"You can't take him with us" Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Harry, he was standing at the alley's entrance; his board figure blocking the view of the street.
"Why not? He is so cute!" Harry hugged Haku tightly, his face ended up buried in Harry's chest. His ears turned red as he let out a muffled sound.
"He is not a pet" stated Jiraiya
"I know that!" Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow, she frowned at Jiraiya, "And that's not what I meant, He is alone, we can't just simply leave him here." She bit her tongue, the pain made her eyes water a bit, small droplets of tears pooling at the corners of her eyes, she inclined her head slightly downwards and looked up at Jiraiya, she remembered Ginny doing something like this when she wanted something from one of her brothers and didn't feel like hexing them.
Jiraiya let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, he crouched beside the man with the bandaged hands and started inspecting him.
"The boy is a citizen of The Land of Water, we can't simply take him to a rival Country's hidden village. What did you do to these men?" Jiraiya was looking at the man's forearm as he frowned.
"They are stunned, won't wake up for a few hours," Harry let go the boy and stared at him, his face was beet red and he was pointedly trying not to look at Harry. Harry grinned at him "and why not? Is there some kind of rule or something?"
"Well… not exactly, but—"
"Well then, I'll take him, what's the worst that could happen" Jiraiya stared incredulously at Harry
"You didn't just say that," he huffed "even I don't say that out loud!" Harry snorted
"You are overreacting" Harry frowned when Jiraiya didn't have a comeback "What's wrong?" Jiraiya was staring at the swordsman's forearm
"Shit" he whispered, in an instant, a kunai was in his hand, his other hand covered the man's mouth. With a swift movement, he slit the man's throat, blood flowed out of the wound as the man's eyes popped open. Terror filled his eyes as his body convulsed in pain.
"What are you doing!?" Harry yelled her face pale at the same time she covered Haku's eyes, but Jiraiya ignored her, he drove the kunai thought the man's ear and gave it a twist, the man's eyes rolled up, Jiraiya he stood and repeated the process on the man with the bandages in his arms.
"They are from an organization known as the Jackal Syndicate," Harry looked at the man forearm he had a black tattoo in the form of a stylized Jackal's head "They control large parts of the drug smuggling business the Land of Water" He lifted Harry by her armpits like one would do a stubborn child, Harry weakly protested "We need to get away. Fast."
"W-why?" Jiraiya looked serious, his eyebrows furrowed, his shoulders tense and his hand in a fist. He was looking around as if expecting someone to attack them.
"Can you use your teleport thingy without getting hurt like before?"
"I'm not sure, my chakra is pretty low and my arm still hurts a bit, I need to concentrate really hard if I don't want to lose a limb…" Jiraiya, in a smooth move, threw Harry over his shoulder, with his other hand lifted Haku, the boy put his arms around Jiraiya's neck.
"We'll call that plan B then" Jiraiya started jumping from roof to roof much faster than a man his size and age had any right to.
"So, why the hurry?" she said once they landed on the roof of a tall building and Jiraiya set Haku and Harry down, there was an old rusty water tank, and wooden trap door, and lots of trash and dust.
"The syndicate works for a man named Gatō, he is a shipping magnate and he has some ties with a former team member of mine" he looked at Harry who felt a bit confused "you just fought some of this man goons, and used your jutsu, which is really similar to the one The Fourth was known for" he reached for Harry and grabbed a lock of her blond hair "and with this, anyone can make the connection"
"Ok?" Harry still was confused
"I see you didn't inherit Minato's brain" Harry crossed her arms and huffed at him "let's just say it's better if Orochimaru doesn't know about you and your special techniques" Jiraiya reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll, he bit his thumb drawing a trickle of blood, he smeared it onto the paper and did a hand seal. A puff of smoke and several articles of clothing appeared on the floor. "Grab something and change your appearance, the kid too, he is coming with us, can't leave a witness here"
Harry grinned at Haku and he smiled back shyly
O=O=O=O
"Jiraiya, I have a question" Harry walked out from behind the water tank, she was wearing a black and white frilly maid outfit, not the kind you'll see in an old period movies but the kind you find in movies you can't rent unless you can vote or drink alcohol, it had low-cut neckline and a short skirt with lace on the hem, white tight high stockings were held up by a garter belt. Harry was holding a headband with cat ears on her right hand. Jiraiya barely spared a glance at her, he was looking at himself in a mirror, he had used the transformation jutsu to make himself look like an elderly rich man wearing an expensive black and gold kimono. Harry for her part had her hair become a darker shade of blond and her whisker birthmarks had been covered with a light layer of makeup.
