with him, but…( Tsunade just shook her head before continuing) Never mind, anyway, I think Naru-chan over there, will want to personally make the man suffer, after he finds out what he did to you." said Tsunade as she pointed over at Naruto.

That's when she notices the position that the sleeping forms of Naruto and Haku were in, and a smile crossed her face, for Naruto was leaning back against the wall with Haku leaned up against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "Well, I guess it is getting pretty late after all, and we should all turn in for the night."

Anko just looks at the two of them before she said "Are you sure she's good enough for him?"

Repressing a laugh Tsunade answers "Well… she almost died to protect him, so I'd say she really cares about him."

'So, this is the new friend he wrote to me about.' thought Anko as Tsunade went over to them and gently nudged Naruto.

"Hey, it time to get up sleepyhead, were heading to the hotel now." said Tsunade in a soft voice as she lightly shook his shoulder.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes let out a yawn and said "W-What time is it?"

"It's about 2 A.M. gaki, now I know you like the position you're in but we really need to get going." said Anko as she let a smile cross her face as she teased Naruto.

"What are you…" Naruto never finished his sentence as he felt something on his left shoulder, when he turned his head where he saw Haku using his shoulder as a pillow. He rubbed the back of his head as a slight blush crossed his face as he said "Uh, how did this happen?"

Naruto then gently nudged Haku as he said "Come on Haku-chan, it's time to get up."

"MMMM… Just let me rest for a few more minutes Zabuza-sama."

"Uh Haku-chan, I'm not Zabuza-sensei."

Haku's eye shot open when she heard that and her head quickly shot up. After she realized what had happened her face turned as red as a tomato and then she said "I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun I don't know how that happened."

At this point both Tsunade or Anko broke out laughing, when Tsunade was able to calm down she said "Alright you two, enough goofing around, it's getting late, and I'm beat, so lets turn in for the night."

Both Naruto and Haku remained silent as they followed everyone else back to the hotel.

(The Following Morning)

Naruto yawned as he followed Zabuza to a quit spot just outside of town. When they finally reach it Zabuza pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Naruto. "With everything that happened yesterday, I didn't get a chance to give you this."

When Naruto opened the scroll his new sword came out. It had a golden fox head at the base, with a navy blue wrapping around the handle, and with nine golden tails twisting around the handle as well going from the fox head all the way up to the hilt. The sheath was a midnight black with some gold trim, and when he pulled it out of the sheath he looked at the blade shine red in the morning sun, for the blade itself was a blood red color with the kanji for claw etched into its base.

As Naruto started to go through some of the moves that Zabuza showed him he said "Man, that blacksmith did a really good job on this Kodachi, it's perfectly balanced and unbelievable light."

"Not bad kid, I see your form has improved, so lets see how you handle this." said Zabuza as he drew his sword and charged Naruto.

Naruto was able to block all the strikes that Zabuza through at him only to have Zabuza say "Your guard has gotten better, but you're still leaving your left side exposed." Zabuza then did a round house kick to Naruto's left side knocking him to the ground.

At the other end of the field Tsunade watched Naruto's training as she thought about Jiraiya's words as well as Orochimaru's offer. 'Naruto's skills keep growing by the day, perhaps it is time that we confront Konoha, but the question is how? Do we join forces with Orochimaru, and fight against Konoha, or should I go with Jiraiya and talk to Sarutobi-sensei? I know I can't trust Orochimaru, so the answer seems obvious, but, how do I know Sarutobi-sensei can be trusted?'

"You're wondering if the old man can be trusted, aren't you?" said Jiraiya as he interrupted Tsunade's train of thought.

"And if I am?"

"How about if I give you my word, that no matter what happens, I'll stick with you, even if it means going against Konoha." said Jiraiya as he put his left hand on her shoulder and gave her a thumbs up with his right.

Tsunade turned to face Jiraiya and said "Don't ever give me a reason to doubt you Jiraiya."

Naruto was on one knee with Zabuza standing over him. Zabuza sticks his sword in the ground and said "I think that's enough sword practice for today."

As Zabuza turned to leave Naruto asked "Zabuza-sensei, I've been meaning to ask you this, so, I'll just come out and say it. What is your relationship with that female shinobi that we encountered a few weeks ago?"

