To Mend the Severed Bonds

by IIVII

He made a promise; the promise of a lifetime. How was he supposed to know; how was anyone supposed to know that the price to be paid would actually be a life. At the Valley of the End, he's faced with a decision that will change his life forever. The question is... What awaits him in the path he chooses? M for violence and language

21. Chapter 20: When You Weren't Looking II

WE ARE BACK!

WE ARE ALIVE!

I'D RATHER BETRAY THE WORLD THAN LET THE WORLD BETRAY ME!

So you know when I said that the next update was going to come soon? You guys uhh... You remember that right? Well, as it turns out, I'm a filthy liar! I really was working on it though. Then I stopped. And I only recently resumed writing because I figured that I can no longer let the ending of Naruto keep me from finishing this story. So, i buckled down, punched out the last few pages, and ta da! Seriously though. The last twenty chapters of Naruto kind of murdered my muse. Then it severed the limbs, chopped it into tiny bits, and dissolved it all in a bath tub full of muriatic acid. However, I am back for real this time. Keep it on the down lo yo. I apologize sincerely for the long ass wait. Feel free to chew me out for it. I promise to deliver the rest of the story! Also, we aren't even halfway through with this thing, so yall better buckle up because we're in for a long ride. I'll try not to ruin this, like Kishi ruined my heart. Enjoy all 43k+ words of this!

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Chapter 20: When You Weren't Looking II

"… What the hell just happened…? Why can't I move…?"

Everything around her felt like it was quaking. She could feel the wind in her hair, as if she was running against it, but she couldn't move her body. While the world around her still seemed dark, she could hear faint voices all around her.

"… the hell happened Ganryū?! Who the heck is this?"

"No time, just get her inside and get a medic now!"

---

…

… ...

… ... ...

"This is no good. She's losing too much blood! I don't have enough chakra to heal the wound."

"Then take some of mine!"

---

…

… ...

… ... ...

"We're losing her goddammit! I need some help here!"

"Onee-chan! I have to see my Onee-chan!"

"Miss, please, you have to stay back!

"I need some help over here! Shit!"

… Suddenly, everything faded to black.

"… Ugh… Fuck… What the hell happened…? My head feels like it's been split in two…"

Blinding light slowly started to flood her vision, causing her to squint. After a short while, her eyes started to adjust, and she soon found herself in an unfamiliar room.

"… Where the hell am I?"

She tried to move, but as soon as she did, a wave of pain assaulted her senses, causing her to let out a slight yelp. While the sudden pain did very little to ease her worries, it did manage to shake her from her sleepy daze, and allowed her to analyze her surroundings.

"… It's a clinic?"

Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what that might entail. Quickly, her hand went to pull off her blankets. Relief washed over her entire consciousness when she saw that her left leg was still, in fact, completely unscathed. But then, she noticed a crimson stain on her shirt. She lifted the cloth, only to find bandages covering a large area right beneath her left ribcage. She was about to pull them off, when suddenly, the door opened, prompting her to pull down her shirt and pull up her sheets.

"… Anyway, have Hanzo and his unit scout out the perimeter. We can never be too careful and—"

Ganryū entered the room, followed by a lean looking young man with messy hair and an eye patch. Judging from his stance and stature, she could easily tell that he was about the same age as she was, give or take a few years. He wore a black hooded vest over a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and black leather gloves, along with plain dark blue ninja pants. As far as she was concerned, he looked a bit too… delicate, to be a part of something like an anti-government rebellion. After she had finished casually observing the man, she turned to the larger. She locked eyes with a dumbfounded Ganryū for a few seconds, when suddenly, the man grinned.

"You're alive!"

"W-What? I-I am."

Ganryū turned to his assistant, and spoke.

"Like I said, have Hanzo take his unit out for recon. We need to make sure there aren't any guard patrols near our territory. And tell them not to attack directly. Outflank and outmaneuver. We don't want them pinpointing our location through the concentration of our scout units and the direction which they came from."

"Hai, but sir, Hanzo's unit suffered heavy losses trying to save Villagers during the riot. A large amount of his men are new recruits fresh out of training. Don't you think they're still a bit too green?"

"Hanzo knows what to do to keep them alive. Besides, it'll be good for them to get out there. Give them some much needed combat experience, as well as show them what that damned Daimyō has done to the country they love."

The man nodded firmly, but as he was about to leave, he locked eyes with Tayuya for a few seconds. The accidental eye contact soon became awkward for the girl, and upon sensing this, Ganryū coughed loudly, and spoke.

"Ah… Tayuya, this is Suzume, my right-hand man. Suzume, this is the girl I was telling all of you about, Tayuya."

The man smiled warmly at her, and offered a handshake. After a few awkward seconds, Tayuya took his hand.

"The girl who lived. It's a pleasure to meet you. Boss here wouldn't shut up about your skill with the war flute."

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you too."

Much to her surprise, Suzume smiled, and lightly kissed her hand, causing her to tense up slightly. Without another word, the man exited, leaving Tayuya wide-eyed.

"… Don't mind him." Ganryū said, with a sly smirk. "Anyway, it's good that you woke up. Your sister was getting pretty worried."

"Haruko? Where is she?!"

"Relax, relax, she's safe. She's with the rest of the survivors, tending injuries. Honestly though, if I were you, I'd be more concerned about myself."

Tayuya glanced down at the area where her bloody bandages were. Ganryū did so as well, but he cringed after recalling what it took to patch her up.

"Nasty bit of business, that is."

"What happened?"

Ganryū merely stared at her in disbelief, as if she had just asked something completely ludicrous.

"You mean you don't remember? Anything?"

"… I was kind of in and out at the time… I can only vaguely remember a few things."

The large scar-faced man let out a slight sigh, took a seat, and undid his high ponytail.

"… After you deflected the kunai, the explosive tags detonated. Your sister was closer to me, so I tackled her to take cover. She managed to walk away with a few burns; nothing too serious. You, on the other hand…"

Ganryū paused and ran a hand through his hair.

"One of the tags detonated near a collapsing house… the force of the blast scattered the debris. A broken piece of 2 by 4 stabbed into your side. I couldn't take it out then and there because I was afraid you'd bleed out, so I had to take you here. We almost lost you, kid. Some son of a bitch stole the boat we were supposed to use, so I had to administer first aid until Suzume arrived with another boat. You gave everyone quite a scare."

Tayuya breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled, prompting Ganryū to tilt his head in confusion.

"What? Did I say something funny?"

"Nah… I'm just… glad I didn't lose another leg."

Ganryū couldn't help but smile at the girl's attitude. Then, he suddenly recalled why he came to visit her in the first place.

"That reminds me! I came here to give you this."

The man then reached for something at the foot of the bed and presented it to the girl.

"Your crutch didn't survive the riot five nights ago, so I thought I ought to get you something to make up for it."

Tayuya stared at the artificial limb that had just been given to her. It was nothing special; nothing too fancy. It was basically just a shaft made out of aluminum, fitted to match her leg length. At the very top, was a wooden casing with soft padding on the inside which, she assumed, would be what attaches the makeshift leg to her thigh. And at the bottom, the shaft connected to a combat boot which served as the foot. Before she could say a word about it, Ganryū handed her another boot for her left foot.

"It comes with its pair, so you don't have to worry about matching shoes and all that. Try it on."

Tayuya hesitated for a second, but after realizing that she had no other way to get around, she pulled off her sheets, sat up, slipped her right thigh into the casing, and fastened the straps. Then, she sat on the edge of the bed, and exhaled slowly.

"… Alright."

Tayuya pushed off the bed and staggered forward for a bit, before finally managing to steady herself.

"Whew. Okay…"

"How is it? Does it fit right?"

"Yeah, it's just… I'm not used to it, that's all."

"Yeah, well you will, soon enough. Put these on too."

Suddenly, he tossed her a pair of dark grey ninja pants. Tayuya deftly caught the article of clothing, and upon realizing what it was, raised an eyebrow at the man.

"… What is this for?"

"You'll have to hide it."

"Why? Afraid to be seen with a cripple?"

For a short while, Ganryū just stood there, speechless. Then, he let out a quiet snicker, which soon turned into a loud guffaw.

"Ahaha… Gahahahahaha!"

His laughter merely served to piss Tayuya off even more.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?"

As he desperately tried to recompose himself, Ganryū spoke.

"Ahaha… N-Nothing… It's just that… I got my own handicap too, kid."

"What?"

Ganryū playfully pointed at his eyes, and spoke.

"I'm partially blind. I can still see a little bit; shadows and shapes, but that's pretty much it. People don't really notice until I tell them."

To say that Tayuya was surprised would have been an understatement.

"B-But… How do you…?"

"Sounds, mostly. Like a bat. Well, bats have better vision than I do, but you know what I mean. Sometimes, when that isn't enough though, I resort to sensing people's chakra. I may not look like it, but I was already a young ninja when Yugakure was still a dedicated Shinobi Village, taking missions from other countries. I was a damn good sensor too; one of the best. Didn't think it was that great of a thing back then, but after the incident which caused my partial loss of sight, I grew to appreciate it more and more. It helps me hide my… disability. You, on the other hand, do not have such an advantage. And the reason I asked you to hide your handicap is because the people here are… delicate, at the moment. A lot of people lost their homes, their families, and their lives, during the riot, and so everyone is sympathizing with everyone. If they see you walking around with a prosthetic leg, well, they're going to think that it happened during the riot, and they will flock you, and you don't want that kind of attention, now do you?"

Tayuya pursed her lips and ran a hand through her hair.

"… I suppose not."

"Good. Then I'll be waiting out in the hall. When you're finished changing, we can go see your sister."

Ganryū then proceeded to exit the room, and when he did, Tayuya slid out of her black shorts and into the black ninja pants that was given to her. She also put on the matching boot that came with it, and walked around for a bit once more, just to get used to the sensation of having a 'leg' again.

"… Fuck. I've forgotten how it feels to walk without a crutch under my arm. Well, it's not going to be much help when it comes to running, but at least I can still fucking walk."

As soon as she was comfortable with the new limb, she exited the room, and entered a well-lit hallway. After a few seconds of looking around, she spotted Ganryū talking to a nurse at the end of the hall, and she started walking towards him, but not without noticing her surroundings. She passed by several rooms; some with open doors, which allowed her to see the people that were being treated inside. Some of the patients had concussions and flesh wounds; those were the lucky ones. Others, on the other hand, weren't so fortunate. There were those who lost their arms, those who lost legs, those who were mutilated, and those who were partially consumed by the flames during the riot. And while the clinic and the medics seemed capable enough to handle most of the cases, there was only so much they can do with what little resources they had. When she reached the end of the hall, Ganryū glanced at what Tayuya was staring at, frowned slightly, and spoke.

"… We saved a lot of people, but I can't help but think that we could have saved more."

"Are they all from the riot?"

"Not all of them. Some of them were civilians who protested the anti-shinobi governance. As you can see, the Daimyō and his royal guards aren't big on tolerance."

Tayuya raised an eyebrow at the man.

"You're saying the Daimyō sent his guards against anyone who opposed him?"

"No. The Daimyō has always been against the Pro-Shinobi groups, but the man doesn't have the guts to pull something like that. His guards, on the other hand… they'd secretly raid the homes of known protesters, drag them out into the woods, and have their way with them. Mutilations, floggings, rape; you name it. Then they leave them in the woods to wander. That's when we find them."

"… I've heard about that, but I didn't think it was true. Yugakure just seemed so… I don't know, peaceful? I suppose nothing is ever as it seems…"

"Peace isn't the absence of War; only its retreat into the shadows. Now, come. I'll show you around."

Ganryū then walked through a nearby doorway, with Tayuya following closely behind. The two of them waded through packed lobbies and cramped hallways, until finally, they reached the door to the exit. Suddenly Ganryū turned to Tayuya, and smiled.

"… Now this next part might be a bit overwhelming, so brace yourself."

Tayuya responded with a deadpanned expression and a tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh gee whiz, the excitement is killing me."

Ganryū merely smirked at the kid, opened the doors, and stepped outside.

"Welcome to our Village."

As Tayuya stepped out, the first thing she felt was the immense heat and humidity in the air. However, once she managed to get over that, she couldn't help but be awe-struck. The clinic they had just exited rested on elevated ground, and boasted an excellent view of everything.

"What…"

It wasn't much, the Village. In fact, from an outsider's point of view, it looked just like one big campsite. The houses were made out of stone; most likely born out of the efforts of earth-based ninjutsu. The merchants sold their wares in makeshift stalls. Instead of lighting fixtures, people lit their homes and roads with torches and lanterns. There was a large river that cut through the middle of the vast settlement, and even from that distance Tayuya could tell how wide and deep it must be. The bridges that connected the two halves of the settlement were made out of stone as well. And yet, despite the somewhat… primitive lifestyle that they lead, the people seemed… happy. They were smiling at each other and helping each other. It was so different from the usually impersonal hustle and bustle that occurred in Yugakure.

"What you're looking at right here… this is the true Yugakure. This is what I'm fighting for. The country that I love, before it became obsessed with economy and profit."

Tayuya ran a hand through her hair and smiled.

"… How have they not found this place yet?"

A slight chuckle was the only response she received, which prompted her to glare at the man.

"… What?"

"Look up."

And look up she did, only to have her expectations shattered. She thought she would see the night sky and the stars; she was wrong. What she did see, dozens of kilometers above her, was a stone ceiling covered with glowing mushrooms.

"What the fuck? Are we underground?!"

"You ever heard of the legendary underground springs of Yugakure?"

Tayuya sighed and leaned on the wooden fencing.

"… My Kaa-san used to tell me stories about it… about the band of heroic shinobi who fell through a fissure and discovered the underground springs. They say that's how the country found its name. I thought it was just a myth though…"

"Yeah well that's how I found it too."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Without another word, Ganryū started walking down the hill, prompting Tayuya to follow.

"… When I was still a young lad, I was a shinobi."

"You've told me that."

"Yes, well, what I didn't tell you is that when the Daimyō disbanded the Shinobi system of Yugakure, the guards pressured the shinobi into giving up their arms. There were, of course, those who resisted; like me. They didn't last long though. When it was my turn to face the noose, I made a break for it. Unfortunately I was captured and beaten until every time I breathe, I'd cough out blood. Then, when my captors took a break to piss, I ran again. I kept running, and running, and running, until eventually I found a cave. I spent the night there. I thought I'd be safe there, until they found me. I was cornered, so I ran deeper into the cave. I kept going until I reached a pit of some sort. They had me trapped like a rat, and I had nowhere else to go, so I jumped. Landed in the underground river and I washed up here, in this section of the caverns. I took refuge here, and spent the next few months looking for survivors and stragglers; people who supported the old ways, like me."

As they were walking through the settlement, Tayuya couldn't help but notice how the people kept nodding in respect and acknowledgment at Ganryū. Suddenly, a young boy bowed in front of them, and spoke.

"G-Good morning, Netsukage-sama!"

Ganryū merely nodded at the boy, and walked on. Tayuya, on the other hand, furrowed her brow and spoke.

"Netsukage? You started your own shinobi Village?"

"Not me, the people. They wanted me to lead them. You'd be surprised, but a vast majority of the people here are actually shinobi."

"Huh. So this is where they all went."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering where all the people capable of molding chakra and becoming shinobi went; the ones with strong potential. I mean, it's not like the Daimyō can keep the children of shinobi from being born, nor can he keep them from being trained by their parents secretly. Especially since some people are born with stronger chakras than others. I never saw anyone like that topside; in Yugakure. It was as if all the ninjas died out just because the Academy of Yugakure was disbanded."

"… Sooner or later they all come to us. They need guidance. They need protection; to be able to master their abilities without fear of being labeled as a pro-shinobi supporter and being prosecuted. The Daimyō and his men want to think that War is synonymous with the Shinobi way, but it's not. They like to boast that since they no longer uphold the Way of the Shinobi, they can be called the "Country that has Forgotten War", but that's not the case at all. Being a Shinobi is about being able to fight, but knowing when not to. It's about being capable of protecting that which means something in our world; things like honor, family, love, and our comrades. Being a Shinobi means being able to endure; all the pain, all the hatred, and all the suffering in the world, you endure it. You grit your teeth and take it all with a smile, because you know that the road to Peace isn't paved with yellow bricks. It's full of thorns and bramble, and it's teeming with opposition, but as a shinobi, it is our duty to face it all; to endure it all, for the sake of those behind us. For the sake of those who will come after us. The path of a Shinobi is rough, but if one walks it well, it will be that much easier for those who come after, and we will be that much closer to Peace."

"Is that why you do what you do?"

Ganryū let out a slight laugh.

"If I could die for this ideal… if I could die making Yu a better place for my fellow countrymen and women… well, that would be a beautiful death indeed, no?"

"Well, it's nice to see there are still people in the world who stand for something."

"Oh I wouldn't say I'm the only one. You've met someone like that before, have you not?"

Tayuya shot the man a shocked and probing look, as if to ask how he knew about the blonde shithead, but before she could find the right amount of vulgarity necessary to get the point across, she heard an all too familiar voice which also served as an answer to her question.

"Onee-chan!"

Haruko was about to tackle Tayuya, but luckily, she managed to stop herself at the very last second. Instead, she seized her elder sister by the head and rained down kisses on her face.

"H-Haruko! P-People are staring!"

"Oh let them stare! I missed you Onee-chan! Oh I was so worried… Don't you ever do anything like that again dummy!"

Haruko broke away in order to scan her sister, and much to her surprise, Tayuya was standing on two feet.

"Onee-chan… what's going on…?"

Tayuya tilted her head, as if confused by the nature of the question. Then suddenly, it dawned on her.

"Oh, no don't mind this," said the red haired girl as she tapped the side of her prosthetic leg. "It's a fake leg. Wouldn't want the people here to stare. Last time that happened I was almost detained by the guards in Yugakure for assault, remember?"

Haruko let out a slight nostalgic laugh, and replied.

"I do. Gosh… I missed you so much!"

Once again, Haruko locked her older sister in a tight embrace and coddled her with all her might. Haruko's assault continued for half a minute more. When she finished, she grabbed Tayuya by the hand.

"I have someone I want you to meet!"

Haruko dragged Tayuya to a nearby open clearing and called out.

"Miyuki-chan! Over here!"

Suddenly, a tall, brown haired woman turned to face them. She wore a dark red cheongsam which hugged every curve of her body and ran down to her knees. Underneath it, she wore thigh-high black silk stockings. However, the one detail that immediately demanded Tayuya's attention, were the knife holsters she wore on both thighs, her lower back, and on her chest.

"Onee-chan, this is Miyuki-chan. I met her a few days ago, while we were tending to the sick and injured. She's been teaching me how to throw knives."

The woman smiled warmly at Tayuya and nodded.

"It's great to finally meet you, Tayuya-san. Haruko here has told me such wonderful things about you."

Tayuya scowled at her sister and ruffled her hair.

"Yeah, apparently she's been telling a lot of people a lot of things about me."

Haruko merely stuck her tongue out.

"Ne, Onee-chan, watch this."

The girl then rushed over to where Miyuki had been standing, picked up three knives, and threw them at a stone target roughly ten meters away. The first two blades hit their mark spot on; however, the third blade missed the painted-on bulls-eye by a few inches to the right. Displeased with the results, Haruko puffed her cheeks indignantly and walked back to her sister's side. Miyuki, however, was quite ecstatic.

"Oh, two out of three! That's marvelous Haruko! And to think just three days ago you nearly killed an innocent by-stander with a knife~"

Tayuya raised an eyebrow at her clumsy little sister.

"What is she talking about?"

"Eheh. I-It's a long story. And we don't have time for that, right Miyuki-san? You did say that when Ganryū-san gets here, we'd have to go somewhere, right?"

Upon hearing his name, Ganryū walked up to the three women, and spoke.

"As heartwarming this reunion might be, the little girl is right. Miyuki, I need you to gather the rest of your team and meet me in the Strategy Room. And when you see Suzume, tell him to ready his gear. We might need him on this one."

Miyuki's eyes widened slightly upon hearing their Kage speak Suzume's name.

"Suzume? Are you sure Netsukage-sama? Y-You don't usually send him out on missions."

"I'm willing to make an exception on this one. Besides, we'll need an Overwatch."

Miyuki nodded firmly, and darted off, leaving Haruko and Tayuya alone with Ganryū.

"You two ought to come with me. You might want to see this."

"That would depend on what 'this' is." Tayuya replied.

"Heh. Well to put it shortly, it's the plan to take back our home: to take back Yugakure."

With that said the three of them walked off, towards the Netsukage's Office Building.

---

"You gotta focus kid, or we're all dead."

"I know I know, ya old perv."

The sizzling noise was growing louder, and louder, until it managed to drown out everything else. Beads of sweat were forming around Naruto's brows, and he quickly wiped them before they could trickle down and compromise what he had been trying to do.

"You can just tell me if you need any help you know." Jiraiya said, as a sly smirk was creeping onto his expression.

"Don't worry… I got this…"

The blonde boy steadied his hand and, in one deft motion, transcribed several special characters on the ignited sealing tag. Suddenly, the sizzling stopped, and as soon as it did, Naruto and Jiraiya relaxed visibly and let out a sigh of relief.

"… You know old man, when you said you were going to teach me, I thought it would be about some cool moves, or maybe even how to channel my inner emotions and passions into a sudden power-up. I didn't think Fūinjutsu was what you meant."

"I told you, if you're going up against the Akatsuki, you're going to need to learn all you can from the gallant Jiraiya. And trust me; there are only a handful of people in the Elemental Nations who can make a Reverse Four Symbol Seal, and the number of people who know how to defuse them, even less. This'll be more useful than you think."

"Well I can't dispute that, but what's the point in teaching me how to decrypt seals?"

Jiraiya grinned at the boy, and stood up.

"Get up, Tatsu. I'll show you."

Naruto calmly acquiesced, but as soon as he did, Jiraiya channeled chakra onto his fingertips.

"Gogyō Fūin."

Without warning, he plunged his five fingers into Naruto's chest, causing the boy to double over and nearly pass out. Instead, Naruto fell to his knees, clutching his abdomen.

"W-What the hell?"

Naruto was about to take off his robe, but when he realized that would not only reveal his face, but also reveal the seals on his stomach, he settled for opening his cloak just enough to reveal the newly-placed seal on his chest.

"What did you do?"

"That's a seal designed to make it damn near impossible for the victim to control his chakra properly."

"Well then why would you place it on me?"

"I want you to look at it closely. Analyze it, and decrypt it. Unravel it in your head; use the characters to tell what needs to be added or removed and where, in order to neutralize it, and determine the chakra ratio you'd need to pump into it for it to come undone."

Naruto stared at the seal for a few minutes, pacing back and forth in front of Jiraiya. When he was completely confident about what he needed to do, the boy took the chakra-infused ink, wrote down a special character on the palm of his hand, channeled his chakra into his fingertips, with great effort no less, and pressed it into the seal. Then, he twisted his hand slightly, and in no more than four seconds, the seal unlocked itself and unraveled. When it was gone, Naruto could feel his chakra flowing normally, and he could also hear an irate demon nagging him inside his head.