"Yes?" the headband hit Jiraiya's face when he turned to look at Harry
"What's the meaning of this?" Said Harry, Haku chose that moment to walk out he was wearing a girl's Kimono, vivid purple with a red and white origami cranes print, he was gathering his hair in a bun and tying it with a red ribbon. He seemed quite skilled at that.
"Why a maid outfit? No, why a catgirl's maid outfit?! Why do you have this?" Jiraiya looked deadpan at Harry for a moment
"Do you really want to know?" he said in a flat voice, Harry gaped at him for a moment
"No" she let out a sigh, "I'm not wearing the headband; I'll take my chances with this oromachu fellow"
Jiraiya chuckled "Orochimaru, and believe me, you don't want to" he looked at Haku, "We need to get rid of that" Harry frowned and looked at the boy, he looked like a nobleman's daughter (Harry had given him a quick clean up with a damp cloth) except for the iron collar he was wearing, before Jiraiya could do anything Harry did some hand seals and touched the collar
"Alohomora" with a click the collar popped open, she could feel Jiraiya's stare on her neck but she ignored it, Harry removed the collar and ground her teeth when she saw the boy's neck was red and raw with some parts covered in scabs. She turned her head at Jiraiya and the man had the decency looking away in a bit of shame. Harry threw away the heavy collar and put a fur collar around Haku's neck.
"Once we get to Konoha we are going to fix that, ok?" the boy nodded still a bit bewildered, Harry turned to Jiraiya "What's the plan?"
"We get to the docks, rent a boat to take us to The Land of Fire, we pretend to be civilians all the way, and we try not to draw attention," Harry stared at the man in front of her for a moment for a second time that day she gaped at him.
"And this," she grabbed the hem of her short skirt "won't draw attention, right?" The man had the audacity to smirk, Harry glared at him.
"Sorry, it's the only thing I had that would fit and could pass as an everyday clothing unless you want to walk around on a school swimsuit—"
"Right, I get it" she huffed, she had been doing that a lot since she had met Jiraiya. She turned to Haku and offered him her hand "let's go"
Jiraiya jumped them down the building into another alley, Harry walked behind Jiraiya while holding Haku's hand; the boy had been unusually silent, maybe he understood that the situation was serious, he even pretended to smile and looked around. Smart boy.
As they made their way towards the docks, Harry noticed the stares the men gave her, but they quickly looked away when they noticed Jiraiya, even though he looked like a man in his sixties he kept his muscular physique, the small amounts of killer intent he was releasing helped.
Once on the docks, Jiraiya approached an old man with a peg leg, he was mooring an old and beat-up wooden ship, he spoke with him for a few minutes. The old man then yelled at a small boy who had been moping the ship's deck. The boy jumped down onto the dock and ran towards the town.
Fifteen minutes later the boy came back accompanied by a group of four men and a woman, they all looked like the pirate crew from a ship one would find in those romance books Hermione liked to read. The ones with the shirtless long-haired guy sweeping the girl off her feet.
The ones she never admitted she read.
The men started preparing the ship for a trip to The Land of Fire, throwing side glances at both Harry and Haku while the captain showed the group their quarters. It was a dingy room with two wooden beds and a bedside table, a small round windows showed the endless sea.
Jiraiya put their bags on the floor and threw himself on one of the beds, Harry sat in the other with Haku
"How long until we reach Konoha?" Harry asked, Haku was testing the softness of the bed, he grinned at Harry, and Harry ruffled his hair
"Two days according to Kagetaka-san," said Jiraiya lazily
"Right, when I can get rid of this?" he pulled at her maid outfit, Jiraiya grinned before opening his mouth "Oh, Shut up!"
