Warning: A minor character dies. This is the last time I'm doing a warning for violence, character death and innuendo. Readers should be used to these things by now since they are in just about every chapter. However, I'll still put up warnings for steamy, racy scenes.
AN: This chapter was supposed to be dark and gritty, but Jiraiya's presence threw some things out of whack. So I hope readers enjoy the small humorous break between all the melodrama and violence.
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Chapter 13: Jiraiya of the Sannin
"Oh, come on, Shikamaru, don't be like that," Naruto complained in a singsong voice. The Nara grumbled, but did not offer any meaningful resistance as his friend dragged him along. "What's the big deal?"
"You were carrying out a classified mission alone and you say it's not a big deal?" Shikamaru asked with amazement. The Nara boy had confronted his teammate about his unusual behavior after the preliminaries. However, instead of getting answers, his attempt at investigative work – a first for the lazy genius – had only raised more questions. It also earned him a visit from Konoha's recent gossip fodder, the mysterious ANBU named Genji.
"Genji's pretty cool once you get to know him. He's actually our age, you know," Naruto offered nonchalantly. The casual remark caused Shikamaru to grind to a halt.
"You know him?" the shadow user asked with a hint of suspicion. The blond laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with feigned embarrassment.
"Ah, I mean, well… sort of. It's top secret."
Shikamaru sighed. Well, if what his friend was doing was confidential, then he really couldn't complain too much about being kept in the dark. Orders were orders. Still, a part of the Nara boy was stupefied by the idea that out of all the rookies, it was Naruto who was being given special assignments. The blond was his friend, but this was Naruto! He had his moments, but in general, Naruto looked about as ready to perform covert operations as Orochimaru was ready to run a health clinic!
While not a perfect analogy, it did illustrate how shocked Shikamaru was at the revelation that his teammate was operating under the authority of an elite ANBU. But the more he thought about it, the more sense he saw in the idea. Considering how badly he had been blindsided, one could argue that by using Naruto, Genji had achieved a great tactical coup.
"Just as long as you aren't doing anything bad, Naruto." As a testament to his very impressive skills at subterfuge, the jinchuuriki didn't even bat an eye at his friend's remark.
"Aw, that's nice, Shika. Come on, I'll buy you lunch. Chouji's not around so I don't mind paying." The Nara boy chuckled. It was something of a joke within Team 10 that Chouji and Naruto must always pay for their own meals. Asuma had made the unfortunate mistake of offering to take his team out to dinner one time. Needless to say, the jounin had learned his lesson.
"Fine," Shikamaru agreed. He was no glutton like his teammates, but it wasn't like he was going to turn down a free meal. Plus, Naruto was also developing into a fine gourmand. The seafood tempura he had selected last time, courtesy of his friend's suggestion, had been heavenly. Chouji's family would have killed to have the recipe. It was a pity that his friend, Ino, was too myopic to partake in such pleasures.
"Ok, I know a shortcut to this really nice restaurant."
Halfway to their destination, the two young shinobi came upon a most curious figure. Ever conscious of his wellbeing, the Nara boy favored bypassing the man, but Naruto was less willing to leave the suspicious stranger be.
"Who are you?" the blond asked. The large man with a crown of shockingly white hair looked dismissively at the two kids before turning away.
"Be quiet, you little brats! Can't you see I'm busy?" A string of perverted giggles followed the stranger's declaration.
"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes. The older man frowned at having his attention broken once again.
"Sheesh, you two are still here? Here, take these and leave me alone. Consider them an investment for your future. Share them with your friends if you want." The two genin blinked as they each found a small orange book in their hands. Shikamaru immediately recognized the book and just barely suppressed a suffering groan. It was the same book that earned his father the beating of a lifetime, courtesy of the man's significant other. There was no way in hell that Shikamaru was going to let himself be caught with that thing. A veteran of numerous run-ins with all things troublesome and female, Nara quickly and effectively executed one of his many exit strategies.
"I just remembered that I need to do something, so I can't have lunch with you, Naruto. Here, why don't you take my gift as compensation?" Pushing his own orange book into his friend's hands, the Nara boy seemingly vanished into thin air. Curious and puzzled, Naruto looked at the small book, turned the page, read two lines, and promptly chucked it at the old man.
'Shika, you damn coward! See if I make you chuunin now!' Naruto thought furiously. Here he was, thinking only good things about his friend, and at the first sign of trouble, the lazy bastard turned traitor! And this wasn't the first time, either. The blond could still recall that unlikely lunch date with the girls of Team 7.
"Hey, what's the big idea? If you're gay, just tell me. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
"Huh? What!?" Naruto exclaimed in confusion.
"I said there's nothing wrong with being gay. What is it with young people and their inability to hear?" With that, the lecherous old man turned back to… his former activities. Naruto was absolutely seething at this point. Where did this old man get off on calling him a homosexual when he himself was acting like a pervert?
"Oh, and I wouldn't do that." A spike of killing intent caused Naruto's hands to stop just short of his kunai pouch. "I don't think you know who you are messing with."
'Neither do you!' Naruto's instinct screamed at him to prepare for a fight. The young ANBU would have joined battle had his eyes not flickered over the cover of the perverted orange book by chance.
"What the ... no way! You're—"
"That's right! I'm Jiraiya, the legendary author of the Icha Icha series, which has served the needs of young people across the elemental nations!" the white-haired man gloated, his pride quite evident.
Naruto blinked once and then again. His hands flashed through a series of hand seals that verified he wasn't caught in some sort of bizarre illusion.
'I don't believe this.' While the hidden genius didn't normally judge someone for deriving pleasure from their eccentricities – his own particular hobby being defacing the Hokage Monument and leading his pursuers in merry-go-round chases, after all – a seriously perverted Jiraiya was too much to bear. This was the mentor of the legendary Yondaime Hokage? This was the most honored Toad Hermit and the greatest seal master of all the elemental nations? This was the man who exposited with such masterful clarity, depth and insight about the ninja arts? Surely, it could not be.
It seemed that whenever old man Sarutobi singled out his vivacious student for praise, he omitted the part about his student's peculiar habits. Naruto was so surprised by the entire encounter that he stood dumbly as the older ninja stuffed his pockets with additional orange books.
"Here, kid, I think you could really use these. Maybe they'll set you straight," Jiraiya stated with emphasis on the last word. The lecherous man then dismissed the youngster in order to continue his research.