"What the fuck did that old pervert do huh? I'm going to fuck that white turd up! How dare he disrupt the chakra flow of the Great Kyuubi no Youko?!"

"W-What the… C-Calm down Kura-kun, it was just a test."

"How about I test the elasticity of his asshole by shoving my foot up his ass?! I swear to all that is demonic, when I get out of this damned cage I am going to HUNT him like a lion hunts a fucking tiger."

"Lions don't hunt tigers."

"I don't CARE! If he was a tiger, and I was a lion, I would go out of my way to fucking hunt him. I will travel through valleys, and ridges, and mountainsides, and I will hunt him down, and rip him apart! And then I'll fuck his tiger girlfriend."

"That would violate so many laws of Nature."

Suddenly, Naruto was pulled back into reality by a light slap on the side of the head.

"Hey, kid! You're spacing out again."

"Ah, sorry."

"I said, congratulations; you are now one of the few people in the world who can unravel a Five Elements Seal. I gotta say kid, I didn't expect you to know so much about Fūinjutsu to begin with, but what surprises me more is how quick of a study you are. It's like you've got a natural gift for this sort of thing."

Naruto merely smiled beneath his scarf, and started walking with his sensei towards town.

"Maybe I do."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. So, what am I going to be training in next?"

"That's it for today kid, but come back here tomorrow at noon."

"What will I be learning?"

"… You know when I told you that you lacked something when you fight?"

"Yeah. You said I lack emotion."

"Exactly. You don't know how to get in touch with that… primal side of you. I know it's there. I can see it."

"And how do you know that?"

Jiraiya smiled and rubbed his chin in a sage-like manner.

"… You ever seen a caged animal? Not like birds or anything like that. I mean predators; big, carnivorous beasts, locked up in cages."

The blonde boy vividly recalled passing by a few merchants who sold exotic animals during his trip to the Southern Continents.

"A few times, yes. Why?"

"Did you know that you can actually tell which ones were born in captivity, and which ones were taken from their homes; from the wild?"

"I assume you're going to tell me how?"

The playful sarcasm in the boy's tone was met with a semi-scowl from Jiraiya.

"You're a lippy brat, you know that?"

"So I've been told. Anyway, how does one tell?"

"… By looking into their eyes. See, there's… there's something about the eyes of a wild animal; the eyes of a trained killer. You can see it. You can feel it; the stalking gaze of a predator. Those that are born in captivity they… they lack that fire; the base, primal desire to come out on top; to survive. The killer instinct. That's how you tell if they're born in the wild; they have it in their eyes. But after a while… you keep coming back to visit them and you see… it starts to fade. They become tame, and docile, and… almost too civilized, and it's a pitiful sight indeed. There's nothing sadder than a wild animal thinking it's a pet. That's what happens when you keep your inner predator locked up inside; when you don't feed it. You kid? I could already tell the first time I saw you: you've got that animal locked up inside you. Caged and chained. And it's restricting you; keeping you from going all out, and when the time comes, believe me, against the Akatsuki you're going to need to go all out. That's why I, the brave and noble Jiraiya, will help you find the key to that cage."

Naruto mulled over his sensei's words, and after a few minutes of silent strolling, replied.

"You've got a predator inside you too, Jiraiya-sama."

"Well I'm glad you noticed. I can be quite fierce in a fight if I do say so myself."

"No, I meant a sexual predator. You're a danger to women everywhere."

"Hey! I am a super sexual predator!"

The old man playfully slapped the boy on the back of the head, which elicited a slight chuckle from Naruto. Before they knew it, they had already arrived at the edge of town.

"Well kid, I got some work that needs to be done. Don't forget, tomorrow at noon."

"Will do. Also, how far along are you with the names?"

"I'm about halfway through the list. Don't worry, I'll have it ready in a five nights, give or take."

"Alright. See you tomorrow sensei."

Jiraiya was in the process of walking away, but when he heard that one word, he froze.

"… What did you just call me?"

Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"Sensei. That's what you are, right? You're my sensei."

Jiraiya smiled slightly at that, and began walking again.

"… I suppose I am. I'll see you tomorrow kid."

Naruto stared at his sensei's retreating form, wondering why he had reacted so strangely, for a few more minutes, before finally heading into town as well. He was about to head straight to the inn, when suddenly, he caught a glimpse of the market district.

"Hmm… I should maybe pass by the markets, just to stock up on some Instant Ramen."

"How long are you going to keep this up, kit?"

"… Beg your pardon? You never had any problems with my ramen addiction before."

"Not that, you blubbering idiot. I meant, for how long are you going to stick with the name Tatsu?"

"… As long as it takes, I suppose. I can't tell him who I really am right now. I just can't. Besides, if I do, he'll try to stop me, and he probably won't even finish digging up dirt on the names on that list I gave him."

"Well what happens when he finds out? From someone else?"

"Look, I don't know, okay? I'll tell him, right before we leave. Let's just not talk about it for now."

"Fine. One other thing, though."

"What?"

"… That thing the old pervert taught you, about decrypting seals… You realize what we could use that for, right?"

"I do. In fact, I've been trying to figure out this damned seal before I even learned this decryption stuff. It's really tough to crack though. The 4th Hokage really knew his stuff. I mean, an Eight Trigram Seal with one vital formula extracted to act as a key? This might be the most advanced seal I've ever seen."

"Heh. 4th Hokage. Don't you mean dad?"

Naruto bit his lower lip in order to stop himself from grinning like a madman in the middle of the street.

"Shut your whore mouth."

"Look who's talking, whore."

"No you're a whore."

"You're the dirtiest of all whores."

"You suck cock and then you pay them, just because you like the feeling. Yeah. That's the kind of whore you are."

"You're so stupid you probably think horticulture is the study of the subculture of your fellow whores."

"Suck it, son."

"You suck it, daddy's boy."

Their petty argument was interrupted though, when Naruto overheard two drunks comparing their travelling stories in front of an equally drunken rabble.

"I-I'm –hic- telling you! I saw it myself! I was aboard my ship, The Pearl of the Orient, when out of nowhere; a storm blew over the horizon! As my ship, the old girl, was already old and weary, I had to steer clear of that monster of a hurricane! And so, I changed course and headed west."

Suddenly, a young lad spoke up, wide-eyed and shocked.

"West? B-But you were a few miles out of the Haha Harbor right? You mean you went straight for—"

"The Sea of Teeth; aye, lad."

Suddenly, the man sitting next to him spoke, but not before downing an entire pint of ale.

"The Sea of Teeth? Now I've never heard of such a thing!"

"The Sea of Teeth is what we sailors call the ocean west of Haha Island, where Jiro Island once was. They say that the pillars of earth jutting out of the deep blue were remnants of a battle between two Demons of unfathomable power. It be called the Sea of Teeth due to the fact that the rock formations resemble the teeth of a sea monster, sticking out of the waters, waiting to claim its next prey."

"And what's so dangerous about this place, aside from the geography? Any true sailor could have navigated that maze easily!"

Suddenly, the drunken man stood on the table, holding a bottle of rum.

"What's so dangerous?! What's so dangerous, he says! Hah! I'll tell you what's so dangerous about it!"

He took a long sip from his bottle, and looked the man in the eye.

"Pirates: rabid, loot-hungry, filthy pirates. And I sailed straight into their territory."

Suddenly, another young man piped up.

"W-What happened then?"

"I'll tell ya what happened, m'boy! As soon as I steered clear of the earthen pillars, I saw it: a graveyard for ships. All around me there they were; schooners, brigs, trabaccolos, barques, you name it! All sunk, with the corpses of their captains hanging from the masts. It was a hell for any sailor. Then, before I could turn around and go back from whence I came, they surrounded me! Schooners sailed by bloodthirsty pirates, about three or four of them!"

"Sir, t-they say the pirates in that area have some sort of code? T-That they only attack once given the order by their superior…"

Then, another man stood up and threw a piece of dumpling at the boy.

"You dummy! They're pirates; men of anarchy. They don't take orders from no one, and they don't have superiors!"

Before the man could throw another dumpling, the rhum-toting sailor spoke up once again.

"Ah but they did! There were rumors in Haha Island about it, lad: rumors of the Pirate King. A man so tenacious and so dangerous, that he has earned the respect and fear of all the pirates in his seas. And as I stood there, on the deck of me ship; I saw it, at the distance, waiting… a ship larger than any I've ever seen. A goddamned sea monster… The Red Tide."

His audience then started to murmur, and Naruto couldn't help but feel intrigued as he listened in on the man's story.

"The Red Tide sat from afar, waiting, as his men circled me like sharks…"

"Then how are you still alive then, eh?"

"I'll tell you how I'm alive… in the Land of Umi, there is a legend that started as soon as these pirates occupied the seas west of the island… The Legend of the Ghost Ship"

A man then stood up and addressed the small crowd.

"This guy's full of it! You're telling us, that a legend saved you from sinking to the bottom of the sea?"

"That's exactly what I be telling you, you insolent fool! They were circling me, when it happened. Suddenly, I was surrounded by a thick mist, and I could see no farther than I could reach out with my hand. But from that thick mist, I saw the silhouette of the fabled Pirate Hunting ship of the Great White. Within seconds the schooners of the bloody pirates that had surrounded me were sunk, and all I could hear were the agonized screams of those poor wretched souls. When the mist had gone, I saw sunken schooners all around me, and floating corpses that dyed the sea red. And from afar, I saw The Red Tide retreating."

"What happened to the Ghost Ship?"

"Gone; like a phantom. I owe my life to the captain of that vessel, and it was just gone."

"Well did you at least see what kind of ship it was?"

"That I did, lad. It was a brig, armed to the teeth. Moves like a goddamned shade. I couldn't see exactly what they were firing but I could tell it had the strength to rip a ship in two."

Every man present, save for one, looked up at him in pure awe as he finished his tale. However, the man sitting next to him merely scoffed, and stood.

"Bah! That's nothing! So you survived a few pirates. I survived an entire revolution!"

"What are you blabbering on about, you fool?!"

"Have none of you heard? An Insurgency is on the rise in Yugakure!"

"Hah. We've all heard nothing about that."

"You calling me a liar?!"

Suddenly, the man grabbed the drunken sailor by the collar.

"I call it how I see it, kid."

Before the spat between the two could erupt into a fistfight, one of the younger members of the audience stepped in.

"Pardon good sirs, but I think I speak for a lot of the people here when I say that this insurgency sounds mighty interesting."

A smirk made its way onto the second man, and he smugly released the drunken sailor.

"It happened five nights ago, in the dead of night, when the sky was darkest. For years now the government of Yugakure has faced opposition from the Pro-Shinobi groups within their territory. Up until a few nights ago, the worst of it were a few rowdy protesters and rallies. But then, one night, the Insurgency launched an ambush on the Southern District of Yugakure. Burned the entire place down, they did. Killed a few civilians to boot. The Daimyō's royal guards managed to quell the rebellion… for now, that is. I was in a bar, you see, drinking my blues away, when suddenly, I heard the screaming. I went out to see what the bloody hell was going on, and that's when I saw it. The whole sky was a shade of vermillion. Members of the Insurgency were everywhere, raping, and killing, and burning down houses. I did the first thing that came to mind: I ran."

"You bloody coward!" A voice from the drunken rabble called out, eliciting an outburst from the man.

"You weren't there you bastard! You didn't see what I saw! Any of you would have run. Yeah! Any of you would have done the exact same thing I did. They were killing people indiscriminately. You didn't hear the things I did; the screams, the moans, the groans and the grunting. I barely managed to make it out alive myself. I was on my way to the river that cut through the center of the Village when I was surrounded by three Insurgency members. They would have killed me, if it weren't for three sudden explosions that came from nowhere. I reckon it was close by, since the blast made the house nearby collapse and kill the three Insurgency members who were after me. I managed to escape by stealing a boat and rowing upriver until I was free and clear of that damned Village. But you know what I heard? They say the Daimyō still has the entire town on lockdown until all the Insurgency members are hanged by their necks. The entire country is practically a war zone right now."

The man paused for a few seconds in order to take in the frightened expressions of his fellow drunkards.

"I say to you, friends. Islands floating up into the sky, the Southern Continents on the brink of War, pirates roaming the high seas, civil wars erupting out of nowhere: the world's going mad. And you all better be ready to do the same, when it does."

With a smug smile on his face, the man took the bottle of rum from the sailor, and gulped it down in one determined chug. Then, he smashed the bottle on the ground and walked off, leaving behind a shocked and mortified crowd. However, he failed to notice that one particular blonde haired boy had been eavesdropping on his discussion with his fellow drunks, and was now visibly shaking in rage.

---

"Where the heck is the boss man? Wasn't he the one that told us to meet up here? I mean, hot damn. Miyuki had to drag me here. Literally."

"That's because you're a bit of a lazy bum, Kagura."

Suddenly, a hand gently pushed him out of the way, as he was blocking the pathway towards the Strategy Room.

"Well, look who it is! Suzume! Wasn't expecting to see you here; after all, the boss likes to keep you on a short leash right?"

"Only because I have a particularly unique skill-set."

"That's one way to put it. Anyway, where's the boss? I thought he'd be here by now?"

"I ran into him on the way here. He asked our guests to head on over here."

"Guests? I never heard about any guests."

Suddenly, he heard a feminine cough come from behind him, prompting both Suzume and Kagura to turn around. They were then met with the gazes of one short haired brunette, and a fiery red haired girl. Kagura nearly choked on his own spit as he tried to stammer out a greeting.

"G-Good afternoon p-pretty lady. I'm a… I'm… I'm man."

Tayuya shot him an icy-cold glare and gestured for Haruko to get behind her.

"… Good for you."

"Uh y-yeah! My name's Kagura! I-I'm the captain of Assault Squad Taka! It's an honor to meet the guest of the boss."

"… Nice to meet you too. Come on, Haruko."

The two women slowly pushed past Kagura and Suzume, and entered the Strategy Room. Kagura, however, still had stars in his eyes.

"A-Alright, I'll talk to you la—did you see the way she talked to me?"

He suddenly turned to Suzume and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Who, Tayuya-chan? What, you think she was sexy talking you?"

"Damn right she was sexy talking me."

"That was not sexy talking."

"Man, you don't know."

"Tsk. You wouldn't know sex talk if it talked you in the sex."

"What?!"

Suzume then gingerly flicked his hand away, and stood in front of him.

"You think you can just throw in your lot? That you can take Tayuya-chan from me? You got another thing coming boy."

"Tayuya? Is that her name? Well, thanks for being such a good friend and telling me. I'm sure she sees you as a great FRIEND as well."

Suzume let out a slight gasp, and glared at Kagura.

"You don't know what you're starting, Kagura. This will be over before it's even begun. You don't have a chance in hell, because the girls you pull are gremlins."

"You do not talk about my girls! My girls look great; just like me!"

Suzume raised an eyebrow at that statement, and crossed his arms, prompting Kagura to run a frustrated hand through his long messy hair and further elaborate.

"I'm saying they literally look just like me! They vary in personalities, but they look like me! All of them!"

Suzume had to take a step back to recover from the shock. Then he pointed a finger at Kagura, and spoke.

"That is SUPER weird and I DO NOT feel like you know what you're saying right now!"

In the heat of the moment, Kagura rammed Suzume with his chest.

"OH! WHAT?!"

Suzume stared at Kagura, wide-eyed, for a few seconds, before slamming his body against the man's, causing Kagura to stumble backwards as well. Then, as he was hopping in place and waving his arms wildly, Suzume spoke.

"What? What? What you got boy?"

Kagura steadied himself and spoke.

"What the what?!"

"I will KNOCK you out where you stand and—I-I mean—o-on the ground!"

"I'll knock YOU out! Pummel you all over, fool! I will pound you from the side! I will plow you from the back!"

"Ooh, I fucking wish you'd try to plow me! So I can counter-plow you!

"That sounded SO weird!"

"I know!"

Suzume backed away and began shaking his head and hands.

"Once again Suzume h-has found himself in a situation w-where he is INFURIATED."

"I will fight you in your face!"

"You don't fucking go anywhere near my face!"

"I'm already there bro!"

"Get out of my face!"

"I'll get inside your face!"

"I'll fucking freak out on you!"

"How are you going to freak out on me when I'm inside your face?!"

"I'll freak out on you so hard you don't even know—I-I—on your face!"

"What the fuck are you two doing?!"

The sudden interjection prompted both men to face the door to the Strategy Room, only to find Miyuki looking baffled and peeved.

"We heard all this screaming from inside the room. What's going on out here?"

Suzume coughed awkwardly and stepped forward.

"N-Nothing. Things just got a bit… competitive, that's all."

"Well stow it away. Netsukage-sama will be here soon."

Almost as if on cue, they spotted Ganryū from a distance, headed their way. When the man passed them, both Suzume and Kagura followed behind him. Miyuki bowed slightly in respect as Ganryū stopped in front of her.

"Is everyone here?"

"Hai."

"And our guests?"

"Waiting inside, Netsukage-sama."

A slight smile appeared on Ganryū's face. Then, he entered the room. All eyes immediately fell upon him, but he stood steadfast. He acknowledged the few people that were in the room, and walked towards Tayuya and Haruko.

"You could have run."

Tayuya raised an eyebrow at him, clearly confused.

"What?"

"You could have taken your sister and ran. Maybe even pack up the supplies we left in your rooms. Head on over to the nearest Port City. We're very close to the border. It would have taken you a day and a half to get there, at most."

Tayuya exchanged glances with her younger sister, before replying.

"… Port City isn't home. Yugakure is."

"… Well said. Alright then. Let's get this show on the road."

Ganryū walked past them and sat at the head of the long table in the middle of the room, prompting everyone else to take their seats as well.

"Alright, listen up. I called you here for one reason and for one reason only. For a long while now, we've been at odds with the Yugakure government. A few nights ago, it all escalated drastically, and resulted in the Daimyō sending in his own royal guards as well as a few other unknown mercenaries to impersonate members of our own organization, and wreak havoc on our Village and its people. Now I know all of you are restless; itching to take back what rightly belongs to the people of Yugakure. However, that is not the priority at the moment. I want all of you here today to listen to me right now; Hanzo, Miyuki, Kagura, Suzume… Tayuya and Haruko as well. I intend on taking you and your men with me on a mission to infiltrate the Village."

Everyone present tensed up slightly, but soon accepted that there was most likely a reason for their leader's intentions on infiltrating a heavily armed Village. Hanzo, however, was not about to keep his mouth shut and wait for his old friend to speak.

"Gan, I've known you for a long time. Too long, even. We've fought many battles together, and won most of them. However, don't you think this might be us pushing our luck? The damned Daimyō has the entire place locked down, and even though the Village doesn't have walls, it's still going to be tough to break through their perimeter. They have patrols all over the area. And I just don't think we have enough men to take on the entire royal guard if it comes down to that."

"I know that, Hanzo, but trust me. We do this quick, and we do this quietly. We have to."

Suddenly, Tayuya spoke up.

"… What are you after?"

Ganryū turned to her, surprised.

"What?"

"You want to infiltrate the Village quickly and quietly right? Now, either you want to assassinate the Daimyō or you want to get something inside the Village, out. The former doesn't seem too likely, since - knowing you - you probably have some sort of belief that states that in order to make your revolution successful the Daimyō would have to pay for his crimes, in public, in front of everyone. So, you're going to probably want to ride this out, and show the rest of the world along with the people of Yugakure that the Daimyō's governance has run its course, and must be replaced. That being said, we're left with the latter. What do you want to get out?"

While most of the other present were visibly shocked by the girl's astuteness, Ganryū merely let out a hearty laugh, and spoke.

"… That's good. You're right, of course. Let me explain. Originally, Yugakure is separated into four districts: the northern, eastern, western, and southern, with the river cutting through the Village from the northwest down to the southeast. We've got the northern district; Hightown. We've got the western district; the King's Keep. Also, we have the southern district; the Markets. And finally, the eastern district; the Springs. Now, during the riot a few nights ago, the royal guards were trying to impersonate Insurgency members who are against the profit-oriented perspective of the government. So, they only hit the southern and eastern district. We managed to quell most of the trouble in the south, and we even rescued everyone we could from there. However, we did not have enough men to do the same for the eastern district. The Daimyō is holding three dozen of our men, along with a large number Villagers, in that district. The purpose of this mission is to get them out, but to do that; I'll need all of you. Now, the royal guards patrol the perimeter constantly, but there is a point in time when their security becomes lax. Just after midnight, there's a shift change, and the next patrols are significantly smaller than the ones before. Hanzo?"

"Yes, old friend?"

"I'll need you and your recon teams to distract them in any way you can; have them chase you and lead them away from the riverside. I'll be sailing a small trabaccolo I managed to borrow from a friend upstream; it's what we'll use to smuggle the villagers and our men out of there. Now, the river port will be heavily guarded. That's where you two will come in, Kagura, Miyuki. Kagura, I want you to take Assault Squad Taka and lay a siege on the Eastern Gate. Miyuki, you take Assault Squad Karasu and attack the Southern gate. This should draw the men guarding the river port away. That's when I come in and get those people out. Now, we'll need some back-up for this… which is why I asked for you, Suzume."

He then turned to the messy-haired Cyclops and smiled.

"… I'll need you to take up the alias again; would that be okay?"

Slowly, a smile made its way onto Suzume's face, and he held his right hand to his left chest as a salute.

"… Eagle Eye, reporting for duty, Netsukage-sama."

All the other officers present were obviously quite happy for him. Before he could say anything else though, Kagura lightly punched him on the shoulder and spoke.

"I feel better already knowing you're out there watching my back, man."

"Thanks, but I still need time to find a proper vantage point. It has to be someplace high, where I can keep an eye on all of you."

"I know one."

All eyes were now on Haruko.

"… My Kaa-san used to take me to this high peak just outside the Village. Southeast, I think. It's near the river. I remember that up there, you could get a clear view of all four districts, as well as the Southern and Eastern gates."

Ganryū nodded his head.

"Perfect. Then I'll need you to accompany Suzume. Take him there."

Tayuya's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Hold on a fucking minute here! I am not letting my little sister go anywhere near that war zone."

"Suzume is in her company. She'll be in good hands."

"I don't give a shit who she's with! That's my sister you're sending out. She's no soldier."

"Onee-chan, stop."

Tayuya turned to Haruko, who just now, had spoke in such a firm voice that it had surprised her.

"It's my decision. I want to help. I may be your little sister, but I'm not a little girl anymore."

"… Haruko, you don't know what you're getting into."

"Maybe I don't. But it's still my choice whether or not I want to get into it, and I do. Trust me… please?"

For a short while, Tayuya merely stared into Haruko's eyes, silently looking for some sort of answer in her deep pools of brown. Finally, she let out a sigh, and ran a hand through her hair.