O=O=O=O
Harry was flying on a broom, going fast, really fast. The rain fogged the goggles he was wearing, in front of him, the snitch was trying to escape his grasp, he reached for it before his body shook.
"Wake up" the snitch whispered with a gruff voice, Harry's body shook again, she opened her eyes to see the face of Jiraiya with a finger over his lips in a 'keep quiet' gesture
"Wha—" Jiraiya put his hand in her mouth and did a shushing sound
"We got problems," he said as he lifted his palm from Harry's mouth "the crew are planning on killing me" he scoffed "and taking you and the little girl" he glanced at Haku who was sleeping beside Harry, the fact that Jiraiya had called him 'little girl' told Harry what the crew was planning for them. Harry felt bile rise, as she made her hands fist. "Easy, there. As much as I want, and can. We can't go on a killing spree. It would be too suspicious with the two bodies we left back" he let out a sigh "Wake Haku, gently. I tell you my plan"
O=O=O=O
Ohama Kagetaka was having a great day. Just as he had returned from a smuggling run for the Jackals a stupid dirty-rich old man asked for an urgent trip to Fire Country, he was accompanied by a pretty maid with big tits. 'Maid' he scoffed internally as if a maid would wear an outfit like that, she was probably an expensive courtesan. And the little girl was her apprentice or something.
Not that it mattered, he had sent Rat to round up the gang, as soon as they laid their eyes on the maid and the little girl, it was clear that they wanted a slice of the pie. That had been yesterday and the gang were already ready to jump the old man, Kagetaka was able to stall them for a night just so they would be away from the coast, no way to escape. He had heard the gang talk in the kitchen about what they were going to do the girls.
Sickos.
Not that he minded, as long as he had his turn and share of the loot; the old man did look loaded.
That was the reason both him and Kori, the ship's weapons expert, were on their way to the guest's room to kill the old man and take the girls to the gang.
Kori knocked on the door but no one answered. He stared at his captain and frowned. Kagetaka nodded and Kori drew his saber and with his shoulder tumbled the door. The room was empty.
"Damn! Where they'd go cap'?" Kagetaka shrugged
"Let's look for them at the deck, we are hundreds of miles away from any land" he grinned showing all his yellowed and crooked teeth "they can't escape".
Kori and Kagetaka found the trio on the deck, they were huddled together, both the girls had tears streaking her faces and the old man had a stern expression. Kori and Kagetaka had been joined by the rest of the gang, Including Rat. They had promised him the little girl's first round as a way of his initiation.
"How did you find out?" said Kagetaka, from the corner of his eyes the man snarled and hugged both girls from their hips in a protective manner
"G-Get away! Don't you know who I am?" Coward, Kagetaka scoffed internally, from the corner of his eyes he saw the members of the gang reading their weapons. Kori had already his saber in hand, Rat drew out the small iron dagger he had used to kill his family, Sho, Hideaki and Goro drew their Kunai. They never became shinobi but they knew their basics, Naoko had her battle hammer ready to crack some skulls. Crazy bitch.
"I don't care who you are, old man, here in the seas, I am God!" the girls started shaking as the old man glanced at the slowly advancing gang. He turned to the hot maid he had beside him.
"I'm sorry Homura, Madoka," he said as tears started to flow through his face. "I'll always love you" the old man kissed the maid and she returned the kiss passionately. For a moment Kagetaka felt as if he was being ignored "I won't let you have them bastard!"
"Hey!" just as they were a few feet from them, the old man turned towards the stern rail, without releasing both girls jumped overboard. The gang ran to where they had jumped only to see the bodies hit the water and sink into the dark water of the west sea.
"Damn!" said Sho
"Someone get a boat we can still get the girls!"
"Impossible, these waters are infested with sharks, if they didn't die by breaking their necks they'll be dead in a few minutes"
"This your fault Kagetaka, I want my fucking pay and a whore too!" said Naoko while brandishing her hammer dangerously close to his head
This day was becoming worse by the minute, fuck.