'Hey, wait a minute!' It was only when he was well out of sight that Naruto's mind finally caught up with what happened. The youngster immediately blushed red with anger and embarrassment. That pervert so did not just make fun of him and question his sexual orientation. Such an affront deserved an appropriate response.
A devilish smile blossomed on his face.
"Oiroke no Jutsu."
A stacked, pigtailed, centerfold blonde popped into existence. Naruto eyed his creation critically, smiling faintly when she pouted adorably at him. The Naruko clone looked just slutty enough to reduce a man's brain to mush, but not enough to evoke the full jealous fury of females.
It was perfect.
"You know what to do."
"Yes, Naruto-sama," the clone chirped enthusiastically.
In short order, Naruto heard a loud squeal, a masculine cry of surprise and several louder feminine cries of outrage. The earth trembled, and he knew one foolish pervert was being beaten to within inches of his life. The young prankster smiled evilly as he walked away.
'Naruto one, pervert hermit zero.'
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In a secluded clearing far from the center of Konoha, a particularly angry and battered Toad Hermit finally caught up to his target. "I found you, you little brat!"
"Gee, old man, you look like you could use a bath," Naruto answered cheerfully. Indeed, for all intents and purposes, Jiraiya looked like he had just crawled out of a dumpster.
"Thanks to you, you little pest! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat the crap out of you." The white-haired – well, brown and gray now, with all that dirt and dust – ninja was only half-kidding too.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in response, his jovial mood replaced by one of determination and defiance. While he realized that he had less than a snowball's chance in hell of defeating one of the Sannin, he could certainly try. He was sure he could make a good showing of it.
"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't have you arrested for violating Article Three of Konohagakure's Code of Public Conduct!"
The famed Toad Hermit pulled back and blinked owlishly at the preteen.
"Oh please, since when did Konoha have a code of public conduct?" the older man asked.
"Since people started reading your books," Naruto shot back dryly. Jiraiya looked at him with a strangely serious expression before cracking a wide smile.
"I like you, kid. The old man was right. You really do resemble him."
"Who?" Naruto asked with suspicious eyes and tense muscles.
"One of my former students." Jiraiya looked away briefly, as if recalling some treasured yet painful memory. The renowned shinobi quickly changed the subject. "So you're Uzumaki Naruto… or should I say Genji?"
Naruto was not overly surprised that the perverted ninja knew of his secret identity.
"Huh, so you know. Well, what can I do for the great Jiraiya-sama?" he asked, being only half sarcastic. Despite the older man's eccentricities, Naruto recognized his achievements and abilities, which were by no means small.
"Actually, it's more about what I can do for you. I saw the little trick you pulled earlier, using a copy of Genji to fool your teammate. It's pretty good for a shadow clone." Now that all the funny stuff was over and done with, Jiraiya became the consummate professional, confident that he had important knowledge to impart.
"But?" Having sensed the mood shift, Naruto was likewise quick to take his cue as a student eager to learn.
"But it won't hold up to close scrutiny. No matter how good your cloning or transfiguration techniques are, they cannot and will not hold. To maintain the underlying balance and stability of your clone especially over long distances, you'll need seals to hold the chakra source in a more defined manner. That's where I come in."
"You'll teach me seals?" Naruto tried hard to keep the enthusiasm from his voice. From the widening smile on Jiraiya's face, however, it was clear that the older shinobi was not fooled. The blond glared back. The idiot had better not be thinking up perverted ideas involving his special technique or there was going to be hell to pay.
"Yep. But first, I'm going to need to teach you the fundamentals. So listen up, especially if you want to learn to use it for the exam. All or almost all fuuinjutsu constructs are based on a series of postulates known as the Primary Axioms of Sealing. From these axioms, you can build up—"
"Excuse me, I already know all the axioms," Naruto interrupted with just a touch of annoyance. Oh, come on, the axioms were fundamental concepts to one of the most useful branches of the ninja arts and this renowned teacher thought he wouldn't know them already? Please. Jiraiya didn't buy it though.
"Show me," the Toad Hermit demanded with dead seriousness, placing several sheets of paper, a brush and a bottle of ink before Naruto. Sure, the axioms were the most basic components of sealing, but that was like saying calculus was basic compared to multivariable and stochastic calculus. Few people would seriously believe that a child was capable of teaching himself basic differentiation and integration to any appreciable degree.
A part of Naruto was tempted to resist. He was a jounin of Konoha, an elite ANBU and the personal representative of the Hokage. Where did this newcomer, famous and renowned as he was, get off on giving orders to him? Fortunately, he held his tongue.
'I guess he is one of the Sannin and he is offering to teach me sealing techniques.' Unlike other branches of the ninja arts, one could not simply brute force fuuinjutsu. There were certain small, but critical trade secrets that only an experienced seals master would know about. If he wanted to learn about the most complex, but also potentially the most useful, branch of the ninja arts, he was going to have to do this.
Naruto sighed but offered no verbal protest as he picked up the brush and went to work.
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"Sarutobi-sensei, you lied to me!"
"Oh?" The Hokage met his student's glare with a benevolent smile.
"You made me believe that the kid's almost as talented as Minato," Jiraiya accused.
To say that Namikaze Minato was the single most brilliant human being he had ever encountered would be a gross underestimation in the Toad Hermit's eyes. The spunky brat was his greatest joy and challenge, and remained by far his greatest legacy. All his theoretical dissertations, his summoning capabilities, his legendary ninja skills and status and even his beloved accomplishments in the field of literary erotica; none of those things compared to his landmark achievement in training and mentoring arguably the single greatest ninja Konohagakure had fielded since its founding.
Somehow, Naruto, at the tender age of twelve, made the famed Yondaime look slow in comparison.
"I assume he showed some talent in fuuinjutsu?" Sarutobi suspected as much considering how much time the youth spent in a particular section of his massive library.
"I'm not sure if 'some talent' is an accurate way to describe him. That's like saying the Kyuubi only has 'some talent' in causing mayhem."
Sarutobi cracked a wry grin at his student's apt analogy. Despite the generational divide, he truly believed the two would get along well together. The issue was convincing Jiraiya to stay in the village and take up the job.
"Naruto knows more about theoretical fuuinjutsu now than Minato did when he was in his twenties! Sensei, this is not a normal genius you have here."