"… Fine. But I have to come along with her."

Ganryū sighed as well, and replied.

"I can't let you do that. I need you on that ship with me. If shit hits the fan, which it probably will, I won't be able to take on dozens of guards alone while protecting civilians and beaten comrades. Also, someone will have to provide Genjutsu cover while I steer the ship to make our escape, and your jutsu is perfect for incapacitating large amounts of enemies in one go."

"What the fuck? We never even agreed to be a part of this goddamned fight! You assholes dragged us into this. You told me that we could come along with you, for food and shelter, and that we didn't have to join up with your little merry band of rebels."

"I know I said that, and I fully intend to honor my word. I am not forcing you to take part in this. I know I am in no place to do so. I am, however, asking you to, because I need your help. Against the Daimyō and his army of royal guards we need all the help we can get."

"And why the fuck is that, huh? You've got a motherfucking Village of shinobi. Why would you need us?"

"Because I can't force them to fight, just like how I can't force you. The people we're going up against… they're dangerous. Your sister mentioned that you haven't been in Yugakure for very long, so let me elaborate. The Daimyō has his royal guards, and he appointed his eldest son, the man you saw me kill a few nights ago, to lead them. But as you may have noticed, he's not exactly the most effective leader now is he? No. He was just a face. He didn't have the guts required to lead an army of guards. The real authority; the real head controlling the royal guards are the Thirteen Pillars."

"What the hell is that?"

"Among the guards are thirteen generals excelling in particular tasks. They are the best of the best among the Daimyō's men, and are ruthless in executing their justice. Now, I know you're not obliged to help us… but I'm asking you to anyway. These people we're trying to get out of there… Yugakure is their home, just like yours. I'm asking you to help us take back our home."

Tayuya leaned on the table as she mulled things over for a while. As she was thinking which course of action would be best, suddenly, Suzume's hand lightly rested on top of hers, much to Kagura's chagrin.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to your sister."

They locked eyes for a few seconds. Then, Tayuya grit her teeth, and replied.

"… You better fucking not."

She turned to Ganryū, and spoke.

"Fine. I'll go."

"… Thank you. Then it's settled. Now, I want all of you to brief your teams and get ready. We start the mission in three night's time. Dismissed."

As the officers were filing out of the room, Tayuya whispered to Haruko to go on ahead. Then, when Haruko had gone, she grabbed Suzume by the collar, and whispered into his ear.

"If she comes back with even a small fucking scratch, I'll hang you by the balls till it comes off. Understood?"

"A-Ah… Y-Yes ma'am…"

She released his collar and, without another word, sashayed out of the room, proud and victorious, leaving Suzume sweating and smiling.

"… Boy… what a hot tamale…"

---

"Some bloody good rum, this is."

He tried to take another swig, but as soon as he raised the bottle to his lips, he found that it was empty. Frustrated, he smashed the bottle on the ground, and continued on along the dark streets of Shimo. Suddenly, he heard a faint squeal, coming from behind him. He turned around, only to find a pack of rats gathering around the shattered shards of the bottle he had broken.

"… Heh. Must be hearing things."

He turned around to continue walking, but as soon as he did, he felt a strong grip seize him by the neck and slam him against a nearby wall.

"Gh!"

"Did you see a red-haired girl?"

"W-What the fuck are you talking about man?!"

"DID YOU SEE A RED-HAIRED GIRL DURING THE RIOT IN YUGAKURE?!"

"I-I didn't fucking see anyone, I swear! L-Look, a lot of people managed to get away, but a lot of people died too! I don't remember all of them!"

"Then try harder! Think. Did you or did you not see a red-haired girl?!"

"L-Look if it's my money you want take it, take it all—"

"I don't want your money. Now, answer my question, or so help me I will kick all of your teeth in, rip your arm off, and shove it up your ass. Then, I'll plunge my goddamn arm down your throat, and shake your hand."

"F-Fine… I-I was pretty drunk back then, okay? But… but I did see a red-haired girl… right after the explosion. For a second, I thought I saw a red-haired girl with one leg, but I don't know what happened to her. I don't know if she made it out or not. N-Now please man… l-let me go…"

Rage was now starting to flood Naruto's consciousness. His grip was tightening around the man's neck, causing him to turn slightly purple. However, he fought the feeling off, for now that is. The blonde boy gritted his teeth, released his hold on the man, and knocked him out cold with a clean elbow to the temple.

"Listen, Kit, before you start thinking—"

"She could be dead."

"We don't know that."

"We don't know she's alive either. I should've left a fox with her… Shit! I should've—"

"Should've what, huh Kit? What should you have done? Should you have stayed behind to protect her? Should you have left her with a fox bodyguard? We both know she'd kick your ass if you did any of those. That girl is strong; we both know that. She can handle herself. We can't just go about assuming she's dead."

"But what if she is, huh? What if she got hurt? What if something happened to her, and Haruko, and…"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he was silently walking back towards the inn.

"… What if it happens again…?"

"… What do you mean?"

"… What if I turn her into another memory? Just like Nanami…?"

Silence was the only response he was met with. Then, after a few minutes or so, Kurama spoke.

"… Send a fox to see what's going on."

"What?"

"Send that Yuhiko kit. He's the fastest runner you've got, right?"

Naruto stopped and thought about it for a few seconds, then, he drew blood from his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

A small amount of smoke puffed out of the seal on the ground, and when it had cleared, a small red fox sat grinning at Naruto while at the same time, saluting with his tail.

"Yuhiko, ready to be of service boss!"

"Hey, Yuhiko. Listen, I need you to go on a little errand for me. Would that be okay?"

The fox nodded his head enthusiastically as a response.

"Anything for you, boss!"

"Alright. I need you to head on over to Yugakure. See what's going on over there, but be careful okay? I heard there's some sort of revolution happening at the moment, and I don't want you to get caught in the middle of it. I just want to know the exact details. And if you have time, I need you to find a red-haired girl with one leg for me, okay? Her name's Tayuya, and she has a sister named Haruko. If you can't find them, look for a place named Kurosuna Onsen."

"Got it! Off I go!"

And with that, Yuhiko darted off into the dark forests of Shimo, towards Yugakure. Once the fox was gone, Naruto stood up.

"… It'll take him a while to get back."

"You'd best get some rest until then. You've got a big day tomorrow, after all."

And so, Naruto walked back to the inn, with the thought of Tayuya in danger still preying on his mind.

The next morning, the group awoke to find that once again, Naruto's bedroll was already tucked away in the corner of the room, and the boy was already gone. His roommates, B and Rōshi, merely shrugged at it, tidied up their room, and headed towards the room of their other companions.

"Rise and shine, muthafuckers! Bijū training time suckas!"

The booming voice of Killer B managed to shake the drowsiness out of Han and Utakata, who had just woken up. Meanwhile, Yugito, who had been sitting by the window sipping on her tea, chuckled slightly into her hand as she watched B try to rally the others. This, Utakata merely grimaced at.

"… The hell are you doing up so early?"

"What, a girl can't afford to be as lazy as you, you know."

"… Right. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wake up earlier than the rest of us just so you could watch me sleep."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Just admit it kitty. You're obsessed with me."

Yugito raised an eyebrow at the man and smirked playfully.

"The only person obsessed with you, is yourself, vile lecher."

Han let out a slight sigh, and calmly interrupted.

"… You know, we're only a few minutes into the day, and you two are already shamelessly flirting with each other. Why don't you just get a separate room and get it over with?"

The two were immediately silenced by the comment as looks of mortification made their way onto their expressions. Then, they both glared at Han, and spoke simultaneously.

"We were not flirting."

Rōshi let out a slight laugh, and spoke.

"Now, now, Han. We mustn't tease them. Teasing hurries the process, and love must never be hurried."

Utakata ran a hand through his hair in an exasperated manner and reached out for his pipe. He stuffed his specialized 'herbs' inside the mouth of the pipe, and as he was preparing to smoke it, he spoke in a calm tone.

"It's early in the morning, Rōshi, and already you've had too much to drink."

"Ahaha, well, if you say so. Now, hurry on up. You too, Fū. We ought to get a head start on our training. After all, we've been making a lot of progress. Besides, Naruto has already gone off to train, and we mustn't fall behind."

As Fū was lazily wiping the sleep from her eyes, she spoke.

"… Do you think something's wrong? I mean, we rarely see Naruto-kun anymore, and last night he came home looking a bit worried."

Yugito shot the girl a curious and prodding gaze, as she spoke.

"And how would you know what he looked like last night?"

Utakata sat beside Yugito on the window, took a long drag on his pipe, and exhaled smoke rings out the window.

"Easy. She stayed up late to wait for him. I caught her silently peeking out the window every time she'd hear some sort of noise. Thought we wouldn't notice… I did…"

"Ooh, waiting up for your man to return home? Such a fine wife you'll make, dear."

Fū buried her face in her blanket and spoke in a flustered tone which was clearly audible even though the sheets muffled her voice.

"Rōshi-san they're ganging up on me again!"

The old man thoughtfully stroked his goatee for a few seconds, before responding.

"Don't fret about it, little one. They're simply teasing you because your feelings for Naruto-kun are so apparent, while the two of them can hardly bring themselves to admit their feelings for one another, to themselves."

Killer B then struck a pose, and chimed in.

"Oof. Let me help with that, son."

The man then took out some medical ointment from his pouch and sat near Yugito and Utakata, prompting the latter to raise an eyebrow at Killer B.

"B, what the heck are you doing?"

"I'm about to put some ointment on you."

"What in the world would I need ointment for?"

Then, slowly and without breaking eye contact, Killer B moved in and whispered in the softest and gentlest tone.

"… Cuz you just got buuurrrrneeeed~"

Utakata cringed and scuttled away, leaving Yugito gripping her sides and laughing. Suddenly though, Yugito was silenced when Utakata retaliated by grabbing the tube of ointment and 'accidentally' squirting some on Yugito.

"Wha—you're a deadman!"

"Only if you catch me."

Yugito moved to pounce on Utakata, but just as she was about to grab onto him, her prey rolled out of the way.

"You're going to have to do better than that, kitty."

"Trust me, I can do better."

"Oh, well. Guys, I believe we just found the caption for Yugito's sex life."

"Ugh! When I get my hands on you, I'm going to rip that kimono to shreds!"

"Now, now, Yugito-chan. You haven't even taken me to dinner yet, and already you want to rip my clothes off of me. Tsk tsk."

Without another word, Yugito pounced once more, but Utakata managed to evade it at the very last second, and jump out of the window. Once she recovered, Yugito gave chase, leaving behind an indifferent Han, a pumped up Killer B, a grinning Rōshi, and a confused Fū. After a few more seconds of silence, Fū decided to speak up.

"Should… shouldn't we go after them?"

Han merely shrugged and placed his bedroll near his pack.

"They'll meet us in the clearing. Let them play cat and mouse for a while."

Fū nodded and got up. Once they were all ready, B stepped on the windowsill and spoke, before jumping out.

"Let's go suckas!"

The four of them immediately took to the roofs, with B and Han a house ahead. After a few minutes, Fū turned to Rōshi, and spoke.

"Do… Do you think Naruto-kun is okay?"

"Oh I'm sure he's fine. You worry a bit too much, especially when it comes to him. You really harbor strong feelings for the boy don't you?"

"N-No, that's not it! I-It's just… he's been nice to me. And he said we were friends. I've never had one, and I just want to look out for my friends. T-That's all there is to it."

Rōshi smiled earnestly at the girl, and replied.

"But is it really?"

"I…"

Fū couldn't help but look away.

"Maybe."

"… Well. He's with the great Toad Sage Jiraiya, his former mentor. I'm sure the man won't let him come to harm."

---

"… Are you fucking serious right now?"

"Of course I'm serious! And keep your voice down. Wouldn't want to alert it, now would you? It's important that you have the element of surprise on your side. As a shinobi, surprise and unpredictability can be our greatest friends, if used properly."

"… Yeah, well, I guess you could say I'm the most unpredictable ninja in the world. But come on… When you said you were going to teach me how to channel my 'primal nature' I thought you meant something… not quite as insane."

A loud roar interrupted their murmured conversation, prompting both master and student to peek out of the bushes once more; there, in the middle of the clearing, stood a fully grown male Kodiak bear, roughly 9 feet tall once standing on two legs. It was in the process of devouring a rather large carp that it had caught in a nearby river, and was almost halfway through when the two found it. After a few more seconds of observing, Jiraiya spoke.

"… Alright kid, here's the plan… kid?"

Jiraiya glanced over at his pupil, only to find him staring at the empty space.

"… Hey, Tatsu."

The man gently nudged Naruto, effectively shaking the boy out of his stupor.

"… Huh?"

"You were spacing out again. Is there something wrong kid?"

"… No. Just a… few things on my mind, I guess. Not a big deal."

"… If you say so. Anyway, here's the plan. You go to that far corner and make noise, while I approach from behind."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, that thing's twice my size, and heavier than the both of us combined."

"… Yeah. It'll be fun."

The slight hint of skepticism in Jiraiya's voice did nothing to encourage the boy, but before he could even mention it, Jiraiya had already moved to outflank the animal. Realizing that if he didn't go through with the plan, there'd be a chance that shit may hit the fan, Naruto dashed to the far corner of the small clearing and clapped his hands loudly.

"Hey, big guy! Over here!"

The bear immediately turned around and growled ferociously at Naruto, causing the boy to step back slightly. Taking advantage of the distraction, Jiraiya grabbed the half-eaten carp and darted towards the bushes. The bear immediately noticed him and was about to give chase, when suddenly, Jiraiya turned to Naruto and spoke.

"Heads up kid!"

Without warning, Jiraiya threw the carp at Naruto, who then caught it by instinct; a reflex decision that he immediately regretted. Seeing Naruto holding his food, the bear was now fully enraged, and out for blood. Naruto, on the other hand, merely dropped the fish, and prepared to pump chakra onto his palm.

"Don't do it you idiot!"

"A bear is about to fuck me in the ass, what the hell do you mean don't do it?!"

"You're really going to do that stupid Rasengan of yours in front of the man who helped create it? Are you really that dumb?"

"Goddammit!"

Naruto then turned to Jiraiya, and spoke.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Does he look like he's joking? I'd put up my dukes if I were you, kiddo."

Deciding that his only shot would be a pre-emptive strike, Naruto readied his Kage Bunshin jutsu, only to be stopped by Jiraiya's voice.

"Nope. No ninjutsu, or genjutsu, or tools. Just you and the bear kid."

Jiraiya took a second to chuckle to himself, and then continued.

"You've got to beat him with your… BEAR hands. Ah Kami, I've still got it."

While his mentor was patting himself on the back for the inappropriate yet perfectly timed pun, Naruto could only click his tongue in annoyance as he carefully watched the bear snarling at him from a distance.

"You've got to focus, Kit."

"Look I'm trying, okay? I just… I can't think of anything else ever since this morning…"

As soon as Naruto awoke, he was tackled by a small red fox.

"Yuhiko…? What are you doing back so soon?"

"It's much worse than you thought, boss."

"Wait, what's much worse than I thought?"

"This whole civil war they've got brewing in Yugakure! Apparently it had something to do with a long-standing conflict between the pro-Shinobi and the anti-Shinobi advocates within the city. The Daimyō's got the place locked down, and it looks like they're trying to protect the Villagers from the Insurgency at first, but after looking a bit more closely it's obvious that the guards are abusing their power and authority and that the Insurgency are actually rescuing Villagers and stragglers outside the Village."

"Did you see the girl I told you about?"

"I'm sorry boss, but I didn't see any sign of her. I even looked for them in the hot springs inn you told me about boss, but all I found were a few dead bodies."

"Shit…"

"… Boss… I'm sorry…"

"I-It's not your fault… you ought to get some rest."

Without another word, Naruto dispelled Yuhiko, and wiped the sleep from his eye.

"Kit, I know what you're thinking. We don't know that for sure."

"… Don't we…? Damn it…"

"We'll find her. Just focus on your training for now. That girl is too tough to just die, and so is her mortal sister."

Suddenly, Naruto was shaken out of his flashback by the sudden roar of the bear. The boy was taken aback slightly, and as a result, it left him vulnerable. The bear pounced at Naruto, fully intent on taking the boy's head off with one swipe, Naruto, though, managed to jump back at the very last second. However, he did not manage to escape unscathed. While the bear's swipe missed his head when he jumped back, it did manage to graze his chest, ripping his shirt and leaving three somewhat deep gashes on his sternum.

"Kh! Damn it!"

Naruto clutched at his bleeding chest, while still trying to maintain his composure.

"One more mistake like that could cost you more than a few ounces of blood Kit."

"I know… I just need to stay calm…"

Naruto inhaled deeply, and exhaled sharply, making sure to analyze his opponent as he did so. The bear, on the other hand, showed no signs of holding back, and was just about to start thrashing around wildly. Then, he pounced again, but this time, Naruto was prepared.

"… He's slow, and predictable. He'll stand on two and swipe with the right claw. Duck under and attack the legs; use his own weight and size against him."

As soon as the bear closed in on Naruto, it stood up on two feet and prepared to swipe with its right claw. Naruto, however, swiftly ducked the attack and sweep kicked the bear's right hind leg, causing the burly beast to fall forward with a dull thud.

"Now, time to finish this."

Naruto quickly mounted the bear and prepared to incapacitate it with a chop to the back of its neck. However, he did not take into account the amount of sheer willpower the animal had. Before Naruto could steady himself on the bear's back, it had already started growling in rage and thrashing about. Then, it pushed off the forest floor and fell on its back, effectively body slamming Naruto on the ground and knocking the wind out of his lungs. Before the boy could recover, the bear had already gotten back on all fours, and sent Naruto sliding away with a ferocious backhand to the boy's face.

"Gh! Son of a bitch…"

Naruto got back up and cautiously stared the animal down. Suddenly, Jiraiya interjected.

"I can see what you're trying to do kid, but it won't work. You can't outthink a bear. A bear doesn't give a shit whether you're two or three steps ahead of it. A bear sees a threat and feels that need to kill; the primal rage. You want to come out of this alive, you're going to have to find a way to feel that too."

"I know!"

With his frustration building up by the second, Naruto stood up and slipped into a defensive stance. Suddenly, Jiraiya chimed in once more.

"Playing defense isn't going to cut it kiddo. You want the win; you're going to have to take it."

"I know what I'm doing!"

Jiraiya let out a slight sigh and grimaced at the boy as he mumbled to himself.

"Suit yourself."

As Jiraiya watched from afar, Naruto and the bear slowly approached one another yet again. This time though, Naruto didn't wait for the beast to pounce. The blonde boy dashed to outflank his opponent, but was forced to take a few steps backwards when the bear once again started swiping away with its claws. Naruto then attempted the same maneuver, only to be foiled yet again by the beast's large reach. With a smug smirk on his face, Jiraiya spoke up.

"What's the matter kid? Seeing red yet?"

That one sentence; that one sentence managed to distract Naruto for one second, but one second was all it took. Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, the boy swore he saw a flash of red hair around the corner of his eye, hiding in the bushes.

"… What?"

"Kit, the bear!"

"Huh?"

Before Naruto could react, the bear had already stood on two legs, and swiped downwards. The boy managed to raise his left arm to guard at the very last second, but the sheer force of the attack not only left three deep lacerations in his arm, but also slammed him down to the ground. The attack hit him so hard that his entire frame bounced off the earth, before once again coming down. Then, the bear opened its jaws and bit down on Naruto's left thigh.

"Hragh!"

Naruto struggled for a while, punching the beast's temple in an attempt to make it unclench its jaw, but with every punch he threw, the bear bit down harder and harder, until finally, it threw him to the side. He slammed hard against a tree before falling none too gracefully on the forest floor. As his eyes creaked open, he saw the wild animal charging at him, and he was about to summon a clone, but before he could do so, Jiraiya intervened. The man slid in between the beast and his pupil, and breezed through a set of hand seals.

"Hari Jizō!"

Just as the bear was about to pummel Jiraiya, the man's wild white man began to wrap itself around him and harden into a mass of sharp needles. The beast plowed straight into it and let out a slight whimper, before backing away slowly, retrieving its carp, and retreating into the forest. When the bear was gone, Jiraiya turned to his pupil and spoke.

"You okay kid?"

"Yeah, it's just a scratch."

Naruto stood up shakily, ignoring the helping hand that Jiraiya had extended.

"Good. Now why don't you tell me what's really wrong?"

"… What are you talking about?"

"I'm not an idiot Tatsu. I can tell when someone isn't focused. What's on your mind kid?"

Naruto hesitated for a while, but after a few seconds or so, he let out a soft sigh.

"It's… It's a friend of mine. In Yugakure. I just heard about all the trouble brewing over there, and I couldn't help but think that she might have gotten caught up in the middle of it."

"… Do you want to talk about it?"

While his question was met with silence, Jiraiya wouldn't let the issue slide so easily. Gently, he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, and led the boy to a nearby log, where he pushed him down slightly in order to get him to sit.

"Look kid. You're the one who asked me to train you. You asked to be my pupil. Not the other way around. And you've got to get with this whole student-teacher program. I'm not asking you to tell me all of your secrets. Everyone has things they want to keep to themselves. But I am asking you to trust me. If you want to keep things from me, then fine, I respect that. But I don't want you to feel like you have to. All I'm saying is, this thing that's eating you up? If it's going to be a distraction I'd at least like to know about it."

There was a long moment of silence that followed; a silence wherein Naruto did nothing but twiddle his thumbs, and Jiraiya did nothing but patiently wait. When that said moment passed, Naruto took out a handkerchief and started wiping the blood from his hands and face.

"There's… this girl. My friend in Yugakure. Bright, fiery red hair. Hot-blooded. And probably the most spirited woman I know. During my travels, she and her sister took me in. And she… they mean the world to me. And the idea… the idea that they may have gotten hurt during all the commotion going on over there it… I can't focus, on anything, except where she might be, who she might be with, and if she's hurt and being taken care of and if she's safe."

"Hmm… well, I'm sure she could have found a way to protect herself or run away before the trouble started."

"No, not really. She… lost her leg, in an accident."

"Oh…"

As he was calmly processing all this, Jiraiya rubbed his chin in a sagely manner.

"… You ought to get some rest. We'll pick things up tomorrow."

"What?"

Suddenly, Jiraiya got up, and walked away.

"Get some rest Tatsu. You'll need it."

As soon as the man was long gone, Naruto let out a sigh, and pulled down the scarf that had been covering half of his face.

"Kit, the old pervert is right. You ought to go back to the inn and get some rest. The wounds will heal faster that way."

"… Alright."

Without another word, Naruto walked wearily back to the inn. As soon as he entered his room though, he soon found that the rest of his companions had also returned, and were visibly fatigued as well. All eyes were on the blonde boy as he was setting his bedroll, and after a while, someone took the initiative and spoke.

"Uh Naruto?"