Zabuza just let out a sigh and said "I guess you deserve that much, so, I'll tell you what I know. Her name is Yugito, and as for the reason she's after me, I really can't say. All I know is that when I encountered her a few years ago, she attack without warning, as a good shinobi should, swearing that she would make me pay for what I did to her, but if I would hazard a guess, I'd say I probably killed someone important to her. Anyway I barely managed to escape, when she used her Bijuu's power, and I haven't had any more encounters with her until she showed up in Wave."

Just then Jiraiya walked toward them and said "Mind if I borrow him for awhile Zabuza?"

Zabuza just shrugged his shoulders and said "Do whatever you want, were done anyway." He then walks off back to town.

"What do you want ero-sennin?" said Naruto as he puts his sword back in its sheath.

"Show some respect brat! I'm one of the three sannin after all remember, I'm the great Jiraiya!"

"Oh knock it off ero-sennin, Anko-neechan told me all about you, and your perverted ways." said Naruto as he pointed at Jiraiya.

"I tell you, I get no respect these day's, and I came all the way out here, just so I could teach you a new jutsu too, but first, I want you to sign this." said Jiraiya as he pulled out the Toad contract.

"A Summoning Contract? I thought you could only have one summon?" asked a curious Naruto.

"Normally that's true, but luck is on your side, for Tsunade and myself, both talked it over with the boss summons, and they've agreed to give you the ability, to use both of them, all you have to do is concentrate on which one you want to use , and then channel your chakra like you normally do." said Jiraiya as he unraveled the scroll.

Naruto was about to sign when he noticed the last name on the scroll. 'The Yondaime huh, I've always wondered if he knew how the village would treat me? Did he know, that he was condemning me to a life of suffering and hatred? If I hadn't met Kaasan, and the others…' Naruto shook his head to get rid of those dark thoughts and then procided to sign the contract.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, catch." said Jiraiya as he throws a water balloon at Naruto.

Naruto caught the water balloon, looked up at Jiraya and said "A water balloon?"

"Just watch." said Jiraiya as he shows Naruto the balloon in his hand, and focuses his chakra. Naruto watched on as he sees the balloon start to bubble and then it explode.

Naruto looked at the balloon in his hand before saying "I'm assuming that this the first step, in that new jutsu that you mentioned."

A smile appeared on Jiraiya's face as he said "Not bad, you're smarter than you look gaki, this is only step one, of a three step process, but I won't tell you the other steps until you've mastered this one."

After Naruto heard that he looked down at the balloon, and started to analyze what Jiraiya had just shown him. 'Ok, lets see here, it obvious that you have to rotate the water, but if you just do that, it will just spread out, so, what am I missing?'

He started to channel his chakra and mess around with rotating the water one direction and then which it in the other direction with the same results. 'I didn't think that would work, but what am I missing? Wait… his balloon bubbled up before it exploded which means.' Naruto then started to channel his chakra into the balloon again, this time however the balloon started to bubble and then it exploded. Pleased with his accomplishment Naruto smiled and said "That was easier than I thought."

Jiraiya just stood there in total shock, he just couldn't believe what he had just seen. 'Remarkable, he managed to figure out the first step in less than an hour, makes me wonder what else he's capable of.'

"Impressive, now lets see how you do with the second step, so watch closely." said Jiraiya as he lifted up his hand to reveal a rubber ball, a few seconds later it exploded.

Naruto caught the ball that Jiraiya threw at him, he looked down at the ball before he said "So, you want me to explode this ball, like I did the balloon?"

When he saw Jiraiya nod his head Naruto channeled his chakra and tried to do the same thing he did to the balloon only to have nothing happen. 'Damn, this is a lot harder than the balloon.'

"I see you've noticed, the first step is about rotation, this step is about power. Since there's no water inside, it's harder for you to visualize your chakra rotating, isn't it? Well good luck, I'm off to do some research, I'll check on you later." said Jiraiya as he waved his hand and then headed back toward the city.

When he reached the outer edge of the clearing, he saw Tsunade still standing there with a smug look on her face, she then said "Naru-chan did better than you thought didn't he?"

Jiraiya just shook his head before he looked directly at Tsunade and said "Heh, better than I thought, he just took all my expectations, and throw them out the window. It took me almost three weeks to figure out the first step, and he goes and does it in less than an hour! I'm curious to see how long it's going to take him, to finish this step."