Sarutobi nodded at Jiraiya's assessment. Although it really wasn't like he needed his student to tell him how special Naruto was. He sensed, however, a "but" coming up. As usual, his instinct was correct.
"But I looked at this defense plan he set up and I saw him misinform and misdirect his teammate using a clone. I can't help but think I'm twelve again and I'm looking at Orochimaru pull off one of his stunts."
"That's not true, Jiraiya," Sarutobi's response was immediate and sharp. It was a warning for the other man to be careful with his next words.
"Oh, come on. I know you care about the boy. But even you must see that he's good at manipulating people, even people close to him. How many times has he done this to his teammates and even to you? Tell me that doesn't remind you of Orochimaru?"
Sarutobi gave his student a hard look that told him to shut up, which he did. The Hokage managed to not give in to his baser instincts as he formulated a short and pointed rebuttal.
"Were you any different? Were Tsunade or Minato?" Ouch. That had to hurt.
"Yes, but at the age of twelve? Are you going to give him command of an ANBU unit on his thirteenth birthday just like you did with Uchiha Itachi?" It was obvious that Jiraiya was irritated and pissed at his teacher's unwillingness to listen to his reasons.
The air quickly thickened with the suppressive tension of conflicting ideas. For a moment, the legendary Toad Hermit wondered if his old teacher was going to throw him out in a fit of anger. The Hokage, however, maintained his composure.
"Jiraiya, I am only going to say this once. He is not Orochimaru, and he is not Itachi. He is Uzumaki Naruto and I have every confidence that he will surpass even the loftiest expectations I have set for him." Sarutobi, in turn, was not shy about expressing his enthusiasm for the young jounin. The unwavering support he displayed surprised even Jiraiya.
"How can you be sure of that? You've been wrong before."
"You're right. I have been wrong before, but I stayed behind to correct my mistakes. I looked after Naruto to the best of my abilities. I made sure he was trained by the best and able to look after himself. What about you and Tsunade, Jiraiya? What did you do?" Sarutobi fired back with just a touch of anger. The Sandaime Hokage had never completely forgiven his students for abandoning the village. They had their reasons to be sure, but who didn't?
Jiraiya bowed his head slightly and nodded. Sarutobi made a good point. Who was he to denigrate his student's legacy when he wasn't even around?
"You could be right, and I really do hope you are right. But I just don't know the kid well enough to have that much faith in him." Only after saying those words did Jiraiya notice the trap.
The Hokage immediately swooped in on the opening his student made. "Then get to know him better. You owe him and Minato that much."
'Damn,' Jiraiya thought as he bemoaned his stupidity for being caught in such an obvious trap. For his part, the elderly Sarutobi showed that he was as sharp and cunning as ever. The wide, shit-eating grin on the Hokage's face said the words loud and clear, "Gotcha!"
"I, but… fine!" The white-haired pervert drooped his shoulders, admitting defeat. Perhaps staying in Konoha might not be that bad. It had been a while since he used the fine ladies of his home village as inspiration for his books. "But I have one condition. You tell him the truth about the beast and his father. If he's as smart as you made him out to be, he most likely knows already."
Sarutobi closed his eyes as he nodded sadly. He had suspected as much. For both Naruto and his own sake, it was best he came clean.
"Good, because we might not have any choice in this matter. As I've told you, nearly the entirety of the Land of Wind is a vacuum in my intelligence network. I suspect someone from Sunagakure is directing the counterintelligence efforts. But I finally received some useful information about Suna relating to this invasion." Jiraiya handed the Hokage a scroll.
Sarutobi quickly skimmed the report and frowned at the end. "Is this dependable information?"
"Not one hundred percent, but I have vetted the intelligence as being likely to be true. I think you might want to call up your child prodigy," Jiraiya suggested.
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"One of the Kazekage's children is believed to be the host of the Shukaku," Naruto read from the scroll. "How can you be sure?" He eyed Jiraiya with irritation. Since his appearance, the perverted sage had heralded nothing but trouble and bad news. Okay, that was unfair as the intelligence Jiraiya provided for Konoha was certainly useful, if not downright vital at times.
"So Suna has a jinchuuriki, but we don't know who it is. That's just great." Naruto had known that his failure to axe the Suna siblings would come back to haunt him. If only he hadn't been so drained and exhausted at the time.
"It was hard enough to get even this intelligence. Like I said, Sunagakure is locked down even tighter than the Land of Rain," Jiraiya explained.
"Your intelligence network must suck, Ero-sama," Naruto deadpanned.
The Toad Hermit looked at Sarutobi with raised eyebrows before shooting an offended look at the loud blond. "Treat your elders with the appropriate respect, you little brat!"
"I called you 'sama,' didn't I? And I would love to hear your argument against me calling you a pervert."
"I'm not a pervert. I'm a SUPER PERVERT! Get it right, brat!" Jiraiya corrected with great seriousness. Naruto stared back at the Toad Hermit as if he were on crack.
"That's enough from both of you! We have work," Sarutobi interrupted, glaring at both to get the point across. Entertaining as the two were, there were important things to discuss.
"Sorry, Hokage-sama," Naruto and Jiraiya responded in properly contrite tones.
"This won't really change anything. The ANBU teams and reserve task forces should still deploy as planned. Both Captain Tenzou and I will be in the area, so we should be able to handle Suna's jinchuuriki," Naruto stated. As a carrier of the Shodai's genes and his special bloodline, Tenzou was an excellent counter to Suna's secret weapon. On the other hand, there was the possibility that the good captain would be sent elsewhere, leaving the container of the tailed beast unattended.
"I'm also pretty sure I can handle all three siblings by myself," Naruto added. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, recognizing that the child was stating a fact and not a boast.
"Even if the Shukaku is released?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto thought for a moment before nodding confidently. The Hokage paused hesitantly at this point.
"Just tell him," Jiraiya urged, directing a serious look at his teacher when the older shinobi looked at him. Naruto looked between his two elders and suppressed the urge to groan. He hated it when adults conspired against him in the open like this. It wasn't like he didn't know they were up to something.
"Come on, old man, I thought we got past this sort of thing. Just tell me what it is. You know I can handle it." Even so, Sarutobi hesitated. The ANBU sighed.
"Ok. Let me guess, it's about the Kyuubi or my father, the Yondaime, or maybe both."