Utakata's tone was soft and inquisitive, with just a hint of concern.

"Hmm?"

"… What the heck happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well one, you're covered in blood. Two… if the blood wasn't enough to warrant any suspicion or concern, you look like shit."

"I… I got beat up… by a bear…"

These were the boy's last words before he drifted off into sleep, leaving Utakata, along with everyone else present, wondering one thing.

"… What the hell was he doing picking fights with bears?"

A few seconds of silence passed, before suddenly, Killer B giggled slightly in his corner. He tried to suppress it, but it was such a poor attempt that the childish laughter became all that more difficult to ignore. As soon as he was aware that everyone else was looking at him, Killer B spoke.

"… Yo, maybe the urge to fight something was just too… unBEARable."

---

"… Finally. I've waited a long time for this… too long, even. But that doesn't matter now, because right here, in this moment… It's just you, and me."

Tsunade smiled naughtily at the bottle of Koshu Sake that was on the desk right in front of her. Slowly and anxiously, her fingers crept their way to the glass that had been filled with the beverage, and once they touched the object, Tsunade bit her lip in anticipation. Then, as she was slowly bringing the rim to her lips, basking and enjoying every second, she got a good whiff of the strong yet sweet scent of the liquid, causing her to let out an orgasmic sigh. Then, the rim touched her mouth, and an incredibly small amount of the sake clung to her lips; no more than but a drop of it, but even that was enough to overwhelm Tsunade. The sweet taste of honey assaulted her taste buds, followed by the strong burning sensation of the sake which warmed her body and her bosoms. Then, just as she was about to drink it all in, the door bursts open causing her to drop the glass onto the hard wooden floor in shock.

"L-Lady Tsunade I-I…"

Tsunade looked like she was just about to throw her desk, but alas, she managed to calm herself down by taking one look at the bottle. With a weary sigh, she rubbed her temples furiously, and spoke.

"What is so important that you have to burst into my office and interrupt my alone-time, Shizune?!"

"I-I'm sorry my lady, but this isn't really something that can wait…"

Tsunade buried her face into her hands and muttered something unintelligible, before finally giving up.

"… What is it?"

"It's a missive, sent via falcon, from Amegakure."

"Ame? What the hell do they want?"

Tsunade was now slightly irked as well as slightly nervous. The last message they received from Ame hadn't exactly been a pleasant one, considering it was essentially about the death and disappearance of a certain blonde boy. Without any further delay, Shizune handed her lady the missive, and Tsunade easily opened it with the skill of one well-versed in dealing with missives and paperwork. Her eyes scanned the entire page carefully and cautiously, making sure to leave no detail unread. After a while, Tsunade put the letter down on her desk, walked over to one side of the room, looked out the window, and rubbed her forehead.

"I-If I may, what was it about Lady Tsuande?"

"… Ame is opening itself to foreign relations, and apparently, the first thing they want to do is negotiate possible trade routes with Konoha."

Shizune's eyes widened slightly upon hearing of the strange request. Without even waiting for Tsunade's request, she closed the door behind her, and sat herself down in front of her lady's desk.

"What in the world would cause them to want that? I-I mean, it's been more than twenty years since Ame closed itself off. It doesn't really make sense for them to want to open now."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. It's no secret that Amegakure holds the rest of the world in contempt, mostly because of what happened to their country during the Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars."

"Perhaps they could no longer rely on their own economy to support their country? It's been twenty years. I can imagine their population has grown much larger than when they were still a country torn apart by wars."

"It's a possibility…"

Tsunade crossed her arms and sat down on her chair, across Shizune.

"… but it can also be a trap."

"What makes you say that, my lady?"

"Think about it, Shizune. Twenty years; for twenty years they've scorned the other countries for the pain and suffering dealt to them during the Great Wars. So they closed themselves off; which is perfectly reasonable, really. But I cannot, for the life of me, think of one valid reason why they would want to open trades with Konoha."

"Perhaps something or someone convinced them?"

"And who would do that?"

"I'm not certain, Lady Tsunade, but we still can't rule out that possibility."

"I suppose you're right. But if that were the case, I think we should still be cautious."

"And why is that?"

Tsunade let out a slight sigh and leaned on the desk.

"… Amegakure is a country that has every reason to hate Konoha, among other countries. The battles we waged with Suna and Iwa scarred their nation. And for years we've sent them trade requests, missives regarding possible summits wherein we can discuss compensation for the damages, and even messages expressing our intentions to helping their country recover. And they've turned us down repeatedly. Now suddenly they want to open up trade negotiations with us? Amegakure is a country trapped in the past. It always has been. But now we've got a letter saying that they 'wish to take the first step towards a brighter future'. It begs the question: what in the world - who in the world, could convince a country like Ame to associate itself with a country like Konoha?"

"… Someone with a large influence."

"Exactly. And in a world like ours, influence is power. Imagine a man or a woman, who can convince Ame to do the one thing no one would expect it to do… now if that person can do that, imagine what else they can do. There's something much larger at work here, and until we find out what, we have to tread lightly."

"Understood, Lady Tsunade. What should we do about the missive though?"

"… Well we can't just say no now can we? The council would have my ass for that. We'll send two of our best teams to act as ambassadors, just in case it's some sort of trap. That way they'll have a better chance of making it out alive."

"Very well. Who should I call for?"

"Have Team 7 and Team 10 report in within the hour."

"L-Lady Tsunade, are you sure that's wise?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because Neji-san is among them. If this did indeed turn out to be a trap, we'd be putting them in danger, and with the recent removal of his… seal, there's a possibility that Amegakure might get their hands on the Byakūgan."

"Kakashi and Gai will be with him, and I trust they won't let that happen. Besides, Neji is one of our best shinobi, and he's more than capable of handling himself."

"Of course."

Without another word, Shizune headed on out the door, leaving Tsunade behind to reread the missive sent by Ame. Within half an hour, both Team 7 and Team 10 had assembled outside the Hokage's office.

"Yosh! It seems today will be a fruitful day indeed, jōnin Neji! Team 7 is present and they look quite as youthful as ever!"

"Lee is right! Team 10, as your mentor, I hereby declare a challenge to Team 7 and to Kakashi! Whatever this mission may be, we will outperform them! I swear it on my name, Might Gai!"

As all this ruckus was occurring, Kakashi was nonchalantly reading his copy of Make-out tactics, while Sasuke was casually leaning on the wall trying his best to ignore Sakura's attempts at undressing him with her eyes and occasionally throwing glares at Karin, who silently stood a few paces away. Suddenly, Lee let out a burst of chakra in an attempt to show how ecstatic he felt, urging Neji to take action.

"Lee, calm down. You too, Gai-sensei. Whatever Hokage-sama called us in for, it's bigger than some petty competition with Team 7. Right, Tenten?"

His question was answered by complete silence.

"Tenten?"

As soon as he turned to the girl, a chill ran down his spine. Tenten had been glaring icy cold daggers at him for the past few minutes, and he had only noticed now. Suddenly, the brown haired girl let out a fierce 'hmph' and turned away.

"I don't side with man-whores, man-whore."

"Wha—you can't seriously still be upset about that. I've told you it was all a misunderstanding."

"Shut your filthy man-whore mouth."

Realizing that there would be no victory in attempting to dissuade her from her indignation, Neji let out a weary sigh, and let his shoulders slump. As soon as he did though, the doors to the Hokage's office opened, and out came Shizune.

"She'll see you all now."

With a firm nod, the two teams entered the room and presented themselves to Tsunade.

"Alright, listen up. I specifically asked for your teams because I have a mission that is best suited for your skills. Now, this mission involves travelling to Amegakure, and will be ranked as an A-ranked mission, possibly S-ranked, should circumstances change. I can't give you any more details unless you agree to take it. That said, do you accept?"

Kakashi and Gai locked eyes for a few seconds, as if telepathically debating whether or not to accept. Before they could come to a decision though, Sasuke interjected.

"Team 7 accepts."

Kakashi immediately turned to his student, and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Sasuke, don't you think you're being a bit too rash here?"

"Why shouldn't we? We can handle it. And if things go awry, I could use a good fight. Besides, I trust you guys to have my back if it comes to it."

Just then, he glanced at Karin rather obviously, and added.

"… Most of you, anyway."

Insulted by the backhanded comment, Karin spoke.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that—"

"We accept."

Kakashi's spoke in a rather loud voice, so as to cut the argument of Karin and Sasuke short. Tsunade nodded firmly, and turned to Team 10.

"What about you Gai?"

"Well, if Team 7 is participating, I cannot allow myself or my team to fall behind. We accept this mission."

"Very well. Now, as I've mentioned earlier, this mission involves entering Amegakure territory, and is of utmost importance to the Village. I know what you're all thinking, and you're wrong. This mission isn't about infiltration and espionage. I'm sending your two teams to act as ambassadors to negotiate the details of a summit between us and the leader of Amegakure."

Slightly shocked by the sudden news of diplomacy between Ame and his own country, Kakashi scratched the back of his head, and spoke.

"With all due respect Hokage-dono, I was under the impression that Amegakure had no intentions on opening up to other countries."

"I'm aware of that, but earlier today we received a missive from Amegakure stating that they intend to open themselves to foreign relations, and their first step in doing so is by negotiating trade deals with Konoha. Now, I don't have to explain to any of you just how crucial this is for us, so I expect you all to be on point in this, understood?"

Team 7, along with their one-eyed mentor, nodded firmly at Tsunade's words, but Gai on the other hand, was still somewhat uneasy about the entire situation.

"I understand the importance of the mission Hokage-dono, but wouldn't it make more sense to send perhaps Asuma and his team for this type of mission? Kakashi and Asuma definitely know more about diplomacy than I do."

"I appreciate the concern Gai, but I need you on this mission too. This could easily turn out to be a trap of some sort. I wouldn't put it past Ame to pull something like that. So until we know for certain that they are our allies, we will act under the suspicion that they are our enemies."

The members of both Team 7 and Team 10 nodded firmly at this. But, just as they were about to clear the room, Tsunade spoke up.

"Be careful, all of you. The leader of Amegakure is a very ruthless man. Hanzō of the Salamander is a fierce shinobi, and rules with an iron fist. I don't know what kind of welcome you ought to expect, but be prepared for anything. This is the man who deemed me and my team worthy of the title Sanin. He should not be taken lightly."

Gai and Kakashi nodded in unison, and exited, with their students following closely behind them. As soon as they were once again alone, Tsunade groaned audibly, prompting Shizune to speak.

"Should I fetch you another glass, Lady Tsunade?"

The buxom blonde stared intently at her drink for a while, before finally letting out a defeated sigh. With a weary grip, she took the bottle of sake and stowed it away in her desk's hidden compartment.

"Some other time, I suppose. Tell the old bags that I need to speak with them. But don't call them old bags."

"Will do, Lady Tsunade."

---

"What the hell is taking him so long…?"

"Quit your whining. It's giving me a headache. Why are you in such a rush to get your ass beaten by a bear anyway?"

"I'm not. Just… restless. It's been hours. He told us to meet him here at noon, and he's three hours late."

Suddenly, the blonde boy heard a slight rustling sound coming from behind him. He immediately turned and slid into a defensive stance, but as soon as Jiraiya stepped out of the bushes, he relaxed.

"What the heck old man. What took you so long?"

Jiraiya shot him a sheepish grin, and spoke.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, we won't be training today. I got work to do. You can go back to your friends."

Without even letting the boy get a word in, Jiraiya turned around and left. And as he was processing what had just happened, Naruto let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"… What the hell was that about?"

"… I don't know, but something isn't right here Kit. Go follow him."

"Are you crazy? Even if that was a good idea, which it isn't, what makes you think I can follow him without him noticing?"

"Well if you're going to be such a whining bag of bones about it then nevermind."

Naruto stood stock still for a couple of seconds.

"… Oh come on. Really? Provocation? You really think that's going to work on me?"

"You know, the sound you make when you talk is similar to the wailing of an infant."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Go fuck yourself."

And with that, Naruto took off in an attempt to catch up with his mentor. After a minute or so, he caught sight of the man's trademark messy white hair, and began tailing him, being careful not to attract too much attention. He stuck to the shadows and hid himself in the massive crowds gathered in the main market avenue of the town. After a few minutes of stalking his mentor, he saw Jiraiya exit the town through the southern gate, and enter the thick forestry.

"… What are you up to, old man?"

After pausing for a few seconds, he went after Jiraiya once more. He made use of the high branches and lush shrubbery to conceal his movements, and he was particularly careful about not stepping on any twigs or dry leaves. Finally, after half an hour stalking, Jiraiya stepped through a particularly thick mess of vines and bush. Naruto followed after him, only to see that his target had now disappeared.

"Fuck. I lost him."

"I think we have other things to worry about, Kit. I'm sensing a lot of hostility a few hundred meters to your left."

"Think we should check it out?"

"It could lead to a fight."

"So that's a resounding yes, then?"

"Hell yes."

With a smirk on his face, Naruto swiftly maneuvered through the forest and hid in a bush near a small clearing. Within that clearing, he saw more than two dozen men, armed to the teeth, setting up a small camp. At the far end of the camp was what Naruto could only assume to be a Beastmaster, in charge of feeding and caring for the 14 large hounds near him.

"Shit. Looks like we got trouble."

"Looks that way."

"What do you think? Bandits?"

"Nah. Too well armed to be bandits. And check out what they're wearing: Seals on the spaulders. Looks like Mercenaries. Good ones, and a lot of them too."

"Mmhm."

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened in shock when he realized that he was not, in fact, alone. He turned to look at who he had just been conversing with, only to find Jiraiya squatting beside him.

"What the heck are you doing here?"

"Shh! Keep your damned voice down. Besides, I could ask you the same thing. What the hell were you doing following me?"

"Well you just took off without even explaining why."

"You want an explanation, then fine. I did some digging. It turns out, during the riot in Yugakure, the Daimyō hired these mercenaries to dress up as Insurgency members and cause some trouble. So I had some of my little birds track them down, and one of them sang me a song about how they had a job in Kumo. So I figured since they'll be passing by Shimo, I might have a chance to intercept them here."

"Wait… So they know what happened to her?"

"Actually, kid…"

Before Jiraiya could even finish his sentence, Naruto took off.

"Hey kid!"

Jiraiya called out, but it was pointless. At the moment, Naruto's brain was registering only one thought; Tayuya. He ran towards the group and stopped a few meters short of their camp.

"Hey!"

His voice caught the attention of every mercenary present.

"I'm looking for someone, and you're going to tell me everything I want to know."

There was nothing but complete silence for a few seconds. Then, that silence was broken by loud laughter.

"Oi! What's all this fuss about?!"

Suddenly, a bald headed man with a scar on his face emerged from one of the tents. He was armed with a large club holstered to his back, and if that wasn't menacing enough, the large scar across his face would have done the job. As soon as he walked out into the middle of the camp, all the other mercenaries piped down.

"What's all this noise about eh?!"

Naruto stared down the mountain of a man, undaunted. Then, he spoke up.

"Like I said. I'm looking for someone, and you're going to tell me everything I want to know. Whether you do so with a broken set of teeth or not is completely up to you."

For a few seconds, the man just stood there, speechless. Then, he spoke.

"Ha… Ahaha… Ahahahaha! You hear yourself right now? What makes you think you can come in 'ere like some big shot, eh kid? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't crush your skull with my own two hands right here, right now."

Naruto bit his lower lip in frustration, and let his kila dagger slide out of his right sleeve. Then, before the giant that towered over him could react, he dug the dagger deep into the side of the man's knee and hammered it in with a well placed kick. The giant let out a mighty roar of pain and fell to his knees. Blood squirted out of the wound, coating the man's hands in crimson, as well as the grass and ground beneath him. He looked up and saw Naruto adjusting his gloves. Then, the boy pulled his arm back, pumped chakra into the gauntlets to heat up the metal plate, and smashed his fist into the giant's jaw, sending splinters of the man's teeth flying a few feet away. Then, as he grew paler and paler from the loss of blood, and as blood gurgled out of his mouth, he rolled onto his belly and started crawling away, spitting out incoherent yelps of help as he did so. But it was no use. The rest of his company was too shocked to do anything. The notion that the giant that they all feared had been so easily cut down was not registering. Naruto took advantage of this by ripping off the club that was holstered on the man's back, raising it over his head, and bringing it down on the man's head. There was an audible crack to be heard when the sheer force behind the blow crushed the skull, followed by the sloshing sound of brain matter scattering. What was left afterwards could only be described as an unfathomable mess of blood, skull, and skin, with an eyeball strewn here and there. Naruto released the weapon, and let out a sharp exhale. While he didn't want to show it, the club itself was heavier than he had expected it to be, and it took a significant amount of strength on his part just to lift it over his head.

After a few seconds, someone drew their weapon and spoke up.

"He fucking killed him! Skin the little shit!"

Suddenly, all of them drew their weapon and rushed Naruto. The boy had just enough time to react and jump back before any of their blades could reach him. Suddenly, a kunai with a long line of ninja wire tied to its pommel shot out from the bush where he and Jiraiya had been hiding, and buried itself on the bark of a tree opposite of said bush. When some of the mercenaries were close enough, he heard his mentor's voice.

"Katon: Ryūka no jutsu!"

An intense flame shot out from Jiraiya's mouth and travelled across the wire, engulfing the dozen or so men who were near enough to get caught by it. As they screamed and panicked, Jiraiya rushed to the boy's side and spoke.

"Let's go."

"Wait, we're running? Not until I find out what happened to her!"

"We're not running, but we can't very well fight two dozen men in this small clearing now can we? We need to take this fight somewhere more spacious. Now, let's go!"

Without another word, both student and teacher jumped onto a branch and headed off deeper into the forest. When they managed to put out the flames, they all immediately gave chase. Both master and student rushed into the tree line and took to the branches, while their pursuers were forced to chase after them from the ground, tossing kunais and knives as they did so. As they were making their escape, Jiraiya spoke.

"What the hell were you thinking back there?!"

"I was thinking I could finally get some answers!"

"What the hell kid, not like that; you don't just walk into a wolf's den and kill the biggest one."

"That's exactly what you're supposed to do!"

"No, you're supposed to kill the alpha!"

"… What?"

Suddenly, they heard a loud, booming voice call out.

"Katon: Hibashiri!"

Suddenly, a spiraling stream of fire flew blindsided them as they were in midair. At the very last second though, Naruto created two shadow clones that pulled him and Jiraiya out of harm's way. The stream of fire crashed into a nearby tree, engulfing it in intense flames. In just a matter of seconds, the entire acre of forestry around Naruto and Jiraiya was set ablaze. Both of them got up from the ground and immediately pressed onwards, knowing full well that to stay in that position would mean certain suffocation. After a few minutes of trudging through burning branches and bushes, they cleared the fire and entered a much larger clearing by a river, where their pursuers, along with their reinforcements, had been eagerly awaiting their arrival.

"Well, well, what 'ave we got 'ere?"

Naruto turned to the man on horseback, and almost immediately did he realize that that man was in fact, the alpha.

"Oi, is this the little shit that killed Liu Biao?"

One of the men that were present during Naruto's slaughter of the giant nodded hesitantly, prompting the leader of the mercenaries to dismount his white mare, and pull out a knife. Naruto could feel Jiraiya tense up slightly, and before he could even throw his mentor a glance, Jiraiya whispered.

"… Get ready, kid. We're in for a fight."

"… I know."

"… Then you also know that this is serious. They've got numbers. So…"

Jiraiya smirked and cracked his knuckles.

"Don't hold back."

Naruto could only allow a smile to pass over his countenance as well.

"I don't intend to."

Suddenly, the leader of the mercenaries spoke up, still waving his knife around.

"What the fock are you two smilin' about, eh?! You think you can just come in 'ere and attack us? You think you're big shit?!"

Suddenly, Jiraiya took a step forward.

"Now that you mention it, you're goddamned right I am. Take a good long look small fry. You're twenty meters away from The Great Toad Sage Jiraiya, and that little bread knife isn't going to keep you safe."

The man hesitated for a second or two, but then, he held his knife in a reverse grip, walked to a nearby tree stump, sat down, and stabbed it onto the stump.

"It don't matter who you are old man. You could be the focking Kage of Kumo for all I focking care. There are over 50 of us 'ere. You're outnumbered."

Before Jiraiya could even respond though, Naruto spoke.

"… You ever heard of the Orange Spark?"

The man merely smirked at the boy, and smugly responded.

"I can't imagine anyone who hasn't. Why?"

"… The very first crime he ever committed was when he robbed Iwa and Taki of their national treasures. He singlehandedly incapacitated more than 500 shinobi."

"What is this? A focking history lesson?"

The man let out a slight laugh, prompting the rest of his men, who were now moving to surround Jiraiya and Naruto, to laugh as well. Suddenly, Naruto smiled beneath his scarf.

"No, not a history lesson… but it is a lesson."

Before anyone could even react, Naruto took two handfuls of his S shuriken, and scattered them across the clearing. Then, he disappeared in a spark of orange. He appeared on the northern end of the field, right in the middle of three unsuspecting mercenaries. Quickly and cleanly, he let his dagger slide out of his sleeve and he slashed the back of the man's knee to his left. Then, as the man dropped to the ground, he buried his dagger right into the back of his neck, right at the base of the skull. Blood gushed out of the wound and coated his hands crimson, but the sight of it only stirred something in the boy. He spun to the left so that he was back to back with another mercenary, and as soon as he was, he grabbed the man's head and jerked down, effectively snapping his neck. Then, just as the third man turned around to meet him, he pulled his dagger out of the first man's neck, and slit his throat in one quick motion, before once again disappearing in a spark of orange. When he reappeared, he was in the southern part of the clearing, right behind two others. He swiftly snapped the neck of the man nearest to him, moved into the second man's guard before he could react, and plunged his dagger straight into the man's gut. Then, he swept his opponent's feet, and finished him off with a dagger to the heart, before once again vanishing. Then, bright orange sparks started igniting everywhere, disorienting all that were there to see it, and each time it did, Naruto would land a hit on any nearby mercenary. After just four seconds, he reappeared beside Jiraiya, and spoke.

"… That's about 68, by my count. Excluding the ones that are... not with us anymore."

Absolute silence was the only reply he received, along with looks of disbelief. Suddenly, Jiraiya nudged him with his elbow, and spoke.

"You and I need to have a very long talk when this is all over."

Naruto could only smile in response.

"You don't know the half of it… yet."

Before they could continue their conversation though, the leader of their opponents let out a soft laugh, which soon turned into a loud cackle.

"Ahah… Ahahahahahahaha! Oh, this just keeps getting' better and better! You're quite the big shot, you know that? The focking Orange Spark. I'm going to enjoy cashing in your bounty."

"I'd cash in yours when I kill you, but I'm betting it's not much. Probably not even worth my time or anybody's really."

The man's expression soon turned grim. He spat at the ground and thumbed the tip of his nose, before aptly speaking.