"Take the time you think it'll take him, and cut it in half, that's how long it will actually take him." said Tsunade as she continued to watch Naruto work on step two.

"That's not possible Tsunade, no one can learn jutsu that quickly, unless you have the Sharingan." said Jiraiya with a bit of disgust in his voice (when he mentioned the Sharingan) as he glanced back at Naruto.

Just then they heard Naruto yell "Damn it! I'm still not generating enough power!"

They both look at the ball only to see a small hole in it and that the ball had deflated. Jiraiya whistles as he says "Damn! He's already progressed that far, if he keeps that up, he'll have completed the second step by tomorrow, but he should start to feel the strain on his chakra system soon."

"I wouldn't bet on that if I were you, Naru-chan is able to take the Kyuubi's chakra channel it into his hands, and use it for a jutsu with unprecedented healing ablities. Besides he has the potential to surpass the Yondaime Hokage." said Tsunade with a great deal of pride in her voice.

"We'll see Tsunade, we'll see."

(Later that night)

Tsunade gathered Shizune, Naruto, Haku, Anko, and Zabuza together to tell them of her final decision, regarding Orochimaru's offer. She looked around the table and with all eyes focused on her she said "As you all night have guess, I've finally come to a decision regarding Orochimaru. I won't be joining with a greater evil, just to get revenge on Konoha, and besides how will Konoha ever realize their mistake, if their all dead? So, in four days we'll have to be ready, because I don't think he'll take no for an answer."

Anko felt a huge relief was over her when she heard that, for she was afraid of what Orochimaru would do with Naruto once he found out about the Kyuubi. But before she could say anything a voice interrupted their meeting.

"I'm glad to see you made the right choice."

Tsunade snapped her head around as a figure came out of the shadows. When the figures face came into view she said "Jiraiya!? What are you doing here? I figured that you would be off doing you research."

Jiraiya put his hands over his heart in a mocking jester and said "I'm hurt Tsunade, here you are deciding whether or not to become Orochimaru's allies, and you think I would be off doing research?"

"How did you…?"

Rubbing the bottom of his nose Jiraiya got a smile on his face as he said "I have my sources, but enough about that, you know what Orochimaru will do when you tell him right?"

"I know, we were just about to plan a strategy." said Tsunade as she turned back around to face the group. "Now were was I, oh yes the plan, Shizune, Zabuza, Jiraiya, and myself will go to the meeting place and set up an ambush for Orochimaru. Anko, Naru-chan, and Haku, I want you three to stay here."

"WHAT!?" screamed both Naruto and Anko.

"Now listen up you two, I have my reasons. First Naru-chan, as strong as you are, you're no match for Orochimaru, he's in a completely different league, and as for you Anko, if he activates that seal he placed on you, you'd become a liability, and you know Orochimaru would take advantage of it." said Tsunade as she gave both of them a look that told them that the discussion was over. After that little discussion was over they spent the rest of the evening talking about how they were going to attack.

(Early the next morning)

Naruto was up early working on the second step of his new jutsu. After yet another failed attempt as busting the ball, Naruto was starting to get a little frustrated. 'Damn, I didn't think this was going to be this hard.'

"Calm down kit, you're letting your frustration get to you, just put your focus on one point and try it again."

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. 'Ok, lets do this.' Naruto opened his eyes and started to gather his chakra into the palm of his hand.

"YYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" yelled Naruto as the ball exploded with such force that it sent him flying backwards. Naruto hit the ground and skidded to a halt at the feet of Jiraiya who was about fifteen feet away.

Jiraiya just stood there for a moment before he started to smile. 'Impressive, Tsunade was right, he was able to raise his chakra high enough to not only bust the ball but it threw him back a good fifteen feet, this kid's got a lot of potential.'

As Naruto got to his feet he noticed that Jiraiya was standing right next to him. "Hey, did you see that ero-sennin, I'm ready for the final step now."

"Indeed you are kid, now watch closely, the first step was about rotation, and the second step was about power. And now this is the third state." said Jiraiya as he raises his right hand and a blue ball of chakra appeared he then slams the orb into a nearby tree causing a massive hole to form. "You see, in the third step you put out everything you've learned up till know, pull it out at full force, and then contain it."