"See? What did I tell you?" Jiraiya was quick to jump on his teacher's case, who gracefully accepted that he had acted unwisely. Sarutobi had suspected as much, but never mustered the courage to confront Naruto about his past.
"How long have you known?" the Hokage asked. On the plus side, this revelation meant they didn't need to have a long and grueling talk about a painful past that no one wanted to remember.
"A couple of years. It was hard at first, but I sort of accepted things over time," Naruto explained in a matter of fact manner. Sarutobi didn't know whether to feel pleased or saddened by the young boy's quiet acceptance of the past. It did, however, solidify his opinion of the boy's maturity and readiness.
"Can you tap the beast's power without losing conscious control of your body?" Jiraiya asked, going straight to the heart of things.
"I can go up to four tails with the Kyuubi's chakra without suffering any major problem. I'm sure that's more than enough to handle the one-tailed demon." While surprised at the declaration, both Jiraiya and Sarutobi nodded at the sound assessment. While a jinchuuriki could only wield a fraction of a tailed beast's full power, the base strength of the creatures increased by orders of magnitude with additional tails. So the container of a very powerful tailed beast could, in theory, go toe-to-toe against a weaker one.
"You'll be masquerading as your other persona, right? Utilizing that many tails of chakra will most likely reveal you to others," Jiraiya noted helpfully.
"I know that. But if it means protecting the village, then so be it," Naruto replied with casual ease. It was as if he didn't even care that he might be called upon to throw away the life he had spent years to build. The legendary member of the Sannin stared at the youngster with a blank look before turning to his teacher. Suddenly, the old man's faith in the brat made a hell of a lot more sense. Sarutobi smiled faintly, having long since recognized the young blond's aptitude for dedication and near fanatical devotion.
"Ok, fine. So what can I do to help in all this?" Jiraiya offered at last. The Hokage's smile widened in response. The ninja leader nodded at Naruto when he turned to him with a questioning gaze.
Sarutobi just loved it when one of his plans came together.
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Many hours later, the two men and one boy finally finished revising Naruto's original plan.
"That sounds good to me. You know what, brat? I think I underestimated you by a little bit," Jiraiya conceded. His half-grudging praise for the youngster was very circumspect but also very much heartfelt. It was hard not to be impressed by the kid genius.
"And I think I overestimated you by a lot, Ero-sama," Naruto fired back. The white-haired pervert mumbled darkly about ungrateful cheeky brats. As for Sarutobi, well, he just leaned back and enjoyed the fireworks. It had been so long since he was so thoroughly entertained.
"Is that all?" Naruto asked. Drafting and modifying operational schematics with someone as sharp and knowledgeable as the Hokage was tough enough already, tossing Jiraiya of the Sannin into the mix made things a hundred times more difficult.
"Just about. There is one more thing before you go," Sarutobi began. The elderly shinobi reached under a drawer and retrieved a necklace of sorts. "This is a family heirloom that originally belonged to the Shodai. His granddaughter and my student, Tsunade, left it in your father's care when she left. It passed on to me when he died. And from this day onwards, it'll be yours."
Naruto looked at the old man in shock. This necklace represented the legacy of the Shodai, founder of Konohagakure and establisher of its greatest dynastic family, which unfortunately became defunct with Tsunade's exile. Surely, the Hokage was joking. It would be a pretty cruel and heartless joke, but still he couldn't be serious, could he? Sarutobi, however, was serious and held the necklace out in front of him.
"Ahm, I, eh, I can't accept that," Naruto protested demurely even as he dallied. Everyone in the room, however, knew what was ultimately going to happen. One simply did not refuse such an honor from the God of Shinobi.
"Just take the necklace, brat," Jiraiya said in exasperation. He would never have believed that someone so loud and boisterous could be so modest. He figured Naruto would have jumped at the chance to receive such a positive affirmation from the Hokage. It would appear that he had misread the brat again.
Spurred by Jiraiya's words, Naruto accepted the old man's gift. His small hands instinctively traced the worn edges of the jewelry as if to spatially memorize the designs.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I don't know what to say or do."
"Just do what you have always done and you'll be fine, and the people will love you for it."
'Wait, what?'
"I, I don't understand," Naruto admitted. The old man was trying to say something, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
"If we win the battle to come, I want to make public all classified information regarding your life: the Kyuubi, your father and your alias. I ordered these secrets kept so as to protect you, but I realized instead that I've only stunted your growth and ability to interact with others. I wish to right that wrong."
The young ninja looked at his leader as if he was crazy.
"I have not gone senile, Naruto," Sarutobi added. "Not yet at least." The blond blushed as the Hokage answered the question running through his mind.
"Sorry, I was just—"
"It's alright. I understand your hesitation and I promise you that this will only happen if you want it to happen. All I ask is for you to think about it. Will you do that for me, Naruto?" Sarutobi asked. Jiraiya rolled his eyes as the twelve-year-old nodded his head furiously.
"This plan of yours has a very good chance of giving Konoha a great victory. If and when we win, the people will demand a hero. I can think of no one better than you. Can you, Jiraiya?"
"If this works? Nope," the white-haired pervert interjected as he crossed his arms. He had looked over the plan and the results thus far, and was very impressed with what he had seen.
"What about my detractors?" Naruto asked, being ever cautious and paranoid. "I thought it would take years for me to build up enough support and connections to, you know…"
"That's normally true, but like you said about this invasion, timing is important. If we time the revelation of your secrets at the moment when people are most receptive to you, then it won't matter."
"Once the people know about your achievements, they will have no choice but to accept you. The few remaining detractors won't be able to do anything, not when you have Jiraiya and myself by your side, and the support of Captain Tenzou and his subordinates. I have already discussed the details with the captain and he said he will support you one hundred percent." Sarutobi smiled softly as he observed the myriad of emotions flashing across Naruto's face.
"You still have time to think about it, but I hope you'll agree with my proposal, Naruto. You will no longer have to hide behind an alias, and you, not Genji, will be recognized for your successes and accomplishments." The Hokage's last words burned themselves into Naruto's mind, and he could not help but marvel at how awesome that would be. The blond jounin didn't take long to make up his mind.
"I'll do it, old man," Naruto declared. How could he refuse when this was the exact sort of unvarnished recognition he was striving for? After all, it wasn't like Genji could ever become Hokage.
Sarutobi grinned, "You made the right choice, Naruto."