"I tell you what. You think you're something special? Go up against my boys 'ere. If you're still alive after they're done with you, I'll focking off you me self, ya hear?! Make mulch outta these cocksuckers, lads!"

All 68 men let out a thunderous battle cry. The Beastmaster sicced the hounds on both Naruto and Jiraiya, prompting the two to slip into a defensive stance. Jiraiya moved to shield Naruto, saying.

"Stay behind me, my toads will fight off those dogs."

"Okay, maybe we can start that talk right now. First off the agenda…"

Naruto breezed through the set of seals, drew blood from his thumb, and slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu."

A small cloud of smoke burst from the seal on the ground, and before it could even clear up, a large yellow fox, twice the size of the hounds, appeared.

"Master, it seems your skill with the summoning jutsu is progressing much faster than we anticipated. My name is Gumiko, the second of the Nine, at your service."

"It's nice to meet you Gumiko, but perhaps we can postpone the niceties? We have a bit of an issue here."

"Of course master."

Suddenly, Naruto heard a vicious growl coming from behind them. When he turned to look, he saw one of the hounds primed to attack. The beast lunged at Naruto, aiming for his throat, but before his teeth could reach its mark, a thick tail slammed into his side and sent him hurtling towards two other approaching hounds. Upon seeing all this, Jiraiya was dumbfounded.

"T-That's… that's a fox you just summoned."

Naruto smiled sheepishly at the old man, and spoke.

"… Ah yeah, about that…"

The blonde boy allowed a smirk to pass over his expression, before cracking his knuckles.

"I'm a Sage too."

That one brazen statement alone was enough to stun the old pervert for a few seconds, but realizing that they had more pressing matters to attend to, Jiraiya stowed his questions away and breezed through a couple handseals, before drawing blood from his thumb and slamming his hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

In just a split-second, a cloud of smoke exploded from the seals that appeared on the ground, as soon as it cleared a tanto-wielding toad almost the size of Jiraiya spoke up.

"Yo!"

Jiraiya quickly slipped back into a defensive form, before calling out to his newly summoned comrade.

"Gamakichi, I need you to subdue those dogs!"

"Already on it!"

The moment Naruto heard the name Gamakichi though, he immediately turned to look. While the growth spurt that the toad underwent was certainly noticeable, it was his striking resemblances to his own father that surprised Naruto. However, as he was focusing his attention on his old comrade, one of the bandits shot a crossbow bolt at him. The bolt would have hit its mark and buried itself deep into Naruto's neck, had it not been for Gamakichi's well-timed intervention. The nimble toad gripped his tanto with his tongue and extended the muscle, effectively deflecting the bolt with the blunt end of the tanto. Once he retracted his tongue and gripped the sword, Gamakichi spoke.

"Hey boss, who's the new kid eh?! Don't tell me I have to fight off these mutts and babysit him."

Naruto grimaced slightly at the toad's condescending tone; it would seem Gamakichi's size wasn't the only thing that grew. He had an ego to match.

"Watch your tongue toad," Naruto smugly remarked. "and just try to keep up."

Gamakichi smirked at the boy's bravado.

"Well, let's see ya put your money where your mouth is."

Without another word, both Gamakichi and Gumiko charged at the remaining hounds in an attempt to draw their attention. Once they managed to initiate combat with the beasts a few ways off, Naruto and Jiraiya stood back to back, in a defensive stance. The mercenaries all around them cautiously eyed the two and, after a while of whispering amongst themselves, started closing in and surrounding them. This, however, did nothing to intimidate the two. Instead, it brought a slight smile to Jiraiya's face.

"… That's right. A little closer…"

"What now?"

"Well they outnumber us. So, what do you say we thin out their ranks?"

"Easy enough, but can you handle it? You might be a bit rusty."

"Rusty? Don't get ahead of yourself."

He began molding chakra within his body, in preparation for a devastating jutsu.

"… I'm the great Toad Sage Jiraiya."

In that instant, the men surrounding them lunged at them, determined to box the two of them in. Their plan, however, was foiled when Jiraiya jumped up and began weaving hand seals. Upon seeing this, Naruto reflexively jumped up and towards the tree line, in order to avoid the jutsu that he knew Jiraiya had been preparing.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!"

Suddenly, the ground that their attackers had been standing on softened into soft mud, causing them to sink into it. In a fit of panic, the mercenaries began squirming in place, trying to get out. This, however, merely caused them to sink deeper into the swamp. Once Jiraiya saw that his student had safely landed on a tree branch, Jiraiya weaved through another set of hand seals, and exclaimed.

"Gamayudan!"

Large amounts of toad oil then began spewing forth from his mouth, covering all who had been ensnared by the chakra-infused mud swamp, and effectively rendering them immobile. Upon seeing this, Naruto began to understand just what his mentor had been planning. In response, the blonde boy breezed through his own set of hand seals, just as Jiraiya had finished weaving his.

"Katon: Endan!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa!"

The sudden burst of wind slammed into Jiraiya's jutsu, causing the flames to intensify and engulf all the men who had been caught in the swamp. Much to their surprise though, a few stragglers managed to escape mere seconds before the flame jutsu slammed into the area. They jumped into the tree line in order to try and corner their opponents, but unfortunately for them, Jiraiya and Naruto saw it coming. The blonde boy threw two S shuriken at Jiraiya, who retaliated by throwing a few of his own shuriken at the boy. At the very last second, both of them dodged simultaneously, causing the shuriken they threw to embed themselves into the heads of the mercenaries behind them. Then, Jiraiya slammed his hands together in the seal of the snake, and channeled chakra into his hair.

"Ranjishigami no Jutsu!"

Before the body of the mercenary behind him could even fall to the ground, he had manipulated his hair into a tendril of sorts, grabbed the falling corpse, and threw it into the air, before rushing to engage the remaining stragglers near him. Naruto saw the corpse sailing through the air and, in the blink of an eye, appeared right above it in midair.

"… Exhale… Analyze the situation."

As his focus grew sharper, time seemed to slow, allowing him to observe the battlefield in a tactical view.

"… Two groups of stragglers remaining: one near my former position along the tree line, and another engaging Jiraiya. We need to get them back into the open field, where picking them off won't be as troublesome."

Without a shred of hesitation, he took out the two shuriken embedded in the corpse's head, and threw one in the direction of both groups. Then, he crossed his fingers and created to Kage Bunshins.

"Never tried this before, but here goes nothing!"

He put his hands on both of the Kage Bunshins shoulders, and channeled chakra into them. In a spark of orange light, the two clones disappeared from his side, and reappeared in the tree line, with one near the group to his left and the other near the group to his right. The two clones then gathered their remaining chakra, and released a devastating technique.

"Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!"

Both clones then spewed forth large amounts of water from their mouth. The sheer amount of which was enough to create a small tidal wave, which slammed into the stragglers and flushed them out of the forest. Luckily, Jiraiya had managed to jump away at the very last second, and as he was sailing through the air, he watched as Naruto's jutsu flooded the open field and put out the inferno that the two had created. Suddenly though, Naruto felt a wave of heat coming from his flank.

"Teleport away from that, ya focker!"

When he turned to look, he saw a great fireball bulleting towards him. His hand reached for his shuriken pouch, but before he managed to pull one out, he felt something soft and wet latch itself on his back. The appendage jerked him out of the fireball's path just in the nick of time, however, as he turned to look, he saw one of the hounds, attack Gamakichi from behind. The beast bit into Gamakichi's back, causing him to suddenly jerk his tongue and slam Naruto into the ground. The impact forced the air out of the blonde boy's lungs, but he spared no time in grabbing hold of the toad's tongue, and tugging. Gamakichi reflexively retracted the muscle, and pulled Naruto towards him. As soon as he was close enough he tackled the hound on Gamakichi's back, using his momentum to his advantage. The two rolled around for a few seconds, before finally, they came to a stop. Before Naruto could recover though, he felt something akin to a bear trap slamming down on his right ankle and left thigh.

"Hnngrh!"

The hounds had reached him before he could defend himself, and now they had their fangs clamped down on his legs, rendering him immobile. He drew out his kila dagger in order to retaliate, but before he could do so, the hound that he tackled lunged at him, aiming for his throat. He managed to block the beast jaw with his arms though, but the wave of pain that assaulted him as the dog's teeth dug into his forearm wasn't doing him any favors.

"Master!"

Suddenly, a thick tail slammed down on the mutt biting down on his right ankle. The sheer force behind the attack was enough to effectively break its spine in two and flatten the beast with a loud thud and a sickening crack. As soon as the pressure on his ankle was relieved, he felt the pressure on his thigh disappear as well, and when he turned to glance at the beast that had been biting down on it, he saw that it was now lying dead with a kunai in its head.

"Kid, look alive!"

He recognized the voice as Jiraiya's, but before he could turn to look, the dog attached to his arm began flailing about wildly, causing yet another wave of pain to wash over him. He used his free hand and attempted to pry open the beast's mouth, but the sheer power of the animal was simply too strong, and he had already lost a substantial amount of blood. Suddenly, a glint of light caught his eye. He looked up at the sky, only to see one of his S shuriken sailing upwards, and he quickly realized that it had been Jiraiya who threw it. Gathering the chakra necessary, he disappeared, along with the dog biting into his arm, and reappeared fifty feet above ground. It was then when he felt the dog's jaw loosen around his forearm, as he knew it would due to the nausea that his tenka jutsu caused. Taking advantage of the animal's momentary weakness, Naruto grabbed hold of its upper and lower mandible, and with one quick motion, snapped its jaw, before releasing and letting it fall to the ground. Then, while still in midair, Naruto took out an S shuriken, turned to the leader of the mercenaries, and threw it straight at him. The projectile flew straight and true, before it was deflected by the man's knife; something that Naruto had anticipated. The shuriken dug into the earth to the right of the man, and before his opponent could react, Naruto appeared right beside him. He threw a swift roundhouse kick aimed at the man's chest, but it was blocked aptly. The force behind it, though, still managed to make his target stumble backwards slightly.

"Ohoho! So you wanna focking dance eh?!"

The man took out yet another dagger with his left hand and shifted the one he had already been holding in his right hand into a reverse grip. Then, with a sick smile on his face, he lowered his stance.

"Think you can just come up and take me out do ya? Well I'm not as easy as those cannon fodder shitbirds."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man.

"… Cannon fodder? Is that what they were?"

"Heh. What focking else?"

"… They were your men. You threw them at us wave after wave, knowing… expecting them to die? Your company is dead when they didn't have to be, all because of you. Lay down your arms."

"Dead? You don't know shit do ya kid?! Like I give a fock about them. There are other brigands, other bandits, and other focking soldiers who would gladly accept the license to kill and to fock whoever they want! The Red Lion Mercenaries aren't dead – just hiring. And you better believe there will be people lining up for a spot."

"Oh I bet, especially after that job you pulled in Yu huh?!"

A smile slowly crept its way onto the man's face.

"How do you know about that eh?"

"You were in Yu during the riots. You pretended to be members of an Insurgency. I want to know exactly what you did there! Did you see a red haired girl?!"

Naruto stayed silent, and drew out his kila dagger. As the boy was sizing him up, the man spoke.

"… Well, look who knows too much for 'is own focking good. Well, you're not going to get any answers from me ya little shit!"

Naruto spun the knife in his hand and gripped it tightly.

"Then I'll cut it out of you."

Before they could both begin their knife fight though, Gumiko jumped in between them with her tail primed to attack.

"Master, are you injured? Shall I dispose of this filth?"

"At ease, Gumiko! This one's mine."

The fox shot her master a concerned glance, before nodding and dispelling herself. After she had gone, Jiraiya approached his student, never taking his eyes off of their opponent.

"… You sure about this kid? This isn't necessary. We've already taken out his entire company. He's just another small fry."

Naruto gritted his teeth and replied.

"… I still have questions – questions concerning what happened in Yugakure. And goddammit, I'm getting my answers."

"That's the thing though… Kid…"

Jiraiya glanced at the man, and glanced back at the boy. He was just about to tell him the answers to his questions, but for some reason, he hesitated. For some reason, the expression on the boy's face stopped him. At the moment, he could see it clear as day in his student's eyes – the animal, fighting to get out. And, perhaps, this was exactly what he needed to coax it out.

"… Be careful."

Having said that, he then backed away from the boy, until he was right beside Gamakichi.

"… Boss, I gotta say. This kid… there's something about him."

"What do you mean?"

"… Can't say exactly what it is, but something's going off in my senses. Like… like there's a bell that rings when I look at him."

Jiraiya shot a glance at his new student, and allowed a pensive expression to dawn on his face.

"… Yeah. I think I know what you mean."

Just as he spoke those words though, another small company of men on horseback arrived at the far north end of the field. The leader of their mercenary company turned to them and, in a clearly enraged tone, hollered at the top of his lungs.

"What the fock are you louts doing there eh?! Where were you?!"

The men rode towards their leader, who had been standing near the southern end of the field, and when they were close enough, one of them replied.

"Sir, we were patrolling the perimeter when we heard the loud noises!"

"The fock took you so long to get 'ere?! Go on then, focking sic 'em!"

The horsemen charged at Naruto, hoping to rout their target, or at the very least force him to retreat. However, before they could even make it halfway to where the boy was, Gamakichi spat a Toad oil fireball at the ground in front of them, causing the horses to cease their advance. Naruto turned to his mentor, who then spoke.

"I got this kid. Stay focused."

He responded with a firm nod, before turning back to his opponent, and letting out a quick exhale.

The breeze was chilly. He could feel the earth beneath his feet, still sopping wet and muddy from the jutsu he had just unleashed. The mercenary eyed his opponent cautiously, took off his armor, and slipped into an aggressive knife fighting stance. Then, he did a few flourishes with his dagger, and spoke.

"I've been doing this shit since before you were even focking born kid."

Naruto gripped his dagger and prepared himself.

"Bring it on, old man."

Agitated, his opponent lunged towards him and slashed horizontally with his right knife in an attempt to gut Naruto. However, Naruto countered his attack by throwing a front kick that hit the man's right wrist, nearly disarming him. As soon as the attack connected though, the mercenary spun, riding the momentum of Naruto's kick, and slashed with his left knife. Naruto leaned back just in time to avoid the strike, but it was soon followed up by a thrust aimed at his heart. He parried the dagger and immediately retaliated with a slash that, had it connected, would have slit his opponent's throat cleanly. Unfortunately for him, the mercenary ducked under the dagger and threw an upward slash with his left knife followed by yet another right thrust. Naruto, however, had carefully anticipated this. He shuffled backwards, avoiding the first strike, then, parried the thrust while simultaneously stepping forward with his right foot, and into his opponent's guard. Before the man could establish distance, Naruto slammed the pommel of his dagger into the mercenary's temple, causing him to stumble backwards in a daze. Taking advantage of this momentary lapse in defense, Naruto threw a sickening kick to the man's front leg, nearly sweeping the limb with its force. He then spun to conserve his momentum, and followed up with a spinning back kick that landed squarely on the mercenary's chest. The mercenary fell to the ground with a thud. Naruto backed a few paces away, and spoke with a satisfied half-snarl, half-smirk on his face.

"Since before I was born? If that's all you've got, it's a fucking miracle you're still alive."

The mercenary spat out some blood, before pushing himself off of the ground and letting out a slight snigger.

"Heh. You focking limpdick bastard."

With scorn clear on his face, he dusted himself off and proceeded to slowly pace back and forth. Then, in a tone akin to a growl, he spoke.

"You bastards think you're all such big focking shots don't you?! I'm the big fish here! You're the small fry! When people want jobs like Yugakure to happen, I'm the one they call! You can't kill me, you shit! I HOLD ALL THE CARDS!"

"Then why are you so afraid?" replied Naruto, still smirking.

Without another word, the mercenary lunged at Naruto and launched a flurry of slashes and thrusts, all of which Naruto deftly avoided. Desperate to land a blow, the mercenary slashed forward with both blades in an attempt to behead his opponent. Naruto however saw his feeble attempt at an attack coming, and blocked aptly with his kila dagger. As soon as their blades clashed though, the mercenary slammed his knee into the side of Naruto's knee, causing the boy to lose his balance. Naruto fell, splashing about mud water as he did so; however the mercenary would give him no quarter. He threw his left blade at Naruto, only for it to dig into the earth as Naruto rolled out of its way. Agitated, he pursued Naruto, but as soon as he was close enough, he was met with a handful of mud to the face, causing him to swing wildly in surprise. One of his slashes would have grazed the boy's leg, but Naruto managed to stop the blade with the sole of his left boot, and land a kick to his opponent's jaw. Dazed and unsteady, the mercenary shuffled backwards in order to create some distance between he and his foe as he wiped the mud off his face. Unfortunately for him, he had just made a crucial error: he took his eyes off the boy. By the time he managed to reorient himself, Naruto had disappeared. He looked all around, but all he saw was mud, and his soldiers engaging the old man and the toad to the far east of the field. Suddenly though, he heard the sound of something digging into the earth behind him. Upon turning around though, he saw nothing – that is, nothing but a shuriken partly embedded into the earth in front of him. Then, it hit him; the kid wasn't around him. He was above him. By the time he managed to look up though, all he saw was a spark of orange.

Pain - a sharp pain, flowing through his veins, pricking at every nerve and overwhelming his senses. He looked down, only to see the boy's dagger sticking out of his left shoulder, blood slowly gushing out of the wound, oozing down his chest, and trickling down onto the cold wet earth. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hold of the handle, and twisted the dagger, causing yet another wave of agony to wash over him. He could feel his legs wobbling, his knees about to buckle under the weight of his own body, and before he could even utter out a word, the dagger was ripped out of him, and he was sent falling backwards onto the ground.

"Gah… Hng!"

He gripped his shoulder and applied pressure on the wound in order to slow the blood loss, crawling away as he did so. Naruto slashed at the air with his dagger, effectively clearing it of his opponent's blood, and slowly walked towards his foe.

"I don't like repeating myself, so pay attention this time. Did you see a red haired girl in Yugakure?!"

"Hng… Gahh!"

"Hey!"

Naruto stalked towards his prey and threw a forceful kick to the man's side, forcing him to roll over and cough out blood.

"The red haired girl! Did you see her?!"

As he was looking up at the boy, intense fear began to take root within him. And try as he might to say anything else, all he could spout were the words of a man begging for his life.

"Look 'ere kid, listen, you don't 'ave to do this eh? I know you think you 'ave to but you don't okay? You're not like me okay? Just let me go and—"

"THE GIRL. Did. You. See. Her?!"

"J-Just wait a minute 'ere eh?! I-I don't remember—"

"THEN TRY HARDER."

Suddenly, desperation took hold of him, and he gave in to his flight impulses. He began crawling away as fast as his arms and legs would allow him to. This however, did nothing to calm the blonde boy. Naruto walked over to the mercenary and once again landed yet another kick on the man's side. The mercenary rolled around in pain for a few seconds, before stopping face down and gripping his side.

"Answer me you piece of shit, or I'll give you another hole to breathe out of."

"Wait, wait wait. I-I… I remember…"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, and his breath hitched.

"What?"

"I-I remember! I swear just don't hurt me okay?!"

Naruto hurried to the man's side and turned him over. As soon as he did though, the mercenary flashed him a sick smile, and spoke.

"Raiton: Jibashi!"

Naruto felt the man's strong grip seize his arms, and before he could react, an intense surge of electricity flowed into his body. His muscles tensed up, and before he knew it, he was on the ground. He tried desperately to stir, but the amount of electricity that his system had been flooded with had rendered him paralyzed.

"Gah! Y-You son of a bitch!"

The mercenary let out a twisted guffaw as he pushed up off the ground and picked up his knife.

"Heh. You little shit. Really had you going there, didn't I? Oh please don't kill me! Bwahahaha!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and put every ounce of effort he could muster into moving his extremities, but after a few seconds, all he managed to do was flip over on his stomach and move his right arm.

"Oh? 'Ello now, where you going off to? We ain't done 'ere yet ya little focker!"

The mercenary then took his dagger and plunged it deep into Naruto's right leg. The blade went through and through, effectively pinning Naruto's leg to the earth.

"Hrraaagh!"

Naruto's head jerked upwards, startled by the sudden pain. His reaction though was met with a solid kick to the side of his face. The sheer impact of the man's vicious attack was enough to leave a deep gash right below Naruto's left eye.

"Ya like that? Steel-tipped boots. Useful when you gotta kick someone's teeth in. To teach 'em respect."

"Fuck you!"

"Fock me? Ha! Gahahahaha! See now that's ironic. Because that's exactly what she did gahahahaha!"

… Out.

"… What?"

The words left his mouth, but they were hollow.

"That's right kid," replied the mercenary in a twisted and sadistic tone, as he stooped down near the boy's face. "I remember 'er. Oh I remember. Red hair. She put up quite a fight, that lassie, but I didn't mind. Oh… no I did not. See I liked it. Didn't mind taking her bloody. I like my meat rare."

… Out now.

"… Y-You…"

"Yeh. Yeah I fucked her bloody. I FUCKED HER. I FUCKED HER TILL SHE COULDN'T SCREAM NO MORE AND TILL HER CUNT GAVE OUT."

… Let me out…

His hands were shaking. He could feel a sudden heat, slowly filling him, flooding into his chest.

"Oh she cried and cried and cried but you know what? SHE LIKED IT. I still remember her tightening up every focking time I plowed her! Like a focking vice!"

From a distance, Jiraya and Gamakichi had just finished dispatching the last of the horsemen, when suddenly; Jiraiya could feel a sudden surge of chakra. When he looked over to the source of it though, his eyes widened ever so slightly, and he spoke.

"Kid!"

Jiraiya was about to run to his student's rescue, but Gamakichi's voice stopped him.

"Boss wait! There's… there's something off!"

… OUT. NOW.

The mercenary grabbed him by the hair and, with his free hand, took out one of Naruto's shuriken from his pouch and set it against his throat.

"Wasn't just me who had some fun with 'er either… oh no… see, the boys thought it'd be right to help out. I mean, she did do me a favor after all. Months and months of travelling with those louts, not a woman in sight… takes its toll on a man. And she 'elped me with that see. So I thought I should thank her…"

He released Naruto's head and stood up.

"You know… proper," said the mercenary, as his hand grabbed his crotch. "Like a real man ought to. So… I gave her some more playmates. And I tell ya… them boys had some fun with 'er…"

The mercenary picked up his other knife, and without a single word, plunged it into Naruto's back. He expected the boy to let out yet another scream of pain, however, he heard nothing.

"Oi… What's wrong with you?! Dead already ya fock?!"

Eager to elicit a reaction, he took both knives and pulled it out of Naruto before standing up and slowly backing away. As soon as he did though, Naruto began to stir.

"Ah. Alive after all. Well, you want to know 'ow this story ends? I'll tell ya."

With a wry smile on his face, he licked the blood off of his right knife, and spoke.

"I gutted 'er with this very knife. And we let 'er burn. After all… we weren't supposed to leave anyone alive gahahahahahaha!"

