The hot springs quietly burbled away as Jiraiya allowed himself to settle into the depths of the warm waters. There was just something fantastic about a spring after a long week of traveling, something his apprentice likely wouldn't ever be able to appreciate until he was much older. Naruto had only come to the springs at Jiraiya's insistence; currently the young shinobi was concentrating on a single leaf pressed between his palms. It wasn't a surprise to the sage that the boy possessed a wind affinity; his parents had both had a wind affinity under their belts, and the boy was so bouncy and full of energy that anything other than wind might have been a bona fide disaster. Still, at such a young age, mastering any affinity would be difficult.

Though, Jiraiya had to remind himself, Naruto had mastered the Rasengan in one week, albeit in a way that one might have argued as cheating. But Jiraiya wasn't going to take that victory from the kid. The fact that he had managed it at all just proved to Jiraiya that his initial thoughts had been wrong, this kid had every bit as much potential as his father, even if his mind was much harder to focus.

It made Jiraiya regret his absence in the boy's life prior.

But Jiraiya regretted many things.

It was, regardless, the here and now that mattered the most. If he dwelled on past mistakes, he would simply continue to make future ones. He had two years now to ensure that Naruto was prepared for the paths ahead of him. Prepared for Akatsuki, prepared for Sasuke, prepared for-

Movement caught Jiraiya's eyes. Naruto, concentrated as he was, missed a small, white slug slowly inching towards the hot spring's edge. Jiraiya was well used to looking out for such slugs. Constant contact with Tsunade had been a stipulation behind allowing Naruto to leave the village for training, and what use was he as an information gatherer if he had no way to contact his Hokage? It was rare, however, for a slug to come unprompted. Usually it was in response to a message of his own, and he hadn't checked in since that small farming village about a week back…

"Lord Jiraiya, the Lady Tsunade has entrusted me with an important message." The small slug, an extension of Katsuyu's will, spoke softly into Jiraiya's ear. "She wishes to inform you that Naruto's second teammate, Sakura Haruno, has also defected to join with Sasuke under Orochimaru. She has been missing from the village for several days now."

Jiraiya felt his heart sink into the very pit of his stomach. Briefly, he glanced at Naruto. The kid was so focused, so determined to keep his promise to that girl, to bring back the Uchiha heir and make things right again…

Much like he had been, once, regarding Orochimaru.

But even Jiraiya could not imagine where his own heart would have gone if Tsunade had defected along with Orochimaru. Tsunade had been a rock, stability, someone he could always depend upon even if she herself did not believe it. He had thought that Sakura, perhaps, had been that to Naruto, someone he could always come home to, someone he could fight for...and for her to defect as well?

Part of Jiraiya angered at the girl's stupidity, but part of him understood exactly how easily said stupidity could override all logical thought. And the more important thing now to consider was just exactly how badly Naruto was going to take it.

"Thank you, Katsuyu." Jiraiya murmured in reply. "Please let Tsunade know that I'll...break it gently."

As the slug left, Jiraiya focused back on Naruto. How to break it...or rather, should he even break it now at all? He had the suspicion that if Naruto heard the news now, nothing would stop him from heading into Sound Country himself to hunt his teammates down and knock some sense into the both of them. Hearing this news, no matter when, no matter under what circumstances, it was just going to break Naruto's heart.

"Look, pervy sage, I made a cut! Look, look!" Naruto suddenly began waving the leaf in Jiraiya's direction. A small cut, going about halfway down the leaf, was visible even through the steam of the springs. "It's halfway! I'll get it all the way through by tonight, you better believe it!"

Jiraiya forced himself to smile, to forget about the Sakura news for now. Naruto looked so happy with himself, he would be a monster to ruin his spirits now. "Good job, kid, if you stick to that we can start new training tomorrow."

"Yes! New training!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air before running off, no doubt to find another leaf to practice on. The sinking feeling still writhed in Jiraiya's stomach.

Not today but...soon, he'd have to break the news.

Soon he'd have to tell Naruto that he was the sole remnant of Team Seven.

Deep in the depths of the Village Hidden in the Sound, far within the twisting and turning tunnels of Orochimaru's hidden lairs, Sasuke Uchiha tested his sword upon several dozen thick stalks of bamboo. The blade had been a 'gift', a custom made weapon capable of channeling his lightning energy and dealing devastating damage to an opponent's nervous if the blade hit true. Even without his chakra running it, the blade was stupendously sharp, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk as he imagined it piercing Itachi's flesh. It was one of many such fantasies he steeped his mind in as he trained. Anything to distract him from what he'd left behind. Anything to distract him from Sakura. Anything to distract him from…

He mistepped, missing his target by inches.

"Naruto." He cursed quietly. Always Naruto. Always one step behind. He still remembered the fearful aura that his teammate had generated at the waterfall that day. He still could feel the strength of Naruto's Rasengan, clashing against the fury of his Chidori. Even now as he remembered that day, his Sharingan wheeled to life, spinning in anger as Sasuke made to chop at the bamboo he had missed, again and again and again…

He stopped as he heard the door behind him slowly creak open. He turned in time to see Kabuto slinking in, almost as snake-like as his master, and perhaps just as bothersome. Kabuto seemed at least somewhat hesitant to disturb Sasuke's training, which was better than the typical arrogant attitude the shinobi postured with.

"Sasuke." Kabuto began. "Lord Orochimaru has a mission he would like for you to perform."

Sasuke let out a small sigh as he sheathed his sword. Technically, as he trained under Orochimaru, he should have been considered a missing-nin. But as Orochimaru was the head of the Village Hidden in Sound, that meant that Sasuke was now technically a Sound genin, and thus was subject to the same hierarchy as the one he'd left behind in Konoha. Missions were...to be expected. He needed to earn his keep, after all, and missions would help keep his techniques sharp.

"What does he want?" Sasuke demanded. Some assassination mission, perhaps, or the retrieval of an important scroll, something he could use against Itachi? Or maybe even a simple escort mission, but any sort of trip nowadays was dangerous, what with Iwagakure becoming dangerously aggressive to the north of them, and rumors of civil war brewing in Kirigakure to the east. Any chance to test his skills against another shinobi brought him a shiver of anticipation.

"Well…" Kabuto continued, now sounding even more hesitant than before. "Well, you see, the sound daimyo's cat has gone missing, and he needs someone to retrieve it…"

There was silence in the training room, broken only by a small whistle of air making its way into the cavern. As he processed this, Sasuke found he could only make one embittered sound.

"...hn."