With his mind and attention occupied by heady thoughts, Naruto never saw the grinning Jiraiya closing in.
"Way to go, brat!" the Toad Hermit called out as he proceeded to give the youngster the messiest noogie possible. Naruto could only offer futile resistance as the bigger man massacred his hair follicles. Minutes later, Jiraiya smiled at his work while Naruto glared back from under his mop of messed up blond locks. As far as the young prankster was concerned, the older nin's action amounted to a declaration of war.
"Oh yeah, let's see how you handle this, Ero-sama!"
The Hokage's eyes widened with realization. "No wait, Naruto, don't!"
It was too late.
"Oiroke no Jutsu!"
Jiraiya instinctively tensed in preparation for battle. The earlier bruises he received from the band of angry females were still fresh. However, as the smoke cleared away and he noticed that his opponent was unarmed and female, the man quickly reverted to baser instincts.
"Hey, your breasts got even bigger!" If Jiraiya were in a more composed state of mind, he probably would not have said that. In his defense, few warm blooded heterosexual males could maintain their composure in the presence of a completely naked blonde bombshell. And the pervert was right about her bust size. This Naruko was almost an entire cup size bigger than her earlier incarnation.
"Yes, yes, they did. I'm so glad you noticed, Jiraiya-sama," the girl cooed with delight. "You're so observant. Perhaps you would like to inspect more closely?" The perky teenager bent forward and squeezed her ample bosoms together in an altogether inviting gesture.
The crashing sound of a chair striking the floor signified the fall of the venerable and great Sandaime Hokage. The old man was an unintended casualty of Naruko's devastating Weapon of Mass Seduction. While her efforts were directed at Jiraiya, this was war and innocents were bound to get caught in the crossfire.
For his part, Jiraiya did not escape unscathed. Based on his nonsensical muttering, Naruto's creation was wreaking havoc with his hormones and mind. On the one hand, his intellect recognized that the fleshy female supermodel before him was a preteen boy. On the other hand, it was really, really hard for the pervert of legendary proportions to care. He had spent years traveling the elemental lands in search of exotic locales and elusive sex goddesses for his books. Had he known what perfection existed within Konoha's very walls, he might never have left the village in the first place.
"I've told you this a million times, Naruto. Please refrain from using that technique in this office," Sarutobi stated sharply after picking himself up from the floor. Naruto immediately dropped the technique and apologized. Of course, it was hard to imagine that he was being sincere, what with that smug grin plastered across his face.
"And Jiraiya, please stop thinking about Naruto's breasts. Remember, he's a twelve-year-old boy." His old sensei's rebuke finally succeeded in punching through Jiraiya's post-traumatic haze. For his own sanctity of mind, however, the Toad Hermit ignored the substance of his teacher's statement. There were just too many things wrong with that thought. The recently transformed youngster, however, found the whole affair hilarious.
"Thank you, Naruto. You may go," Sarutobi stated hurriedly, lest the prankster's presence evoke additional chaos.
"Two zip, eh, Ero-sama?" Naruto crowed, getting in the last word as he Shunshin'd away.
"You dumb brat, I'll get you for this! I swear I will!" The dumb brat, however, was long gone, leaving behind a fuming Toad Hermit and a moderately amused Hokage.
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Sarutobi waited until he was sure that the lively youth was gone before gracing his student with a solemn look.
"Thank you, Jiraiya. Your action helped keep Naruto from dwelling on the other things that have happened," he stated. Since this whole operation began, especially after the events of the Forest of Death, the elderly ninja had major concerns about his young prodigy's state of health. He could not even begin to describe how joyous it was to see Naruto happy and carefree even if it lasted but a few minutes.
"I figured I should give the brat a break. And I guess you're right, sensei. He's a good kid," Jiraiya admitted with a wry grin. His opinion of Minato's kid hadn't changed completely, but it had improved for the better. For one thing, the Toad Hermit just couldn't imagine someone like Orochimaru or Itachi transforming into a female to prank unsuspecting victims.
"I know you don't like what he has become, Jiraiya. And I'm partly to blame for that. I vilify Danzou and his projects, but in the end, am I any different?"
"Sensei, we both know you're nothing like him!" Jiraiya rose almost instinctively to defend his teacher.
Sarutobi seemed to ignore the response as he made his next point.
"Promise me that you'll look after him." The elderly man immediately lifted a hand to stop the expected protests. "I've made too many mistakes to rectify by myself. I need your strength and your help, Jiraiya. Besides, you'll be around, won't you?" The Hokage laid it on thick, giving his student no room to wiggle or maneuver.
At last, a defeated Jiraiya acquiesced to his teacher's wishes. "Of course I'll help, sensei, but why are you saying this now?" To say the least, he was surprised and disturbed by the finality and defeated tone of his teacher. The Hokage, as usual, refused to clarify.
"Fine. I'd better go settle my things then. Oh, but before I forget…" Jiraiya reached into his pocket and carefully retrieved a small orange book. He handed it to his leader with both hands. "Here's the newest edition. It hits the bookstores next month, but I thought you might not want to wait."
"You are a good man, Jiraiya. Did I ever tell you that you're my best student?" Sarutobi asked in a serious tone. The legendary spymaster chuckled as he nodded.
"A few times. Have a good day, sensei," Jiraiya stated respectfully as he left, knowing that the Sandaime would want to be left alone for the next couple of hours.
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Uzumaki Naruto was happy. If all went well, which was quite likely given the circumstances, his chaotic double life could be straightened out by this time next week; not years, months, or even weeks, but days!
The twelve-year-old knew what he was capable of. Once he was able to unleash his abilities without restriction, the blond had every confidence that he would succeed in achieving even his loftiest goals.
'Youngest Hokage in history.' Naruto smiled faintly at the thought, but only for a moment. It wouldn't do for him to start counting chickens before the eggs hatched. Plus, the Sandaime still ruled very capably and the young ANBU would sooner die than betray his leader in any way.
Still, Naruto was happy; so happy that he forwent his Genji disguise as he walked down the street. The cold, apathetic glances and the occasional looks of hostility quickly reduced his good cheer. The jinchuuriki ducked into an alley and took to traveling on the roofs of the village. Okay, so maybe Genji's success and fame had spoiled him a little. But who could begrudge him for favoring respect and admiration over scorn and indifference.