O=O=O=O
"Are you sure this will work?" said Harry as they were hiding in a cellar far away from their guest room
"Of course, they are pirates and not the brightest I have seen" Jiraiya had dropped his transformation, he was looking through a small circular window. The cellar was near the stern of the ship. Then suddenly Harry saw Jiraya's body fall on the water while hugging and kissing a clone that had taken on Harry's appearance
"W-why I'm kissing you?" Harry said
"It's part of the backstory," he said distractedly "now, can you do it or not?"
Harry nodded "Yes, I can." Harry offered her hands to both Jiraiya and Haku. Jiraiya's was bigger than hers callused and rough and his grip was strong without actually hurting her, Haku's hand was soft and smaller and he barely put any pressure.
"Grip tighter Haku" the boy compiled and his grip tightened on Harry's hand. Harry closed her eyes and concentrated on her apartment. The next moment she felt as if she was being squeezed through a garden hose, she felt a pain on the side of her abdomen and knew no more.
O=O=O=O
Hiroshi hadn't seen Haru since yesterday when he had been somehow coaxed into inviting her to the festival. He wanted to talk to her about the 'friends' thing and make it clear that he didn't just want a 'friend only' relationship with her.
He had gathered all his courage to come to her apartment, Yu had somehow found the address. Hiroshi didn't want to know how. really.
Just as he was about to knock on the door a crashing sound came from the inside, he quickly activated his blood limit and saw three figures inside. A small, medium and a larger one. Hiroshi gathered his chakra on his right leg and kicked the door open after throwing the bouquet of flowers he had brought to Haru to the side.
What he found inside made him stop in his tracks.
There was a small girl with black hair and an expensive looking kimono she was curled on the floor and emptying her stomach on the floorboard her eyes danced around as if she was dizzy.
Haru was on her back, wearing… was that a sexy maid outfit? Her eyes were closed and she looked pale. Then on top of her—
Hiroshi blood ran cold with rage
A brute of an old man with a mane of white hair was holding Haru's arms to the floor, his knee between her legs and his large body looming over Haru's smaller one. It was clear what the man intended.
"You bastard! Get away from her" Hiroshi launched himself towards the brute with a Juken strike aimed at the man's head. But the man was faster than he looked in a smooth movement he grabbed Hiroshi by the wrist and tossed him upwards, His back hit the ceiling but instead of bouncing and falling to the floor he got stuck there.
He tried to move but his hand and legs were glued to the ceiling, he glared at the man and the man started lazily at him.
"Who are you?" he said, but Hiroshi didn't answer "Are you her boyfriend or something?" despite his situation Hiroshi blushed. "Damn, a Hyuga, Not bad girl!" he looked down at Haru, and Hiroshi, thanks to his byakugan was able to see him frown, he focused on Haru and instantly knew something was wrong with her. She was breathing heavily and her skin was deathly pale, he blushed as he saw through her clothes, but his red face became pale when he saw the large gash on the side of her abdomen, it was dripping blood.
"What did you do to her?" Hiroshi struggled futility against whatever the man had done to glue him to the ceiling, the man ignored him and kneeled beside Haru, his hand became covered in green chakra, was the man healing her?
"I can't heal this," he huffed "hey Hyuga boy is Hyuga Hideki still working at the hospital?"
"Hideki-sama?" Hyuga Hideki was the best doctor Konoha had, thanks to his water affinity and his mastery of the Byakugan, his skill was told to be only second to Tsunade-sama of the Sannin, he rarely treated anyone outside of the clan, and if he did he either charged a high price, or left the person in his debt (the latter was done only when the person had the influence or prestige that a favor from them was worth it)
"Yes boy, Hideki-kun, tall Hyuga, brown hair, is a little bit obsessed with Tsunade-hime" that description fit Hideki-sama rather well.