Suddenly, Naruto disappeared. The mercenary was taken aback by his prey's sudden disappearance, but when he heard the sound of soft footfall behind him, he turned around still sporting a smile. However, his smile faded when he saw the blank expression on the boy's face. Slowly, Naruto walked towards him, stalking step by step, and for some reason he could not fathom, the mercenary felt cold. He felt a sudden pressure, coming from the boy; a pressure that was forcing him to retreat slowly, as if faced with fear itself. His hands went cold, and there was something inside him telling him one thing: to run.

"O-Oi! The fock you still doing walking about eh?! I stabbed you, twice! Just focking die already!"

… Dead.

"Hey! You listening to me?! Back off or I'll gut you too! You 'eard what I did to your girl I'll fucking gut you like I gutted 'er…!"

… She's dead.

"H-Hey… Y-You back off you 'ear!?"

…

…

…

… LET ME OUT NOW.

Suddenly, Naruto dashed for his kila dagger with such speed that it seemed as if he had disappeared once again. He grabbed the dagger which had been embedded into the earth, slid until he came to a semi-stop, and darted off towards the mercenary. In a fit of panic, the mercenary breezed through the same set of hand seals as earlier, and channeled chakra into his palm.

"Raiton: Jibashi!"

A stream of lightning shot out of his hand and towards Naruto's chest. At the very last second though, the blonde boy slid under it, making use of the wet and slippery earth to slide towards his opponent. It all happened too fast for the mercenary to respond, as Naruto slid by his right leg and tore through the flesh just above his knee. His right leg gave out and he fell to the muddy earth, blood gushing down the injured limb. Naruto, however, was far from finished. He plunged his dagger into the earth as he was sliding. The dagger acted as an anchor which allowed him to come to an abrupt stop. As soon as he did, he quickly got up and rushed his opponent who, upon seeing the boy still on the offense, got back up, albeit with the majority of his weight on one leg, and slid into a defensive stance. When the boy was within range, he slashed wildly at him, hoping to at the very least inflict yet another wound. However, he was unable to even catch up with the boy's movements, let alone land a hit, as Naruto ducked, weaved, and dodged his knives. Desperately, he threw a wide spinning right slash aimed at the boy's jugular. The attack however was doomed to fail due to its own obviousness. Naruto blocked the man's wrist with his own and threw an upward palm strike that landed on his triceps. The force behind the attack jerked his shoulder upward and forced him to loosen his grip, effectively disarming him of his right knife. Without missing a beat, Naruto threw a brutal right that crashed into his opponent's face. The metal plate on his gloves slammed hard against the mercenary's nose, crushing the appendage and the cartilage within. The man stumbled back, gripping his nose as blood poured down and in between his fingers. Naruto then followed up by stomping down on the side of the mercenary's knee with his rear leg.

"Ghraaaah!"

Once again, he fell to the ground, gasping for air. The pain that he was experiencing was immense and damn near unbearable, and as he spat out a good amount of blood, he turned to the blonde boy, who had just been silently observing him.

"… F-Focking hell…"

… Raped her dirty pig touched her

Filthy she screamed gone

She's gone fucked her

"… Get up." Said the blonde boy, in a voice akin to a growl.

"D-Don't do this. Y-You don't want to do this…"

"Get. Up."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" replied the mercenary, as his fear turned into desperation. "I-I'm sorry! T-This girl, l-listen to me—"

Take her bloody he fucked her

Fucking pig… he RAPED her

Murdered she's dead

"Get up…"

"L-Listen! I-I saw her I saw her alright b-but I-I was lying I didn't focking touch 'er I swear to Kami I didn't even actually see 'er you gotta listen to me kid! This girl, red hair, one leg, m-my men they told me about 'er they said they saw her with Ganryū – h-he's the leader of the
Insurgency, see. T-They saw 'er with him when they were making their escape you gotta believe me kid she's alright s-she's with 'em and I didn't focking touch her please, please believe me…"

"…"

"K-Kid… T-This girl she's okay j-just… don't kill me…"

Couldn't do a thing she died gutted her…

… RAPED her left her to burn

MURDERED nothing left…

There was a brief pause between the two; a short moment of unabated silence. Suddenly, Naruto gripped his dagger tightly – something that the mercenary noticed. His hands began to tremble, and while he could hardly see straight, he was preparing himself to run; to take his own life into his hands, and running from this… creature, because words such as 'boy' or 'man' no longer applied to him. Not after the rage and viciousness he showed even after having been stabbed twice. But then, this creature did something that surprised him. Naruto loosened his grip, allowing the dagger to fall to the earth.

"… Hah…. T-That's it… Y-You're not like me, kid… Y-You're the good guys… Y-You're better than people like me. L-Look kid I-I'm—"

"… Better?"

HE RAPED HER.

"… People like you… people like you… are a dime a fucking dozen."

The raw growl behind the boy's voice stunned him. A sudden chill ran down the mercenary's spine. For some unfathomable reason, right then, in that moment, he could feel this colossal weight bearing down on him.

"People like you love to think that you're so big and bad… that you're the wolf among the sheep… but do you know what…?"

… HE KILLED HER.

Naruto took a step forward, causing the man to flinch slightly.

"I am not one of the good guys. I may be on the side of the angels but do not think for one second that I am one of them. You think you know what twistedness is? You think YOU know what a monster looks like, well you DON'T… But I will show you… because you're right about one thing."

… He FUCKED her and left her to BURN.

Without breaking eye contact, Naruto cracked his knuckles, hid one hand behind his back, and allowed a small sadistic grin to pass over his expression.

"… I'm not like you."

"D-Don't…"

"Get up…"

"I-I'm telling you right now don't you focking do this!"

"GET UP."

Every ounce of desperation within him then turned into one thing: outrage.

"Y-You focking shit… I-I know people! I know people who will hunt you the FOCK down! They'll focking find you! And they'll focking SKIN you and turn you into SHOES once they find out what 'appened to me!"

"They won't find anything left of you. Now… GET. UP."

There was nothing else he could do. He had been trapped; backed into a corner, like a rat, and the fear that he now held for the boy was pushing him into the only course of action he had. Survive. In a rush of adrenaline, he got up, putting all his weight on one leg, and hobbled towards Naruto as fast as he could. He threw an overhead right aimed at the boy's temple, but due to the pain from his injuries, he stumbled slightly causing the swing to go wide. Naruto swiftly weaved under the attack and countered with a ridge hand strike. The counterattack slammed against the mercenary's throat, causing yet another surge of blood to come spewing out of his mouth. Then, the blonde boy grabbed the man's extended arm by the wrist and elbow, and twisted it, causing his opponent to stumble forward and almost fall to the ground.

"Hraaagh!"

With one quick fluid motion, Naruto broke his opponent's wrist and fractured his elbow by slamming his own elbow down on the joint. The mercenary, with all the adrenaline in his system, managed to retaliate with a left haymaker which, much to his own surprise landed cleanly and managed to force the kid back a few steps. He had little time to process what had just happened though, for no sooner than he was forced back, did he once again lunge into the offensive. In a split second, Naruto had managed to send the mercenary rolling away with a quick spinning side kick. As soon as he came to a stop, the mercenary crawled to one of the nearby corpses of his men and relieved him of his throwing knives. As the boy was rushing towards him, he got up and threw three consecutive knives with his remaining hand, expecting at least one to land. He was surprised, however, to see the blonde boy dodge the first one by lunging, or rather, pouncing to the right, and the second one by pouncing to the left. Oh but he did not dodge the third knife. He caught the projectile, not at all minding the blade ripping into the flesh of his palm as he did so. Before closing into his prey though, Naruto swiftly took something out of his weapons pouch. The mercenary however, failed to see his quick movement, as the blood loss had already begun to take its toll. When the boy was close enough, he managed to throw yet another left hook, hoping that like earlier, it would land. He nearly smiled when he felt his hand smack against something soft yet firm – nearly. Before he could even see what he had hit, he felt a bloodcurdling pain shooting up his arm, shaking him the dizziness out of him. When he turned to look, he was mortified. Not only had his punch been blocked, the boy had impaled his forearm with the throwing knife that he had caught; right into the small gap between the radius and ulna. Before he could utter yet another shrill scream, Naruto kicked him away. He stumbled backwards for quite a bit, before finally managing to steady himself. When he did though, he began to hear a slight sizzling sound. By the time he realized what it was, it was too late. Though the blast was small and contained, its boom still reverberated across the field and the forest, causing the birds some distance away to fly off. The force behind the blast also swept the mercenary off his feet, and when he once again became aware of his surroundings, he tried to prop himself up with his remaining hand. As soon as he did so though, crippling agony seized him, causing him to once again fall flat on his back.

"Kah! Shit…!"

In that moment, he wondered what could have caused such pain, and wondered why he for some reason could not seem to feel his left hand. Yet, when he shot a glance at the limb, the answer came quickly to him. The small explosive tag attached to the throwing knife that the boy had impaled into his arm had blown off and mangled his left arm, leaving him with little more than a few inches of his upper arm. He tried once again to get up, but to no avail. Blood flooded out of the wound as if it was a faucet, and while the pain he was feeling was worse than anything he had ever thought possible, it was mostly the lightheadedness that was preventing him from getting up. He could feel the very life draining from his body, and then, his eyelids began to feel heavy. He knew he was knocking on Death's door, and for some reason, it felt no different from falling asleep. He was just about to sink into that deep slumber… when Naruto thrust his index and middle finger into the wound on his left shoulder. His eyes popped open, and he let out yet another scream of pain.

"You don't get to die. Not yet."

He looked into the blonde boy's eyes, and in that moment, he knew for certain. He knew for certain what kind of man he was, or had been, and what kind of man that boy is. He knew for certain that all this time, leading the Red Lion mercenaries, murdering his way into power… it was all so foolish. And he couldn't believe how he had let his ego blind him. How it had caused him to forget one of the greatest truths that their world had to offer. He was nothing but prey playing predator; sheep mimicking the wolves. Monsters were real in this world; demons, were real. He had thought himself to be invincible. He had convinced himself that he understood the nature of the infallible evil in this world, but only in that very moment, as every drop of blood sought to leave his body and as he stared that blonde boy in his dull lifeless eyes, did he truly understand. Only in that very moment, did he finally know what monsters looked like.

"WAKE UP."

Suddenly, Naruto bent the fingers that he had thrust into the mercenary's open wound, and twisted it.

"Gah! Fffraaaah FOCK!"

"That's right… wake up. No… no, no, no you can't die. You can't die yet you have to stay awake. Stay awake, and feel everything. You have to say her name. Did you even KNOW her NAME?!"

Naruto twisted his fingers once again. This time however, he hooked both fingers, digging his nails into the man's flesh, and forced the wound open. Hot crimson blood gushed out. The brutish act elicited an earsplitting screech from the man, and when the pain finally subsided slightly, the mercenary spoke.

"Grrraaghh fock… focking hell shit stop please I-I'm focking begging you… no more…"

"NO. You're going to suffer, the way you made her suffer! You're going to scream."

"I-I'm focking telling you! I never met 'er I swear p-please… please don't do this… I don't know 'er I-I didn't touch 'er…"

A blank stare was the only response he received. Suddenly, Naruto withdrew his fingers from the man's now gaping wound, and moved his hands to the mercenary's face.

"Ah K-Kami! Fock… P-Please just let me go…"

Once again, silence was the only thing he heard. But as he looked up at the blank, expressionless face of the boy, it was the eyes that captured what little attention he could afford to muster. He had seen plenty of killers in his day; rapists, robbers, and petty thieves as well. And if there was one thing he had learned, it was that you could determine the measure of a man through the look in his eyes. Rapists had lust in theirs, as well as the need to dominate. Robbers and thieves had greed and hunger. Murderers though. Murderers had a fire; a fire in their eyes fueled by anger, fear, and a sliver of guilt. Even the most callous of killers couldn't get rid of that sliver of humanity. And yet, for some reason, as he looked up at this boy who was moving to frame his face with his hands, he saw eyes that were devoid of all those. And it frightened him, more so than the prospect of death. Before he knew it, his vision went dark, as he felt the boy rest his thumbs over his eyes. Slowly, the digits pressed down, causing him to stir slightly in discomfort. The pressure grew, more and more, until there was an intense dull pain throbbing in his head. He screamed. He screamed as hard as his blood filled throat would allow. He flailed about. His right arm, broken in two places, he used to attack the boy, despite the pain that would shoot up the limb each time he would do so. The pain in his arm was of no consequence to him. It was the pain in his eyes; the mind-numbing pressure tunneling into his skull, drilling through his eye sockets and into his brain. Red hot liquid oozed out of his sockets, rushing down the side of his face. His screams became shrieks. His entire body convulsed, struggling beneath the blonde boy. He smacked his right hand on whatever part of the boy he could reach. He grabbed, clawed, and dug his nails into whatever he could. Suddenly, he felt the thumb on his left arm withdraw. The dull searing ache however, did not disappear. He felt a hand grab his right wrist, and before he could do or say anything, something clamped down hard on three of his fingers, causing another wave of pain to assault his consciousness. It tore through the skin and muscle of his fingers, severing the appendages.

He wanted to pass out. He wanted to let the sleep overtake him and wash away the pain, but it was exactly that pain that prevented the sleep from doing so. His arm flailed around still, despite losing three fingers. His body writhed on its own, almost as if he had lost control of himself; as if he was losing himself to the agony. He screamed still, though. But then, he felt something being shoved into his mouth. It was being forced in, deeper and deeper, past the uvula, until it had been lodged in his throat. He tried to gag – to regurgitate it, but there was something keeping it there, something pushing it down. He convulsed, still. He struggled, still. A mixture of vomit and blood flooded past the obstruction in his throat, pouring out his mouth and nose, yet still failing to dislodge it. He struggled against all this, though his strength was slowly fading. The agony he felt in his eyes was now slowly being drowned out by the pain in his chest and the burning sensation in his lungs. He struggled for air as he felt like he was drowning in his own blood and vomit. His convulsions gradually became weaker, and weaker, until finally, he stopped.

His right arm fell to the ground, limp, as the soil soaked up the blood pouring out of his eyes, mouth, nose, and wounds. Slowly, Naruto let out the breath he had been holding, and withdrew his thumb from his victim's eye socket. He pushed himself off the now lifeless corpse, and for a few seconds, he did nothing but sit silently. When he heard the soft patter of footsteps coming towards him, he stirred slightly, before turning to its direction.

"… You okay, kid?"

"… Yeah. For some reason, yeah."

"He was lying, you know. Your friend… she's still alive. The other day when I cut our training short I… I went to check up on my contacts in Yugakure; in the Insurgency. I asked around. She and her sister are safe."

Naruto let his head hang for a second, before getting up.

"… I know."

The statement managed to surprise Jiraiya slightly.

"He was telling the truth. When I had him. When he was in pain… and he said he never met her. That he never touched her… or hurt her. He didn't even know her name."

"Kid… I should have told you sooner—"

"No," said Naruto, managing to surprise his sensei yet again. "I… needed to find out myself. And these people… they deserved this, for what they did in Yugakure."

Jiraiya stared intently at the boy whilst sporting a pensive expression.

"… Let's get you cleaned up."

Naruto nodded, and proceeded to walk towards the river with his mentor. The few minutes they spent walking though were spent in absolute silence, as Jiraiya had yet to figure out how to word his concerns, and Naruto hadn't the slightest clue what to say.

"... Kit?! Can you hear me?"

"… Hmm…? Yeah… why?"

"What the hell happened back there…?"

"What… what do you mean?"

"One second you're on the ground and he's feeding you this bullshit story about how he… about the things he did in Yugakure, then suddenly, I was shut out. Did you pass out or something?"

"N-No… And I don't remember shutting you out either…"

"… Well, we'll… talk about this later. It seems you've got more pressing matters to attend to."

"… Yeah."

When they got to the river, Naruto proceeded to wash his hands in the water. Suddenly though, Jiraiya spoke.

"… How do you feel?"

Naruto turned to his mentor.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you feel any guilt…? Any remorse?"

The blonde boy glanced at the palms of his hands, before aptly replying.

"… Does a lion feel remorse when it takes down its prey?"

Jiraiya fell silent, not quite sure if this was the lesson he wanted the boy to learn.

"You were right. I was too calculating; always several steps ahead and always so sure of the outcome… and of myself. But there are times when you have to give in to instinct. To your gut. In this world there are times when there isn't time to think and you just have to act, to survive. Times when it's kill or be killed."

Jiraiya ran a hand through his thick hair, and spoke.

"Kid, I'm not the best sensei in the world. That much I know for certain. But if there's anything you're going to take away from your time as my student, let it be this."

Naruto stood and turned to his mentor.

"A true ninja's got guts. And as long as he or she has that, he'll survive. This doesn't just apply in combat, as well. If you're going to fight against the Akatsuki, you're going to need to find something to fight for – something to draw from. It doesn't matter if it's rage, or fear, or misery… you have to learn to feed on what you're feeling. The first thing they teach a shinobi is that emotions are signs of weakness. They cloud your judgment. Well kid, it doesn't have to be a weakness. As long as you have guts, you can use what you feel as fuel. Use it as a weapon rather than as a crutch. Sometimes rationality and logic - while they're great and all - isn't the best way to go about things. Sometimes you have to just lose yourself and trust your gut. And yeah… you're right. There are times in this world where it's 'kill or be killed'; times when you have to become the very thing you're fighting. Times when we can't afford to be human… when we have to be animals… monsters. That's the life we lead. We're Shinobi. Pain and suffering is part of our existence. We're supposed to deal with it, so no one else has to."

Jiraiya let out a slight sigh, and looked up at the sky.

"… True shinobi will never let that corrupt them though, because the most powerful fuel we shinobi have, is compassion. You were right. Pain forces us to grow, but we get to choose how we grow."

Suddenly, a dry smirk crept its way onto his face.

"Did you know… the two most compassionate shinobi I've ever met, are The Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze, and his son Uzumaki Naruto." Jiraiya paused, glanced at Naruto, and shot the boy a smile. "They were the best goddamn shinobi I've ever met. They fought hard, like nothing I've ever seen, and not for themselves… no, never for themselves. They did it for their comrades, their Village, their friends, their people, and at times, even for their enemies."

He once again turned to Naruto, as if to emphasize that the lesson he was about to impart was meant for the boy alone.

"Sometimes you have to be a monster, kid. There's no two ways about it. Sometimes, you have to cross that line… but it's compassion that brings you back. The ability to sense the pain and suffering of others, and to do something about it, because you've been through it as well, and you know that no one deserves it. That's something only the best of us are capable of."

Naruto stared at his mentor, mouth slightly agape, before smiling and nodding.

"… Hai, sensei."

Suddenly, both men fell silent. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke, that is, until Naruto asked the one question that had been bothering him for so many nights already.

"Ero-senin… About Tayuya…"

Jiraiya shot the kid a slight smirk, and plopped down on the riverside.

"Take a seat kid. We've got a lot to talk about."

The boy did as he was asked, and when they were both comfortable, Naruto made a motion to speak, but Jiraiya cut him off.

"She's as safe as can be. She's with the Insurgents in their hideout underground, with her sister too; although, I can't say the same for their Village. Apparently the place is practically under martial law. The Daimyō isn't letting anyone in or out until the Insurgents are captured. They even have some of their own Villagers believing that it was actually the Pro-Shinobi supporters who attacked the southern and eastern districts."

"Wait, what's all this about a Pro-Shinobi group though?"

Jiraiya stared at the boy for a few seconds, before finally arriving at a sudden realization.

"Ah, I forgot you're still a bit young. See kid, Yugakure may be famous for its hot springs, but that wasn't always the case. There was a time when it was an active Hidden Village, with its own shinobi. That all changed though when it decided to shift to a more 'peaceful' way of life. It abandoned the entire Shinobi system and instead became a Village with one of the richest economy in the world. The current Daimyō is an avid supporter of this way of life, but that's probably because this way, he gets all the power to himself. But, not everyone was capable to adjusting to the sudden change. There were people who refused to abandon the old ways and its tradition; those people became the Pro-Shinobi advocates. And up until recently, the quarrels between the Pro and Anti groups have been rather… well, non-violent. That is, until the riot."

"… That's when the Daimyō hired those mercenaries to disguise themselves as Pro-shinobi Insurgents and attack the market and hot springs district."

"Not just mercenaries, too. I contacted some of the people I know in the Insurgency. Word is, some of the men involved were part of the royal guard."

Naruto leaned back and scratched his head.

"He started a civil war and tore his own Village apart just so he could frame the Insurgents. Why go through all that trouble?"

"Well, he's afraid, and I don't blame him. The leader of the Insurgents is a man called Ganryū, and while I don't know much about the guy, I do know that he used to be a shinobi of Yugakure before the shift in their governance. He was also pretty close to the Kage at the time too; one of the elites."

"And you said he has Tayuya and Haruko?"

"Yeah. Apparently the real Insurgents tried to save as many people as possible that night. They must have come across your friend and her sister. They're probably with the other survivors."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

"… At least they're safe."

"They are. Now, it's my turn to ask questions kid." Said Jiraiya, as he leaned forward and stared intently at the boy.

"W-What do you mean?"

"First, that jutsu. Explain."

"Yeah well," Naruto started, as he smiled sheepishly beneath his scarf. "Let's just say that list isn't the only thing The Orange Spark left me."

The white haired man narrowed his eyes at the boy; suspicious at the lack of details he was given.

"And how exactly does that work?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man.

"I'd tell you, but… you already know don't you? I recall the Yondaime Hokage having a technique similar to it."

"Seems like a bit of a stretch; comparing it to Minato's technique, that is. He is the fastest shinobi to ever live."

"Eh. Maybe... Then again, maybe not. I mean, The Orange Spark was was fast, but I'm faster."

Jiraiya smirked at the boy's bravado.

"Heh. Alright, well, what about the foxes you summoned? Where the hell did you get that? Last I heard those things disappeared along with the—"

"The Uzumaki Clan, I know. Itachi and I found this summoning scroll in a monastery along the border of Taki and Iwa. The moastery was a front though, and it was built to hide the scroll which Iwa had stolen during the era of the Shinobi Wars. We thought it would be in better hands if we took it off theirs."

"Tsk."

Jiraiya leaned back and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, prompting the boy to glance over at him and inquire.

"W-Why? What's wrong?"

"I just realized how little I really know about you kid."

"Yeah well," replied Naruto as he sheepishly scratched his head. "In our business, secrecy is the name of the game, right?"

"Eh, I suppose. Speaking of which, brat."

Jiraiya then pulled a small yet thick book from out of his pocket and tossed it to Naruto, who barely managed to catch it.

"Everything I could find on the list of names you gave me. Although, even I have to admit, it isn't much. Some of those people are big names in the underworld; and I mean big. Sure, compared to the people they work for, they're still small fry, but don't underestimate any of them. Almost no one knows anything about them. I had to make use of the full force of my network just to dig up everything in there, and in our business, when no one knows you it means—"

"It means you're good."