A short while later, Naruto arrived at his destination, Training Field 14. He was about to transform into his Genji persona when a voice called out to him.
"Naruto, good to see you. Come over and give me a hand with the vice captain."
"Tenzou-sensei!" Naruto ran over to his captain. "What's wrong with Yuugao-senpai?"
The young shinobi looked over and was shocked at his normally demure and reticent mentor's behavior. For one, she was obviously drunk based on the way she swayed unsteadily back and forth. And for another, Yuugao was shooting her colleagues sexy, flirtatious grins.
"Hey, Naru-chan, how about a threeso—" Naruto blinked as Yuugao tried to put the moves on both him and Captain Tenzou only to break out in a fit of hiccups.
"She's drunk! How did that happen?"
Tenzou lifted his arms and pointed at the empty bottles of high-proof sake and the pieces of broken weapons. "Hayate's death hit her harder than any of us had expected. Anko apparently brought her some alcohol to settle her mind. You can see how well that worked. Yuugao also put two rookie ANBU operatives in the hospital while intoxicated." That explained the weapons lying about.
"Don't tell me, she challenged them to a kenjutsu duel and they accepted?"
"What do you think?"
Naruto shook his head. A drunken Yuugao wielding a ninjaken could not have been good for her opponents' health. His mind backtracked to Tenzou's mentioning of the woman who had brought the alcohol.
'So she's alright,' Naruto thought with relief, remembering her encounter with Orochimaru during the exam. He rather liked the provocative exam proctor, despite her peculiar and somewhat freaky behavior. Plus, she reminded him a bit about himself.
"Listen, Naruto, I have some affairs to take care of. So I need you to look after the vice captain."
"Wait a minute, captain! You can't leave me here alone with her!" Naruto screeched but to no avail. His oh-so-courageous leader had already made himself scarce.
'Damn it! Why is all this shit happening on the same day! And why is everyone around me acting so cowardly!' Naruto was left fuming as Yuugao suddenly attached herself to his body. The young shinobi whimpered as his drunken and half delirious sensei proceeded to glomp him like he was an extra soft plush doll. 'Oh, I'm so dead!'
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"Senpai? Are you still with me?" Naruto whispered.
"I'm with you, Naru-chan! I'll always be with you!" the drunken woman giggled in a singsong voice. The younger shinobi tried his best to block out his mentor's words. Yep, the woman was smashed, all right.
The blond sighed again as he pondered how to get his sensei home with minimal fuss. Yuugao was not fat, but she was a grown woman, whereas he was only a twelve-year-old boy. The logistics of the whole affair were problematic. And then there was a more pressing concern.
"Did you sense that?"
"Yeah, someone's watching us," Yuugao slurred in a whisper. Apparently, her state of inebriation did nothing to diminish her carefully honed senses. Unfortunately, her compromised state of mind made her all but useless in a fight. Not that it mattered. Naruto had a good idea who was watching and he was certain he could handle them. But before he could find a place to set Yuugao down, the shadow of the mysterious watcher fell over them.
"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?"
"So what if I am?"
"Good, I've been looking for you all over the place," the stranger stated.
"Ok, so what do you want?" Naruto asked, feigning curiosity.
The figure clad almost completely in black smiled, "How about your head?"
Expecting the reply, Naruto was already rolling away with Yuugao under the cover of a solid wall of clones. He left his incapacitated sensei in the care of one before joining the battle. Finding his two dozen clones being slowly beaten back by half a dozen puppets, the Konoha prodigy realized his enemy was Kankurou, the eldest son of the Yondaime Kazekage. But the Suna genin was curiously alone. Naruto took this to mean one of two things.
'Either he's the demon container and confident of victory or he's a glory seeking fool.' One minute into the fight, Naruto was leaning towards the latter possibility. The Suna genin fought without finesse and all his attacks were reactive. However, his puppets were stronger and tougher than Naruto's clones, and cost little chakra to maintain.
'Time to get serious.' Naruto needed to quickly end the fight lest they attract unwanted attention. While Training Field 14 was one of the more out-of-the-way practice grounds, the sort people went to when they didn't want to be found, he wasn't about to take any chances.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
The diminishing group of blonds instantly mushroomed with the influx of added clones. For the first time, the Suna genin wondered if he might have bitten off more than he could chew. Perhaps he shouldn't have allowed his pride and simmering indignation at being surpassed by his siblings to dictate his actions?
Naruto did not hesitate to press home his advantage. His clones concentrated on Kankurou's flanks, forcing the puppet user to spread out his puppets until only a single defender stood in front of him. The Konoha jounin struck with a lightning quick combo that knocked it out of action. A split second later, he was in Kankurou's face with a kunai buried in his heart.
Or at least the kunai was supposed to be buried in the Suna genin's heart. Naruto knew something had gone horribly wrong when the dead ninja refused to drop to the ground.
'Aw, fuck!' Naruto thought, mentally kicking himself for falling for such an obvious trick. Only his perfect execution of the Shunshin saved him from being blown into bits as the Kankurou puppet self-destructed. Even so the young jounin was sufficiently injured and dazed for his enemy to seize the initiative.
Kankurou unsealed the entirety of his collection and unleashed them against the mass of orange. His puppets, which included several high-ranked ninja, began massacring his opponent's clones. Eventually, all the clones were destroyed and two of Kankurou's puppets pinned Naruto to the ground.
"You're a pretty special shinobi Naruto, and definitely no ordinary genin. But I'm Kankurou of Sunagakure, the student of Akasuna no Sasori. Your defeat was inevitable," the Suna genin declared theatrically. He then commanded a third puppet to deliver the coup de grace and left his victim's bloody body on the ground.
Kankurou was about to reseal his puppets when a moan spooked him. He had forgotten about the woman. The Suna shinobi cautiously approached the female companion of the late Uzumaki Naruto, twitching his nose at the stink of alcohol. The Suna genin hoisted her up and sighed when the giggly drunk leaned against him. He really hated doing this, especially to such a beautiful creature, but he simply could not afford to leave any witnesses behind.
"I'm sorry, but I'm only doing my job," Kankurou muttered by way of self-vindication as he withdrew a kunai. He never expected a response.
"So am I." The erstwhile drunk rammed a kunai straight into the Suna nin's heart. The dead Kankurou fell to the ground while wearing an expression of absolute befuddlement.
'Poor bastard, he never saw it coming.'