Naruto looked on in amazement 'Wow, and that was with him not putting much effort into it, this jutsu has the potential to be extremely destructive, especially if you combine it with the wind element.'

Just as Naruto started to do the third step, Tsunade walked into the clearing and watched with fascination wondering if he would be able to do it on his first try. Unfortunately the chakra burst out of its confines and a sudden burst of wind could be felt.

Jiraiya just shook his head and said "No, no, you're holding back. You have to contain that power while you keep it rotating it at full force."

'So, it's just about controlling the chakra in the spiral. With the amount of control I have, I should be able to nail this jutsu in a couple of days.' "If that's all there is to it, than I should have it nailed in a couple of days." said Naruto with an air of confidence.

Jiraiya snickered as he said "Yeah right kid, this jutsu was created by the Yondaime himself, and it took him three years to create, and master. When he taught it to me it took me four months, there's no way you'll be able to completely master it in just a couple of more days."

"Want to bet." said Naruto as a smirk appeared on his face.

"Fine, the bet will be if you can master the Rasenganby the time Orochimaru arrives. If I win I want you to swear, that you will come back to Konoha, and if you win, I'll pay off all of Tsunade's debts. So what do you say." said Jiraiya with an equally confident smirk.

Naruto thought about it for a moment and the said "I hope you've got deep pockets, otherwise, you're going to end up in the poor house."

"Hah, not likely kid, but what about you Tsunade you want to join in on this little bet?" asked Jiraiya as he turned his head to look in Tsunade's direction.

"No, I learned my lesson the last time I made a bet with Naruto, and there is nothing for me to gain, that I won't already get by the end of this bet." said Tsunade as she walked up to them.

Jiraiya shook his head and he started to laugh "Too bad kid, looks like Tsunade's throwing in her lot with you, and with her bad luck, you might as well start packing for the trip to Konoha."

Naruto smile faded as he got a serious look on his face and said "Oh yeah, well I just have one thing to say to that. I"LL SHOW YOU ERO-SENNIN! I've never lost a bet, and I don't plan to start know."

(With Kushina)

As Kushina and Shadow ran through a forest, Shadow turned to look at Kushina before he said "Please Sensei, can we stop for a short break, we've been running none stop for the past three days."

At first Kushina refused but when she looked back at Shadow and saw the look of utter exhaustion on his face she changed her mind, and they stopped in a nearby clearing.

After a few minutes of rest Shadow looked over at Kushina and asked "Sensei I'm curious, what will you do after you meet up with Naruto?"

"Well first, I plan on getting to know my son, and then I'll decide on what to do about Konoha." said Kushina as she stared off in the direction they were headed.

Shadow looked reflective for a moment before saying "You know, finding out that Naruto-sama is still alive, makes me wonder what other lies they told you before you were forced out."

Kushina's eyes widened as he said that 'He's right, if they lied to me about Naruto, then… Minato-kun, could your daughter still be alive!?' "Get up Shadow, we've rested long enough. We have to get to them before Konoha finds out he's still alive, and sends someone to finish the job they started long ago."

As the two sped through the forest Kushina thoughts dwelled on Naruto and the circumstances that resulted in her fleeing Konoha. 'Just wait Naruto, we'll be together soon, and then we'll find out what those council bastards are up too."

(Orochimaru's Hideout)

Orochimaru sat in a chair as Kabuto entered the room. Once the door was closed Kabuto asked "Orochimaru-sama are you sure that Tsunade will join your cause?"

"Not to worry, I've come up with a plan that will guarantee her joining our cause. See as how Tsunade seems so attached to that brat, So, I want you dress in you Konoha outfit, track down that brat that was with her, when you do find him, kill him. Then make sure that she finds out that Konoha was responsible for his death. Since she seems to be so attached to the boy, theirs no way she'll refuse us then. Ku, Ku, Ku, and with her on our side Sarutobi-sensei won't stand a chance. I can't wait to see the look on his face, when he sees that Tsunade has joined me in Konoha's destruction, Ku, Ku, Ku."

Next Chapter: Orochimaru's scheme: Kabuto strikes!

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Authors note2: Well I hope you liked this chapter, and will come back for the next one. On another note I was wondering did Kabuto ever have a curse seal? I don't remember them ever mentioning this and I can't find any info on it. I don't think he did but I'm not to sure so any help would be great.