"Exactly. Kid, listen…"

Taking note of the sudden seriousness in his sensei's tone, Naruto turned his attention to Jiraiya.

"… I need to know something."

"What?"

"… I need to know you're in this one hundred percent. It isn't too late to turn back. There'd be no shame in doing so. Look, you've done more than enough; you've gone above and beyond the call of duty. You and the Orange Spark have gotten closer to taking down the Akatsuki than anyone ever has. There's nothing wrong in wanting to leave the rest to others."

Naruto sighed slightly, and responded.

"Look, Ero-sennin. I appreciate the concern, but I've got this."

"Of course you do. Of course you'd say and think that. You're young; you can afford to be so sure of yourself. But kid… this is different. You're going up against Akatsuki. This is more than just games of intrigue. These… these people will stop at nothing to crush those that oppose them, and they have a tendency to do so without mercy and indiscriminately. You could die. You know that right?"

His question was met with loaded silence as Naruto turned away, prompting him to continue.

"You could die. And maybe they get to you sooner, or maybe they get to you later, but a lot of people you know; people you care about, could get hurt in the middle of all that. These people you're going up against? They're not going to pull any punches, so I need to know: can you take getting hit, as many times as you need to? Do you know what's on the line? Is there any part of you – any part at all – that's having second thoughts? Because if there is, I'll tell you right now. You can't beat the Akatsuki."

A few seconds of silence passed. Slowly, Naruto ran a hand through his hair, and let out a soft sigh.

"… You're right. I'm terrified, truth be told. I've… gone up against the Akatsuki before."

The blonde boy briefly recalled his last battle against the true leader of the Akatsuki, and how the man had easily toyed around with him and thrashed him.

"… I lost. And I've seen what they can do. I've seen the extent of their power, their knowledge, and their organization. I'd be insane if I wasn't afraid of them. But… it's precisely because of that; because I'm afraid, that I have to fight. Because if I'm afraid of them, imagine those who aren't as strong as I am. Imagine those who can't fight them like I could; those who don't have the means to or those who don't know how. Whatever the Akatsuki is planning, I… can't let them do as they please. Like it or not, my fight isn't over yet. You want to know if I can take a hit? I'll go ten rounds if I have to, because I can handle it."

Jiraiya stared intently at the boy, noting his conviction, before promptly smirking slightly, shaking his head, and motioning to stand.

"… Alright then. I'm not nearly stupid enough to try to talk someone with that kind of look in their eyes out of what they want to do. I know firsthand how pointless that is. But I can't very well send you out there without an ace in the hole."

Naruto's brows jumped up in surprise upon seeing his sensei stand so suddenly.

"W-What?"

"You heard me kid. Knowing you, you're going to be throwing my name around like petals at a damn wedding. I can't have you bragging here and there about being the student of the Great and Gallant Toad Sage Jiraiya, and then end up shaming the both of us in the end. So I'm giving you a special offer."

Having already somewhat figured out what he was about to be offered, Naruto smirked under his scarf and stood up as well.

"Yeah? You finally gonna teach me a badass jutsu old man?"

"The most badass of all the jutsus in the world. But, I'll do it on one condition. If you can't master it in the next seven days, then you are forbidden from ever using it."

In an effort to keep up appearances, Naruto feigned outrage.

"W-What? That's not fair! How come?"

Jiraiya lightly smacked the blonde on the side of the head.

"Shut your trap gaki. Unlike other techniques, this jutsu actually requires precision, skill, and mastery in order to successfully perform. You're better off not using it at all than half-assing it."

As he rubbed the offended area, Naruto whimpered in a childish tone.

"Yeah, well, what's so special about this technique anyway?"

Jiraiya shot the boy a full blown grin of a man drowning in confidence, and backed away.

"Prepare to be amazed kiddo."

Without another word, he pumped a relatively small amount of chakra into his right palm and molded it until it took the form of a ball. Then, he put some distance between himself and the boy, and slammed it into the ground.

"Rasengan!"

The resulting collision, while small and contained, was still so powerful that it caused the very ground Naruto stood on to tremble slightly. Jiraiya's rasengan grinded against the earth, kicking up a small storm of dust as it did so. Then, the ball of chakra expanded and eventually dissipated, leaving Jiraiya standing in the middle of a small yet deep crater beside the river. As water from the river began to flood in, the crater slowly turned into a basin of sorts, gathering the river water and causing the water level to decrease by a foot or two. Before the basin could be fully flooded though, Jiraiya jumped out and landed a few meters away from where Naruto stood. Then, he turned to his student with a smug and borderline creepy look on his face, and spoke.

"… So whaddya think? Ain't that just the best damn thing you ever saw?"

Deciding to keep up the charade, Naruto stood there dumbfounded and slowly nodded.

"Hmph. You're damn right it is. It's called the Rasengan. The Yondaime Hokage created that jutsu himself, and less than a handful of people have ever known how to do it. Ever. You think you've got what it takes for a move like that? For a move of that caliber?"

Naruto let out a quick exhale, and spoke.

"You're damn right I'm ready for it!"

"Heh. Good answer, but that's not the question I need you to fret about. The real question is, can you master it in seven days time?"

Naruto shot his perverted sensei a confident yet determined look.

"I'll do it in three."

---

"…"

"…"

The air was thick with tension.

"…"

"…"

Neither of them was keen on being the first to speak; one eagerly awaiting an explanation, and the other, opting to stay quiet until she could figure out the right words that would placate the positively seething woman standing a few steps away from her, blocking the door out of their room. She fiddled with her thumbs for a few more seconds, and when the pressure of it all was beginning to become unbearable, she snuck a glance at her sister, hoping to find a clue as to what to say. Yet, the stern expression that Tayuya wore gave no token, and as time continued to pass, the silence remained unbroken until, after half a minute or so, she heaved a heavy sigh, and spoke.

"… I know you're mad."

"Yeah you're damn right I am!"

Haruko shook slightly in her seat. She always knew her sister to be a gentle soul; not once did she ever utter a single foul word, at least not in her presence. She only did so when she was furious.

"What were you even thinking Haruko? Tell me, what were you thinking?"

"I-It's just… you don't understand Onee-san. I've seen the people here. I've seen what life has been like for them ever since the riot and even before that. I just felt so bad and I thought I have to do something, anything, for them."

"You have to do something? I'm sorry, you have to? Goddamit Haruko. You've always been a charitable person, to a fault even, but this? This is just too much. Do you even realize how stupid that was?"

Haruko grimaced at the condescending tone in her sister's voice.

"It's not stupid!"

She had stood up so suddenly as she said so, that even Tayuya was stunned for a moment. The raw conviction in her voice was clear as day.

"It's not stupid, and don't say it is! I'm not stupid, okay? I'm trying to help people."

Tayuya though, would not back down so easily. She crossed her arms, and spoke up.

"Help people? Then pray tell me, how is getting killed going to help people? If you die in that mountain on that day who are you going to help huh?!"

"I'm not going to die!"

Tayuya scoffed at her sister – something that only served to irritate Haruko all the more.

"I said I'm not going to die okay? Why can't you just trust me on that?"

"Because! That is a sentence I've heard far too many times before, and every single time, they end up dead! I'm sorry if I seem to be encroaching upon and threatening your dreamland by saying so, Haruko, but it's time to wake up. Come back and take a look at the real world. People live and die every day, and for a Shinobi, death is closer than we'd like it to be. Let's face it, even if you were trained, and even if you were prepared, and even if you knew the first thing about survival, the chance that you would die is still larger than the alternative, and I'm sorry if it feels like I'm not trusting you, but I will not gamble your life even if I liked the odds, which I don't."

Haruko stared at her sister for a short while, before letting her gaze drop to the ground and her head slowly hang.

"… Nee-chan, aren't you ashamed?"

Tayuya raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Aren't you ashamed…? I am. These people have been… have been suffering for so long. They've been forced out of their own homes. They live each day in fear; fear of being found, punished, hurt, and killed. And it's been going on for so long. I'm ashamed; ashamed that I didn't see any of it. I'm ashamed that while they were suffering I was living a life of happiness. I'm ashamed of my own ignorance, because it was precisely my ignorance that made me incapable of helping. I… I didn't know. I didn't know about any of it. But now I do. Now I know what these people have gone through, and now I, for once in my life, I have the chance to do something about it. I have the chance to truly help them, the way Otou-san helped others. I'm taking that chance."

Haruko straightened up and stared at Tayuya with an aura of firmness about her.

"I'm going out there. I'm going to take Suzume-san to the mountain summit. I'm going to help out in whatever way I can. You can't stop me. I won't let you, because this is the least I can do for them."

Tayuya stared at her own sister, half in awe at her conviction and half annoyed at her stubbornness, before shaking her head and scoffing.

"… You just won't listen. I'm trying to look out for you and protect you, and you just won't listen."

Haruko's lips quivered slightly as she spoke.

"I don't need your protection. I'm old enough to make my own decisions and to look after myself."

Haruko winced slightly as soon as she said the words; she had meant for them to sound reassuring and comforting, but in the heat of the moment, as her own emotions threatened to surge from her chest, the words came out with a hint of venom trailing behind them. Tayuya stared at her for a few seconds, and when it finally sank in that she had indeed said that, she smirked sardonically.

"… Alright. Point taken. You're an adult now right? A big girl. You can look out for yourself. So what the fuck do you need me for, right?"

Before Haruko could even get another word in, Tayuya turned around and exited the room. As she stormed down the halls of the officer's barracks, where they had been assigned to stay, Tayuya tried her best to keep her shaking in check. In her efforts to focus solely on not exploding, she bumped into the last person she wanted to see.

"O-Oh, I'm sor—"

His apology was cut off when he saw who it was he bumped into, and his jaw fell slack.

"A-Ah, it's nice to see you again, Tayuya-san." Said Suzume, as he straightened up rather stiffly and smiled as warmly as he could. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Unfortunately for him, Tayuya was in no mood to talk.

"Just get the fuck out of my way."

Without so much as another word, Tayuya shoved past him and continued down the hallway. Suzume though, could tell that something was off, and gave pursuit.

"H-Hey, I'm sorry for earlier, I really didn't see you."

"I don't give a shit about that."

"Then what's wrong? You seem to be bothered by something."

"It's none of your goddamned business."

"I-I know but I just thought that maybe I can help and—"

"God fucking dammit the people here just don't know when to fuck off! You sons of bitches never take no for an answer do you?"

Suzume furrowed his brow slightly; unsure of what she was speaking of.

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"Fucking hell! First you tell us that we can come with you for safety, and then you turn around and fucking recruit my sister into your stupid war that we had no business being a part of in the first place! All I wanted was for my sister and me to be left alone but none of you seem to be capable of doing that huh?"

Just as she was in the middle of going off on Suzume, she noticed that a small group of male and female spectators had already gathered a few feet down the hall, and were avidly watching and gossiping.

"Motherfuck - I can't. I can't even deal with this right now."

Tayuya motioned to walk away, but before she could do so, Suzume spoke in a commanding tone.

"Follow me."

Tayuya turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You want a place where there's no one around right? Where you can think? Where you don't have to worry about tearing someone's head off? Follow me."

As if already knowing that the girl would follow him, Suzume walked past Tayuya and past the small crowd that had gathered. The two of them walked briskly through the barracks, out the doors of the building, through the village, and towards the southwestern tunnel. As soon as they got there, Suzume paused for a few seconds, allowing Tayuya some time to ask the question she had been stewing with for the past ten minutes.

"Where the hell are you taking me?"

"You'll see." Suzume said, with a slight smile on his face.

He scanned his surroundings for a few more seconds, and when he had found what he was looking for, he approached it. To Tayuya, it looked like a normal chunk of earth, but as soon as Suzume moved it, she saw the somewhat shallow pit that it had been covering. Suzume picked up the lantern that was concealed within the hole, lit it, and turned back to the girl.

"Come on."

And with that, they ventured deeper into the tunnel. After five minutes of trekking through the humid earthen pathway crawling with all manners of insects, they reached a fork. Before she could speak up though, Suzume took the right path.

"How the hell do you know where we are? Where the hell to these tunnels even fucking lead?"

"Hmm? Oh, they both lead to the same place actually. It's just that it'll be much easier to find our way through here."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see."

They both trudged onwards, but after a minute or so, Suzume stopped moving, prompting Tayuya to do the same.

"Now let's see… it was around here… Where is it…?"

Unbeknownst to him, Tayuya had heard him mumbling, and had grown slightly irate.

"Are we fucking lost?"

"Hmm? Oh no, just looking for something… ah, there we go."

Suzume then proceeded to walk to the left, and nudge the small mushroom on the ground with his feet. Suddenly, the mushroom lit up, and created a chain reaction which caused mushroom after mushroom within the tunnel to light up and illuminate the way. Without another word, Suzume smiled proudly, and put out the lantern.

"Have to make use of nature when we can. Oil is expensive after all, more so here, where we don't get much trade."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that actually."

Tayuya inquired in a nonchalant tone as the two of them continued onwards, following the trail of the glowing mushrooms.

"Wondering about what?"

" Seems like the people here have everything they need. Where does it come from?"

"Netsukage-sama has contacts in other Villages, as well as in the Port Cities. If we need anything, we usually trade with them."

"And what do you give in return?"

"Well, we don't have much down here. We try our best to live simple and humble lives. Everyone here contributes in their own way. Some mold clay pots and vases, others sculpt, and while it may not seem like it, a few of these tunnels even lead to ore veins."

The last sentence elicited a somewhat surprised reaction from Tayuya.

"Just how big are these caverns anyway?"

Suzume let out a slight chuckle, and replied.

"Truth be told, we still don't know yet. The tunnels are incredibly extensive, and it seems they were dug in a way that doesn't compromise the stability of the earth. Some of our scout teams estimate that we've managed to map out around half of it, but I don't think that's the case."

"Well I'm sure you'll tell me exactly what you think," replied Tayuya, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Just as she said so, they reached the end of the tunnel, and walked onto a small platform overlooking a wide expanse. Tayuya was momentarily stunned; she hadn't the slightest clue that caverns this huge even existed under Yugakure. In fact, it seemed to her that an entire Village the size of Konoha could be built in it, and there'd still be space to spare.

"I think," Suzume said sporting a smug smirk on his face. "We haven't even mapped out a quarter of these cave networks."

"Fucking hell…"

"I know."

"How did you even find this place?"

"Eh. I get around. Besides, I was looking for a nice quiet place when I found this. There might even be sections of the caverns larger than this. For all we know these tunnels could run under the entirety of Yu."

Both Tayuya and Suzume remained silent for a few seconds, taking in the view. Then, she ventured to ask the question that had begun to form in her mind.

"Nice quiet place to be alone huh? What, is this where you hide your buried treasure?"

Suzume flashed a sarcastic smile, fiddled with the fringe of his eye patch, and replied.

"Ha, ha, hilarious. But no, that's not it. I just… need to find a quiet place when certain urges become too much."

"Ah, urges eh," replied Tayuya in a playful yet evidently wicked tone. "I suppose I should have figured you to be some sort of sexual deviant. Did you accidentally blind yourself with spunk while you were jacking off to images of little girls? Is that why you wear that stupid ass eye patch?"

Suzume cringed and backed away.

"W-What the hell man, that's sick. No. And what is it with you and my eye patch? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a thing for it."

"Or you know, it's just that it's a really stupid ass eye patch."

Both parties were silent for a short while. The tension was thick; it seemed they were at a verbal stalemate.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Whatever, what do you really do here? I'm not staying another second in this creepy ass place unless you tell me."

"Tell you? I'll have to show you."

Suddenly Suzume stepped back, faced the wide expanse of the cavern, breezed through a set of hand seals, and exclaimed.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

He then expelled a great amount of fire from his mouth and gathered it into a large ball of flames, before shooting it into the middle of the clearing a few kilometers away. The ball impacted against the earth and exploded, causing the flames to spread and illuminate the entire cavern floor. The sight itself was a thing to behold, for along the cavern floor, hundreds of stone targets the size and shape of an average human were scattered about, each one impaled with a few larger than usual arrows. Tayuya let out a slightly impressed 'hmph' and turned to the boy.

"Archery huh?"

Suzume on the other hand merely shrugged.

"Eh, not really. That's beside the point though."

For a few seconds, Tayuya did nothing but gaze at the flames and how they danced and flickered and roared upwards, seeking oxygen to consume. She sat on the edge of the platform, silently reflecting on her recent argument with her sister.

"Hey…"

Her thoughts were derailed by the voice of Suzume, who had now taken his seat beside her.

"You're nervous aren't you?"

Tayuya furrowed her brows and glared at the boy, who, much to her chagrin, took it all with a smile. Something about him reminded her of a certain dumb blonde.

"There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just saying…"

"Fuck you, okay? Yeah I'm nervous. It's been ages since I was last out in the field."

"Ah… worried that you might be a little rusty?"

"Rusty? Don't be ridiculous. I could have you dancing like the bitch ass monkey you are with one note. But like I said, it's been ages. I've lived a nice quiet life since then. I don't know what will happen if I just suddenly get thrown into the thick of things. And to top it all off Haruko will be out there tomorrow and… and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her. Hell, I'm not at all prepared. I don't even have any gear with me."

"Well we have plenty of gear to spare you know."

"Yeah, that's another thing. I've seen that gear you're talking about. Which begs the question: for a village that's barely scraping by in terms of resources, you sure keep a healthy stockpile of weapons. So where do they come from?"

Suzume bit his lower lip, hesitation clear on his face. After a few seconds, he let his shoulders slump, and he spoke.

"… Look, normally we wouldn't let just anyone in one the details of the operations, but seeing as Netsukage-sama trusts you, I may as well tell you what I know, which is next to nothing."

"Gee fucking whiz. Thanks a lot. Whatever would I have done without that information?"

Suzume paused and let out a slight chuckle, before continuing.

"Almost all of us know next to nothing, okay? It's easier that way. We know how the Daimyō operates. Usually when a squadron or a shinobi is captured he'd personally interrogate them. He likes to think of himself as a 'well-learned interrogator'. And when he can't crack them, he calls in for help. But, he doesn't tolerate torture."

Tayuya rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Stop the press, this just in. The Daimyō isn't a total shitbird after all."

"Just a minor shitbird. A baby shitbird. Anyway, it's better that we don't know anything. That way, when his interrogations fail, we'll be shipped off to holding cells or containment without being hurt or pressured. It's to protect us too. Because the moment his Royal Guards detect that we're hiding something, they'll take matters into their own hands. So right now, all any of us officers really know is that Netsukage-sama has contacts that are willing to back our cause. The specifics are need-to-know, and the likes of us do not need to know."

Tayuya leaned back at looked up at the cavern ceiling.

"Well, that's good for now at least."

"Mm. But, we both know what's really bothering you, don't we?"

Tayuya shot him a vicious glare – one that was enough to send chills down his spine, before letting out a heavy sigh.

"… It's your sister isn't it?"

There was a short moment of silence that ensued, and then suddenly, Tayuya clicked her tongue and spoke in a flustered and frustrated tone.

"She won't listen. She's always been too damn stubborn for her own good. I'm trying to protect her and all she sees is me 'treating her like a child'. It's ridiculous how she can't even comprehend that she could die. I've been out there! In the battlefield, if you aren't prepared or if you haven't trained for years on end, drilling your lessons into your very muscle memory, you're as good as dead. And she just doesn't understand that. All she wants to think of is the 'good' that she'll be doing by going out there and fighting but what fucking good will come out of it if she dies?!"

Tayuya ran a frustrated hand through her hair, glaring daggers at the empty space in front of her. Meanwhile, Suzume, who was at first shocked by the sudden outburst of emotion, could not help but smile at Tayuya. When the girl noticed it though, she raised an eyebrow in protest, and spoke.

"And what the fuck are you laughing at huh?! You think this is fucking funny you dickbag? You're the reason she has to go out there in the first place!"

"N-No, I'm not smiling because I think it's funny. I just… You came off as a reserved and uncaring individual. N-Not uncaring in a bad way… just in a way that seems like you have the uncanny ability to let that which does not matter, truly slide. It's… surprising to see this side of you. You… you really care about her huh?"

A pensive expression dawned on her face, as if she were trying to comprehend how anyone could even dare to state something so obvious.

"Of course I do. She's my sister; my family."

Suzume smiled warmly at her; to see such a soft and gentle side of Tayuya was something he hadn't expected. Unfortunately for him, the red haired girl noticed the expression on his face, and shot him an icy glare.

"The fuck you lookin' at, asshat?"

The sheer hostility leaking from the girl was enough to make Suzume back away slightly.

"A-Ah, nothing! I-It's just… I feel like I really get where you're coming from."

"Hmph. I doubt it."

"N-No, it's true! It's… I'm a bit ashamed of saying it out loud, but… it's been some time since I was last out and about in the field too. D-Don't get me wrong! When I was out there, I was one of the best, so rest assured that your sister is in good hands. It's just… N-Netsukage-sama doesn't really like sending me out. He tends to keep me on a short leash."

"Why is that? What, are you his boy toy or something?"

"Of course not, geez..."

A short silence ensued, and Suzume stared out towards the cave wall on the far side of the cavern.

"… But I am his son."

Tayuya's eyebrows jumped up in surprise at what she had just heard.

"Wait, what the fuck did you just say?"

"Netsukage-sama. He's my father. Well… kind of."

"The fuck do you mean 'kind of'?"

"I-It's a long story, but to sum it up, I was a survivor of a raid. My parents were shinobi, and they along with the other shinobi tried to smuggle the children out of the Village when tensions were rising between the Pro-Shinobi protestors and the Anti-Shinobi party. Netsukage-sama saw me, took me in, and taught me everything I knew. He raised me as a father would raise his son, and don't get me wrong I'm thankful for it, but like a father, he worries too much about me at times. I understand why, but still… there are times when I feel like I'm not doing enough for the people here because he feels like he still needs to protect me. Maybe because he still thinks I'm the same little kid he saw back then. I don't know. I know he's just doing it to protect me, because we're family…"

Suzume shot the girl a glance that made her feel warm yet at the same time uncomfortable.

"… But sometime or another, we have to learn to let our trust outweigh our need to protect the people we care about."

A pensive expression dawned over her as she mulled over the boy's words. Then, after a short moment of silence, she stood up.

"… You better keep her fucking safe. I'm headed back to get my gear ready."

"A-Ah, I'll go with you."

Suzume hastily stood and followed a few paces behind Tayuya, watching her fiery red hair and her lithe figure swaying as she moved, leading his way through the dark tunnels. Then, from out of nowhere, he heard her voice speak in a light tone, yet hushed tone.

"… Thanks, asshat."

His lips curved into a smile.

"Anytime."

---

"… You've got to be fucking kidding me."

The wind was blowing hard against his face and causing the dust and the falling leaves to dance in the air.