The previously very drunk and very female Yuugao suddenly transformed into a very sober and very male Naruto. He immediately sent several clones to retrieve the real Yuugao from the place where he had hidden her prior to Kankurou's appearance. Then he turned his attention toward his assassin.
"Only idiots talk that much in the middle of a battle," Naruto muttered. A fitting epitaph for a capable but unimaginative ninja. The Suna genin's words, however, did contain a tantalizing morsel of information.
Akasuna no Sasori. From what Naruto knew, random second-rate ninja didn't get special titles added to their names. So who was this guy?
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"Hello, brat."
Naruto sent a hail of projectiles at the newcomer, who weaved around them easily enough. The man had a harder time avoiding his follow-up strikes, which was probably what prompted him to speak out.
"Hey, ease up, you little brat! It's me."
The edgy jounin slowly lowered his arms and loosened his combat-ready stance, but only after verifying that an illusion had not been cast.
"Don't sneak up on me like that, Ero-sama! I could have barbecued you!"
Jiraiya snorted. "Yeah right, brat."
The twelve-year-old shot the older man a look that promised great pain and discomfort. The Toad Hermit found himself reassessing the benefits and costs of antagonizing Minato's brat needlessly, with emphasis on lowered benefits and raised costs.
"I see you have had a busy day," Jiraiya observed neutrally, surveying Kankurou's dead body. "The Kazekage's not going to be happy."
'Well duh, captain obvious.' Fortunately Naruto managed to keep from giving voice to that particular thought. Unlike that affair at the Hokage's office, this was a serious situation and Jiraiya probably wouldn't appreciate the wisecrack.
"He's also definitely not the demon's host. Say, why were you in the area and why didn't you intervene, Jiraiya-sama?" Naruto asked. As Jiraiya was way too smart to buy the nonchalant act, the blond didn't even bother to hide his interest. He even chose to forego the use of his pet moniker for the pervert to highlight the importance of his question.
Jiraiya thought for a minute before answering the second part of the question. "I wanted to test you."
In other words, he was saying, "I don't really trust you so I was spying on you." Fair enough. Naruto suspected as much and couldn't really blame the older shinobi. The mistrust was mutual, after all. At least the man was honest about it.
"And I thought you had it under control," Jiraiya shrugged. His eyes suddenly caught the disintegrating Naruto clone as it exhausted its internal chakra source.
The Naruto that Kankurou had fought had been nothing more than a pumped up chakra clone reinforced by a containment seal. The seal gave the clone form and rigidity and served the same function as a skeleton to the real thing. It allowed the clone to carry a greater chakra reserve and to maintain its structural integrity even after suffering great physical damage. This last reason was what made this seal so useful when combined with shadow clones as it covered the latter skill's weakness.
However, two defects ultimately made shadow clones augmented with seals a rare find in the ninja world, aside from general ignorance of fuuinjutsu. First, the seal did not add much resilience to the clone. While injury wouldn't dissipate the clone's physical form, it would still cripple its bodily functions. This explained why Naruto's clone had been so easily incapacitated after being caught in the peripheral edges of the blast. Second, there was the chakra cost. The seal required a gigantic chakra input to build the clone's cellular and organ systems without adding any functional benefit. In the final analysis, the seal clone was weaker than a normal shadow clone… by a lot. With these flaws, it wasn't hard to imagine why the technique was considered idiotic and fell into disuse.
Naruto stood that belief on its head in a single day.
Certainly, the act of creating a seal augmented clone wasn't a difficult task. Jiraiya knew that. Minato had accomplished that feat in under a week so Naruto's one-day miracle wasn't so miraculous per se. The seal configuration was also very basic and could be constructed following just the axioms of sealing. Naruto had even thrown a hissy fit over how he hadn't figured it out himself when Jiraiya showed him the technique. But for the boy to have been able to incorporate the combinatorial technique as the centerpiece of successful tactical battle plan? That was nothing short of being miraculous. In all his years, Jiraiya had never witnessed such adaptability in a ninja outside of a few Sharingan-wielding Uchiha members.
"He wasn't even a challenge for you, was he?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto shook his head to indicate how badly out of depth the Suna genin was. The legendary ninja decided to move on to other things. He could puzzle out Minato's legacy later.
"Did he say anything of interest? I was too far away to hear the actual words."
"Just a name. He mentioned that his teacher was Sasori." Based on the way Jiraiya's eyebrows rose into his hairline, Naruto guessed his hunch about this Sasori was right.
"Are you absolutely sure that's what you heard?"
The young ANBU nodded, taking careful note of how creases formed on the Toad Hermit's forehead as he contemplated over that moniker.
"This is very useful information and something I haven't considered before. Thank you, Naruto."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm the best. I know, Ero-sama."
"Ungrateful twerp." The smile on Jiraiya's face told Naruto the older shinobi wasn't being serious.
Naruto smiled back cheekily. Here he was, standing in the dark, half-talking, half-sniping with a member of the Legendary Sannin over the body of an assassin while one of his mentors lay drunk and asleep nearby. It was a bizarre, almost surreal scene to say the least.
"I'll take care of the body and make proper arrangements so we don't get bitten diplomatically," Jiraiya finally stated.
"Considering what Suna is planning, isn't it kind of late for diplomacy?"
"For Suna? Yes. But for the other countries? No. Appearances sometimes have to be kept."
Naruto looked sharply at the older ninja. Was that a double entendre? The white-haired man was turned away but his entire posture screamed yes.
"I love Sarutobi-sensei, Naruto, just like you. So why don't we get along? That's what he wants and that's important to both of us, isn't it?" Jiraiya suggested with what was perhaps the most serious expression he had ever allowed to grace his face. It was as if he was talking about a peace treaty or perhaps a binding oath of sorts.
"How do you know we love him the same way?"
"We do. Trust me, we do. I know more about you than you think," Jiraiya answered with the sort of smile that just screamed I-know-something-but-I'm-not-going-to-tell-you.
A foreboding silence descended. Something clicked in Naruto's mind and the blond suddenly felt a coldness that was independent from the chilly afternoon breeze.
"You know, the old man keeps those orange books of yours under his desk. I see him read them sometimes, especially late at night when all his secretaries have gone home to their families. Is that why you first wrote those books? To keep him company? Is that why you always bring attention to your perverted nature? As some sort of a tribute to him? And is that also why you deliberately provoked me into using my Oiroke no Jutsu in front of him today?"