"Yes, he… he still works at the hospital" then he looked at the man his white long hair and his red clothes and the forehead protector on his head
"Ji-Jiraiya-sama?" Hiroshi's face hit the ground as he was released from whatever Jutsu the Sannin had used on him
"The one and only, Kid, now, we don't have time. I need you to look after Haku, I'll take Haru to the hospital, if you see Naruto I want you to tell him to get there as soon as possible" Jiraiya lifted Haru and held her close to his chest, then before he could react Jiraiya was gone
O=O=O=O
Naruto was worried, Haru-neesan hadn't come home last night, and she hadn't been there when Naruto woke up. He knew she was strong, that she could take care of herself, but a small voice inside his head whispered to him.
She left because of you, she realized how stupid you are.
He shivered, he knew Haru-neesan wasn't like. He hoped.
"Na-Naruto-kun" Naruto turned towards Hinata, who was walking beside him, school had just finished and they were walking home, according to Shikamaru, that was what friends normally did. He didn't understand why Hinata had almost fainted when he asked her to walk home together the first time. At least she was getting used to it, after the first ten or so times. She was nice but weird.
"Yes?" he answered
"Do—" she gulped "Do you want to wait for Haru— together?" her face was red and she was pressing her forefingers together, somehow Hinata was able to tell that he didn't want to be alone which was nice, but she still was weird.
"Yeah, thanks Hinata!" Hinata, who was until that point looking at her own feet, snapped her head up and looked at Naruto. He smiled at her and she shyly smiled back. Just as they turned around the corner Naruto saw the door of his apartment open, and smiled, Haru-neesan is back! But frowned when he saw Poop-head sitting on the steps to his apartment with a pretty girl around Naruto's age.
"Hey poop-head what are you doing here?" Poop-head's left eye twitched, the man didn't like the nickname Naruto had chosen for him. Naruto smirked inwardly.
"Naruto," he said with a tight smile, then he inclined his head, a gentler smile set on his face "Hinata-sama"
"Hiroshi-kun" Hinata bowed at poop-head.
"Naruto, your sister is back, she was taken to the hospital by Lord Jiraiya, he told me to take you there as soon as you showed up"
Naruto's felt his heart fall to his feet, at the same time he felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of cold water over him, he opened his mouth to say something but no sound came as his throat was closed
He felt someone shaking him by the shoulders, his eyes finally focused and saw poop-head talking to him.
"Naruto!" he shook him again "as I said, we need to take you to the hospital to see your sister" he let out a heavy sigh "Let's go"
The walk to the hospital was long as it was silent, Naruto's eyes were focused on the ground but he could feel the worried glances Hinata threw at him, he didn't like it, so he tried to ignore her.
Once they reached the hospital they meet a tall man with a mane of white hair and the most ridiculous get up he had ever seen, this was supposed to be Jiraiya of the Sanin.
When Naruto looked at Jiraiya's eyes he, for a second, saw a hint of sadness, it was so fast that he thought he had imagined
"You Must be Naruto, right?" Naruto nodded
"Your sister got hurt by using a space-time jutsu, do you know anything about it" Naruto shook his head, while he knew about Haru-neesan's secret jutsu he wasn't about to tell this man anything.
"Right, unfortunately, something went terribly wrong and she is missing large parts of her internal organs–" Naruto heard Hinata gasp beside him "–Hideki Hyuga had her stabilized but we can't wake her up until we can heal her completely"
"I want to see her!" Naruto said, Jiraiya went silent for a moment before nodding, he opened the door behind him and Naruto walked in.
The slow digital beeping of the machine resounded on Naruto's head as a bell and the sterile disinfectant smell made his stomach lurch, on the bed with several tubes connected to her body Haru-nee looked too small, her skin was pale as a doll and her breathing was shallow
But it was there.
Naruto focused on that.
He focused so much that the corners of his vision started to tint red, but it disappeared the moment he felt a large hand on his shoulder, It was Jiraiya, but his form was wobbly as was the rest of the world
Naruto realized he was crying
"You said you can't wake her up until she is healed" Jiraiya nodded "she can be saved then?" another nod from the tall man "I'll – I'll do anything, so, please, save my sister!"
"Of course kiddo,"