If Jiraiya was at shocked at Naruto's insight, he hid it well. He also pointedly refused to answer the questions posed. The legendary nin looked at him with hard eyes as he formulated a response.
"I'll make you a deal, brat. I'll answer your questions if you answer mine. This transformation technique of yours, the Oiroke no Jutsu. Sarutobi-sensei mentioned to me that it had tactical functions. Seeing your performance today I don't doubt that. But was that the real reason why you invented the technique? He mentioned that he had repeatedly told you not to use that technique. I suspect you normally wouldn't have ignored sensei's wishes so why the exception? And why so many times?" Jiraiya cracked a smile that was radically different from his normal perverted grin. "And if you knew I was deliberately provoking you, then why did you play your part as perfectly as I played mine? Why, if not for Sarutobi-sensei's benefit, hmm?"
Like Jiraiya, Naruto could not and would not answer the posed questions. Thankfully, the older ninja did not press his points, allowing the matter to slide.
"It's late. You should get your friend to bed, brat," Jiraiya suggested at last in a friendlier tone. Naruto nodded in agreement. It was probably a good idea for him to make himself scarce while the Sannin took care of things. He transformed into Genji and draped Yuugao over his back in preparation to use the Shunshin no Jutsu.
Before Naruto could leave, however, Jiraiya offered one last set of remarks for him to think about. "Your father was my best and most capable student. I believe you can and will surpass him. Just think about what I said and I'll see you around. Stay safe and good luck, brat."
"Yeah, you too, Ero-sama."
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Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he finally arrived at his destination with his companion.
"Was that Jiraiya… that I heard?" Yuugao slurred.
"Yep, that was him," Naruto grunted as he carried the woman through the doorway of her apartment and shut the door behind them. He looked around. The place hasn't changed much since the last time he was here. Yuugao might have been closer to him than anyone else barring the old man and the captain, but it still didn't mean that he was invited for tea every afternoon.
"Did I ever tell you? Haya-kun was such a pervert," the purple-haired woman whispered conspiratorially in Naruto's ear. "He loved the man's dirty books. Always trying to get me to do everything in them. Hehehe, Haya-kun was so kinky. Who knew?"
Apparently, Naruto didn't know and he never wanted to know! Sadly, it was too late to undo that particular learning experience. His mind was forever scarred and by one of his most trusted people, too. Life truly was cruel.
'I guess that's what love is like,' Naruto mused. For a long time, the twelve-year-old would have no idea how right he was.
Still, the young boy did try his best to ignore the grown woman's increasingly salacious and perverted tales. Ok, so he realized he was young and personally inexperienced with the opposite sex, not counting the lunch date with Sakura and Ino. Even so, he was pretty sure there was some social convention against blabbering intimate activities to members of the opposite sex that one wasn't involved with.
Finally he managed to carry Yuugao into her bedroom. In his haste, however, the blond ANBU made the mistake of trying to dump his sensei into bed when she had a vise-grip on his torso. As she fell, she pulled the smaller boy down with her.
"Yuugao-san, please let go," Naruto whined, realizing that his position left him with no leverage to hoist himself up. The female ANBU refused and even tightened her hold, causing her breasts to dig into his back. The youngster gave a most unmanly whimper.
"You're so cute, Naru-chan!" the drunken Yuugao declared, completely oblivious to the plight of her teammate. "…especially your girl form. Did I ever tell you about how Haya-kun tried to sell the idea of a threesome to me?"
'Argh!' Naruto mentally prayed for salvation. This entire conversation, or rather monologue, was wrong in so many ways.
Desperation drove him into increasing his resistance until he finally broke free of his prison. But just as he was about to leap to freedom, Yuugao's pained voice called out to him.
"Naruto-kun, please don't leave…" Naruto hesitated, twisted around and looked down at the forlorn and stricken expression on the older kunoichi's face. The purple-haired woman seemed half conscious as she gazed pleadingly at him through half opened eyes.
"Naruto-kun, please stay with me. I don't want to be alone," Yuugao called out again. Her words touched a cord and destroyed whatever incentive Naruto had to flee. He stood unresisting as slim hands guided him back down into the bed. Laying side by side, the kunoichi's arms circled around her charge and pulled his head into the crook of her neck. Despite their differences in size, the two fit together almost perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle. Naruto reached down to grab the blankets and draped them over Yuugao and himself.
"Hmm, thank you Naruto-kun. You make me feel so warm," Yuugao cooed as she snuggled closer to her bedmate.
"You feel warm too, Yuugao-chan." Even more importantly than the physical comfort a second body provided, Naruto was amazed how calm and content he felt. All his normal misgivings, fears and recriminations seemed to have evaporated.
As Uzumaki Naruto drifted off gently into what was to become one of his best, most peaceful and not to mention, nightmare-free sleeps, he had but one thought. He really hoped Yuugao wasn't one of those hyper-violent anti-pervert types. It would completely suck if Konoha were destroyed in the coming invasion because its top defense planner was hospitalized by his sensei after she found him in her bed one morning.
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AN: Yes, I killed off Kankurou. Consider it poetic justice for Hayate's death. Seriously though, he was going to die sooner or later. I saw no use for him in this story. But what did you think about the battle between him and Naruto? It was extremely one-sided, but I thought it made sense. Kankurou was only a genin while Naruto was a full jounin. Recall the difference between Kin and Tayuya in the previous chapter. Also, what did you think about his connection with Sasori? I'm thinking of trying something original with the Akatsuki members.
For the Naruto and Yuugao scene, I know people are going to see heart symbols and that's fine for now. Personally though, I just thought that a bit of WAFF was a nice way to make up for the hell Naruto went through.
I guess I should also explain the interaction between Naruto and Jiraiya. Basically I thought the humorous parts of Naruko flashing Jiraiya were too over the top. So what I did was drum up the idea that Jiraiya deliberately provoked Naruto into retaliating with his Sexy Technique in order to keep him from being depressed. I mean, it's hard to angst if you're laughing, right? At the same time, Naruto saw through the ruse (because he was Naruto) but went along with it so that Sarutobi wouldn't feel bad.
And you all thought it was just some simple fan service. I had all of you fooled, didn't I? Admit it! Ok, childish taunting aside, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.
As always, please take a moment to review. Thank you.