"So Ero-sennin! What do you think?"

A few meters away stood Naruto, holding a small and compressed Rasengan in his palms. The sheer rotational force of the ball of chakra was enough to cause the slight windstorm around them. He held the ball of chakra for a few more seconds, before finally releasing it and allowing the rotation to slow down and the chakra to dissipate. Then, he turned to his mentor, who was sitting in the shade under a tree, slack jawed.

"So? How was that? I know I still need to work on my control. I almost lost it a time or two there. Actually, it seems like it'd be easier to make it bigger. What's difficult is making it smaller. How small do you think it can get? I mean, imagine the destructive force behind it if it were possible to condense and compress it into the size of a grape, sensei."

Jiraiya silently stared at the boy.

"And you said the Yondaime Hokage was thinking of using it with an elemental affinity right? Is any element okay? What kind of effects will the elements have on it? And most importantly, how do you manage to create it with just one hand? I-I mean I've tried to make it with one hand but the rotation is hard to manage, and it seems weaker."

Jiraiya looked up to the sky and closed his eyes.

"Also sensei, is it possible to make it spin faster? Fast enough so that it can demolish a wall, without exploding? Would it be possible to create a Rasengan that can drill through things? I mean, I know it'd be difficult to control it with all that rotational power, but if I manage to make something with that much penetrative power that I could use a Rasengan to break through even the hardest armor."

Jiraiya stood up, walked over to the boy, and gently placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Sensei?"

"This… is bullshit."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man, before responding.

"W-What?"

Suddenly, Jiraiya marched back to his spot under the tree and quickly sat down, crossing his arms as he did so. After a few seconds, he yelled out.

"Gaaaah! This is bullshit!"

Jiraiya then laid down on the ground, looking like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what was happening.

"What is going on? Did I do something wrong?"

Once again, Jiraiya sat up and pointed a finger at the boy.

"This is absolute bullshit! It took the Fourth Hokage years to create that jutsu! Then it took me months to freaking learn it! And when Naruto learned it in several days, yeah sure, I was impressed. But you… you learned it in just two days! This is absolute bullshit."

He crossed his arms again and pouted, much like a child would. Naruto, while he felt bad for deceiving his sensei and his godfather, felt glad. This was something the blonde boy thought he would never get the chance to experience again: reliving the old days with Jiraiya, only this time, he wasn't just his mentor. He was his family. Naruto walked to Jiraiya and sat down in front of him.

"Well hey; you were the one who gave me a deadline. I just worked really hard for it. It is an awesome jutsu after all."

Jiraiya's expression softened for a while, but after a second or two, he resumed his tantrum.

"Even so. Two goddamn days? What the hell are you?"

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at his sensei. After he managed to recompose himself though, an idea came to him. His lips formed into a wide grin; a grin which caught Jiraiya's attention.

"… What the heck are you smiling at?"

"Stay there. Don't move."

Without another word, Naruto stood up and ran into the forest. He concentrated his chakra onto the soles of his feet and released it just as he jumped up, onto the branches. Jumping from tree to tree, he raced towards the town. When he got to the town gates, he saw a small crowd blocking the entrance.

"Damn… Must be more refugees from the incident at Yugakure."

"According to that fox you sent, the Daimyō locked that place down. Can't help thinking that maybe, these people are the lucky ones."

"How come? They were forced to leave their homes…"

"Yes, they were… but can you imagine what's happening to the people being forced to stay?"

Naruto stared at the crowd for a while, before leaping up to the top of the wall and onto the roofs. He jumped from roof to roof until he reached the town square, where he saw exactly what he was looking for. The moment he jumped down to the ground though, he felt something bump him from behind. Worried that he might have inconvenienced someone, he turned around and spoke.

"A-Ah, I'm sorry for—"

As soon as he did so though, he was face to face with Fū. He could feel her warm breath on his lips, causing his face and chest to heat up intensely. The two of them remained stock-still, too surprised by the sudden turn of events to actually move. Suddenly, a voiceshook them out of their shocked trance.

"Naruto-kun, it's not nice to tease a woman too much. If you're going to kiss her, kiss her." said Yugito.

Suddenly, Fū's face turned beet red, and she pushed Naruto away.

"A-Ah Naruto-kun! What were you thinking just turning up out of nowhere?!"

"I-I was g-going to— a-and then I-I was going to buy t-the thing and then d-do the other thing and… Popsicle."

"Nice. Real smooth kid."

"S-Shut up furball!"

Without another word, Naruto dashed away, leaving the rest of the jinchūriki wondering what just happened. Suddenly, Killer B busted out a whack verse.

"Yo, that was weird, like a beard, on a lady, or a pie, that ain't ready, but you ate it anyway, hey hey~"

Utakata, while donning a smirk on his face, took a drag on his pipe, and spoke.

"You okay there little ladybug?"

Fū fiddled with the hem of her shirt, before responding in a shaky voice.

"A-Ah yeah I-I'm fine. Just a little r-rattled is all…"

"As you should be. You almost had your first kiss." said Han, as he casually stuffed a dango in his mouth.

"Rōshi-san! They're picking on me again!"

"Now, now. Shouldn't we all be focusing on training, rather than teasing little Fū? B, you said something about enhancing our connection with our Bijū?"

"That's right yo~ To bond with your Bijū you gotta get with the flow~"

Rōshi stared at Killer B, trying his hardest to understand what he just said. After a few seconds though, he gave up entirely, and spoke.

"… Well whatever it is we're doing, I doubt we'll be able to do it here. We should proceed to the clearing in the forest."

B gave them a firm nod, before leading the way. The group navigated through the crowd of people and refugees that populated the streets of Shimogakure, when they arrived at the outskirts of the village, they headed North and took to the trees. The clearing that they were headed to was remote; they had decided that if they were to try to control their Bijū, it would be best to do so away from populated areas. It took around half an hour to get there from the village, but at least there would be no casualties if their Bijū were set loose. Once they arrived at the clearing, Killer B began hopping in place, and spoke.

"Yo, here we go~ Time to teach them right Yugito~?"

Amused by Killer B's enthusiasm, Yugito couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle, before turning to the others.

"Alright. Now that we've all managed to establish a connection with our Bijū through training, it's time to enhance that connection. See, when you are connected to your Bijū, you not only have access to their chakra, some of their… abilities, are also transferred onto you. Think of it as a… controlled transformation. When the link between you and your Bijū is strong enough, you can make use of their abilities without having to actually 'awaken', and by 'awaken' I mean transform into them."

After hearing this explanation, Han chimed in.

"… So you're telling me we have to be on good terms with our Bijū? Because mine is a jackass."

"Watch your mouth, you cretin."

"Hmph. Did I offend you, jackass?"

"If I'm a jackass, then what does that make you?"

"Ha. You're asking me what I am. What the hell are YOU? Are you a horse? Are you a ram? Are you a fucking dolphin? No one knows what you are. YOU don't know what you are."

"I know exactly what I am: I am Kokuō, the Five-Tailed Beast. And I will use those five tails and bitch slap you so hard, that your ancestors will pray for you."

"I'll take those five tails and shove it up you're a—"

"Han!"

The sudden cry from Yugito shook him out of his stupor.

"Ah, apologies. He's being a pain in the neck again."

Yugito could only smile at the tumultuous relationship between the two.

"You don't have to be head over heels with each other like B and Gyūki, but it does help. When I first learned about it, my relationship with Matatabi still left much to be desired."

Fū hesitantly raised her hand, and spoke.

"W-What do you mean by abilities, Yugito-san? Do you… Do you mean like when I use my wings?"

"Yes, actually. The problem is, from what you've told me you can only use your wings once your emotions get out of hand and your transformation kicks in. Once you've established and enhanced your connection with your Bijū though, you'll be able to use them freely. Well, it's best if we just show you. B?"

Yugito turned to look at Killer B, who gave her a firm nod in response.

"Feast your eyes~ Be surprised~ Bakeyarō Konoyarō!"

Killer B then proceeded to face the eastern side of the field. He gathered chakra from his Bijū and, much to everyone's surprise, sprouted a large tentacle which he could fully control. Then, after having gathered the chakra in his mouth, he spewed forth a large quantity of ink.

"Yo~ It's your turn, Yugito~"

Yugito, with a smile still plastered on her face, began to establish the link with her Bijū. She closed her eyes, then, after a few seconds, she opened them once again to reveal that her eyes had become more cat-like. Before she could continue though, Utakata spoke up.

"… Is that all there is to you, kitty?"

Yugito stuck her tongue out at him, and spoke.

"I'll have you know that these let me see in the dark, even when it's pitch black. Also, this is not 'all there is' to me."

With a smirk on her face, Yugito extended her nails until they were about thirteen inches long, effectively turning them into claws. Then, she walked over to the nearest tree, raised her right hand, and slashed the tree with one finger. The tree shook, then, after a few seconds, it came down. She then retracted her claws, shot the now-stunned Utakata a glance, and winked at him.

"So the kitty's got claws. Color me impressed."

"Oh I assure you, this kitty's got more than just claws."

"Well I'm sure you'll show me as much."

"Hmm… You wish you were that lucky."

"Ahem."

Both Utakata and Yugito turned to the source of the abrupt cough, only to find Rōshi shooting them a suggestive look. Deciding to get back to the main topic at hand, Yugito cleared her throat, and turned to the others.

"I-In any case. Fū, Han, Rōshi? You should have an easier time establishing the connection after the adjustments Naruto-kun made to your seals this morning. Granted, he did say he couldn't make any major adjustment without compromising the overall stability of the seal itself, it should be of some help."

All three of them nodded at the blonde haired woman, before settling into a comfortable position.

---

Meanwhile, in the forests South of Shimogakure, Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh as he sat on the forest floor, arms crossed.

"… Where the hell did that kid go…?"

While it had only been ten minutes since the boy ran off to Kami knows where, Jiraiya had already begun to become impatient. Coming to the conclusion that he might very well be waiting for a while longer, Jiraiya analyzed his surroundings carefully. When he was absolutely sure that he was alone, he slyly took out a flask that he had concealed under his sash.

"Ah, good day to you old friend."

He hastily uncorked the flask and took a swig of its contents. As the alcohol made its way down his throat, he felt a wave of heat flood his chest and rise up into his throat.

"Brrrr. Bah. Ahhh… That's brisk. Shit. When did I turn into Tsunade?"

"What are you doing?"

Jiraiya's entire frame jumped slightly in surprise, causing the flask to slip out of his hands and spill its contents all over the forest floor.

"N-No!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his mentor, and dropped down from the branch he had been standing on.

"Is that… booze? Damn, you really are an old man."

"That wasn't just booze kid! That was Otsu-rui Shōchū made from sweet potato! The finest money can buy too! I had to make use of my spy network in order to track down a bottle dammit."

"Using a spy network so extensive that it can gather vast amounts of information on anything within the Elemental Nations, to find a bottle of booze; yeah, I'll be sure to make better use of it."

Jiraiya smirked at the boy's confidence.

"And what makes you think you're going to get your hands on my network?"

"Because you're a few years short of going completely senile and if you don't pass it on now, next thing you know you'll be using it to find out what day it is or where you last left your cane."

Jiraiya scowled at the boy before playfully slapping him on the back of the head.

"Have I ever told you you're a lippy little smart-ass?"

"Yeah, and I take it as a compliment each time."

Jiraiya couldn't help but snigger at the boy's confidence as he collected his flask.

"Well, I'll have you know that The Great and Noble Toad Sage Jiraiya is always in his prime. Always. Anyway, where the hell did you run off to?"

Naruto grinned widely at his mentor before pulling something out of his pocket.

"I just thought that since it's a hot day and all…"

The paper wrapper came off with a single tug, revealing a light blue Popsicle underneath it. With a smile on his face, Naruto split the Popsicle in half vertically, and handed one of the halves to Jiraiya.

"Here."

For a few seconds, Jiraiya could only stare at the treat in front of him. A wave of nostalgia flooded through him as he recalled the significance of this one, simple gesture.

"Well?" asked Naruto, slightly tilting his head to one side as he did so. "Come one Ero-senin, it's going to melt."

Warmth flooded the old man's chest yet again.

"You know kid," said Jiraiya, as he took the treat. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

---

"Hum~ de dum~ da dum de dum da dum~"

The soft pitter patter of approaching footsteps echoed loudly within the dark and dank hallways of the Akatsuki headquarters.

"De dum de dum da dum~ hum~ da dum~ da dum dum dum…"

"You wanted to see me?"

Tobi's lips formed into a wide grin as he leaned on a table, back turned to his guest.

"Ah, Kakuzu. Yes, I did. In fact, I hear you wanted to see me as well."

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly at Tobi; while he was now aware that it was in fact this very man before him who pulled the strings in Akatsuki, he himself had yet to be sure of the man's capability. This, however, was his chance to ask the questions he had needed to ask.

"… Yes. My mission to Yugakure…"

Tobi quickly turned to face Kakuzu, tilted his head, and sat on the table. In that moment, Kakuzu had a feeling that his questions had been expected.

"Aaaand what about it?"

"Was it your command I was following, or his?"

"… By 'his' I'm assuming you mean Pain?"

"Naturally."

"Well, his orders ultimately come from me. Chain of command, and all that. You know?"

The playful tone in Tobi's voice, for some reason, bothered Kakuzu slightly. While he had gotten used to working beside the psychotic and the mentally unhinged, he could not help but regard Tobi as an animal of a much more lethal nature.

"… Then how did you know?"

Tobi's lips cracked into a smirk beneath his mask.

"… I'm afraid I don't quite follow Kakuzu."

"Don't toy with me. You knew. You knew all along, from the moment you sent Hidan and I to destabilize the economy of Yugakure. My question is how…"

Excitement began to slowly rise within Tobi.

"… How did you know that the Daimyō would assume it was the Insurgency's doing…? How did you know that he would retaliate? How did you know that it would spark the civil war…?"

Tobi then stood up and began walking to the other side of the room.

"Hmm… I don't know who you think I am or what I'm capable of, Kakuzu, but how could I – how could anyone possibly know that that would happen…? Wouldn't something like that be called… coincidence?"

"… True, but do I really strike you as the type of man who would be content with such an explanation?"

"Hmmm… That's true."

Suddenly, Tobi turned around to face Kakuzu.

"Tell me: How do you start a fire?"

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow at the man.

"… What?"

"How do you start a fire?"

"What does that have to do with—"

"See I'm planning to go camping next week and I wasn't completely sure how one should go about starting a fire."

There was a short moment of silence that ensued between the two of them. Then, it was disrupted by a low whisper of a sound, which gradually grew.

"… Hahh…. Ahaha… Ahahahaha! Ahahaha ehehehe! Aha aha ohohohohoh! Ohoho… The look on your face… Answer me. Hmm? How does one start a fire, hmm? First we… first we start with some kindling of course, yeah? Some dry wood? Brushwood? Something flammable. Then we create some heat, yeah? Some sparks? How do we do that hmm?"

"… By rubbing two sticks together—"

"By RUBBING TWO STICKS TOGETHER. Exactly. Friction. Then… then when you have a small flame, what do we do? We nourish it, yeah? Feed it?"

Kakuzu watched as Tobi began to taking slow, stalking steps towards him. For some reason that he could not fathom at the moment, he felt an immense pressure bearing down on him, forcing the air out of his lungs. There was an undeniable air of intimidation about the man before him, and at that moment, he began to wonder how he had failed to see it before. Then, when he was but a few steps away, Tobi stopped.

"… Yugakure was well on its way to catching fire. All I did was throw in some dry grass to hasten the process."

"… For what purpose?"

Tobi tilted his head, as if the answer to the question was obvious, and spoke in a deep, intimidating voice.

"Yugakure is without a doubt an economic juggernaut. It provides trade opportunities to all Five Great Shinobi Countries. Perhaps I wanted to put a dent in their resources. Perhaps I wanted to give them all one more thing to worry about. And perhaps I wanted to give them something to watch as I prepare our next moves. OR. Maybe I just wanted to turn the entire country into a warzone, in order to create a blockade between Kumo and the rest of the Nations. Maybe trapping Kumo is my 'game'…"

There was yet another pause. Then suddenly, Kakuzu felt Tobi's entire aura change.

"… Or maybe I just had nothing better to do, eh?"

"Kh…"

Kakuzu could not help but feel uneasy around the man he now called 'leader'. It did not help at all that Tobi's behavior, as Kakuzu perceived it, seemed to take a complete 180 degree turn; the kind that happens so quickly and so clearly, that you would swear it was the work of two minds splitting one body.

"Right then~ Down to business then, shall we? I want you to take that partner of yours to Ishi, and start breaking all sorts of rules, yeah? Really rattle some cages. There's a… there's a small town there, yeah? Just near the border of Ishi and Suna? It's sort of like a little outpost for Suna merchants and caravans travelling north to Iwa and Taki. Torch it. And uh, make sure you do it at night. That way everyone gets to enjoy our little show, m'kay?"

Never losing the playful tone in his voice, Tobi then sat on the table and started swinging his legs.

"Oh! There's this monastery too. Smack dab in the middle of Ishi. Bunch of bald headed monks. There should be a plenty of women and children there too. Tell Hidan-san, he can have a little fun there. That's his kind of thing right? Torture the infidels; kill the heretics and all that? Tell him that he has free rein; he can let his inner drama queen loose, as long as by the end of it… no one will want to go near Ishi."

While he was unsure of the purpose behind his mission, Kakuzu nodded and replied.

"Is there anything else we must do?"

"Well while Hidan handles all that nasty business, I thought you could perhaps find a few… unsavory fellows, in the area. Looters, robbers, raiders, you know, the works. I need you to… persuade them, into taking a more… active, role. Try to embolden their operations."

"… And may I ask why?"

Tobi slapped his knee and pointed a finger at Kakuzu.

"You absolutely can! Otherwise, what would be the point right? If no one asks why, then there IS no point! Well! The point is, I hear whispers saying that Konoha has been experiencing some economic turmoil. Now, I'm sure I don't have to explain the logic to you, but for the sake of a thorough explanation, I will. The Southern continents are out of the picture. No trade from them, whatsoever. Konoha does little trading with Kusa, Taki, and Kiri. Their trades with Wave won't be enough to support them. We control the Land of Tea, so they can forget about that. And lastly, we just turned Yu into a warzone. They'll be looking to the east for trade. Suna will probably accept. Problem is, a little bird tells me there's a drug cartel that's taken hold of Tani. Hmm. The caravans will find it very difficult to get through that. That doesn't bother Suna very much though now does it? No, because they still have their trade deals with Ishi and Iwa. So. I decided, why not cut them off at both corners? Our… plans are already in motion… the pieces are already in place. However, we cannot make the next move just yet. Until we can though, we keep our enemies weak. Starve them. Feed them juuuuuuust enough to keep them from suspecting a thing."

Kakuzu could not help but smile as he nodded in affirmation, before walking away. As he retreated in the dark hallway once more, he could not help but marvel at the brilliance in that man's twistedness. His madness truly was a thing to be feared.

---

"You sure about this, Naruto?"

Yugito gently placed her hand on the boy's shoulders as she spoke.

"… Yeah. It's not like we could stay here forever. With all that's happening, it's best we move as fast as we can."

"I know, but we could at least spare a few days right? I mean…"

"It's fine, kitty."

Yugito turned her attention to Utakata, who was standing a few feet away smoking his pipe.

"What do you mean it's fine? Of course it's not fine! We don't know what's going to happen in the next few months. He ought to spend more time with—"

"He's made his decision. The least we can do is trust him."

Yugito mulled over his Utakata's words for a few seconds, before hesitantly turning to Naruto, and nodding.

"… Okay."

By the time their conversation had finished, the three of them had already reached the northern exit of the Village. Awaiting their arrival was Fū, Rōshi, Killer B, and Han.

"Hey," said Fū in a worried tone. "Are we really leaving so soon?"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, and aptly replied.

"We have to. We can't afford any more delays, and if what Killer B and Yugito are saying is true, then it won't be long before Kumo sends its shinobi to look for the two of them. We need to get there before that happens if we want to be able to get the Raikage to listen."

Han then took the opportunity to chime in.

"And what about Jiraiya?"

Hesitation and doubt flashed across the blonde boy's face, if only for a moment. Upon seeing this, Rōshi uncrossed his arms and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"… You sure about this, son? We leave now, and there might not be any turning back. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Naruto let out a heavy sigh, and spoke.

"… It doesn't matter what I want. What matters is what I have to do."

"… And you'll talk to him, won't you? Before we leave?"

"I already told him to meet me here two days ago. He should be here in a few minutes. I'll catch up to all of you when it's done."

"Alright. Well, we'll… leave you to it then."

Rōshi nodded to the others, effectively telling them that it was time to head out. A few minutes after they left, Naruto heard footsteps coming from behind him.

"Well shit kid, here I thought you'd take off without even a word. Don't tell me you're having second thoughts?"

Naruto smiled and turned to face his sensei.

"Nah. I just realized you'd throw a huge temper tantrum if I did that, so I figured I may as well say goodbye. And also, I… needed to talk to you."

"Well that's good, because I needed to talk to you too. Here."

Before Naruto could get a word in, Jiraiya tossed him a scroll.

"W-What's this?"

"Think of it as a farewell present, and a graduation gift. I've got nothing more to teach ya kid. So that there is a Toad Summoning Scroll. You're my student, so it's up to you now to pass on my teachings – my philosophy and way of life, ya hear?! One day you'll have your own student, and when you do, you be sure to pass that on to him or her. Keep my legacy alive."

Naruto stared at the scroll for a few seconds, before tightening his grip on it. For some reason or another, his hands began to shake. Heat began to flood into his chest and his eyes began to sting.

"… H-Hai, sensei… O-Oi, Ero-sennin…"

"Eh? What is it kiddo?"

"… There's… there's something I have to tell you…"

His heart began to race; this was the moment of truth.

"… I'm going back to Konoha."

The sudden revelation managed to shake Naruto and quell his emotions.

"W-What…? But… I thought you couldn't stand the place?"

"I can't, but let's face it, after all you've told me? Someone's got to get back there and set the record straight. Don't worry; I'll make sure to clear your name, as well as the Orange Spark's and Itachi Uchiha's. I'll do whatever I can to help. Besides, you can't deny that things will go much smoother for you if you have me on your side."

"B-But… you don't have to—"

"I'd be a pretty shitty sensei if I just let my student start a war on his own, wouldn't I? Besides… Sometimes, to do what's right, we have to be firm - steady. Even… even if it means doing the things we don't want to do… or giving up the things we want the most. Consider that as a lesson from your sensei!"

Jiraiya gave him a 'thumbs up' and shot him a wide grin.

"Oh shit, I almost forgot!"

After briefly rummaging through his pack, Jiraiya took out a small book, and handed it to the blonde boy.

"… Something tells me you'll need this more than I will."

Naruto stared at the object for a short while. it was a small brown book, about an inch and a half thick. On the front of it, it read…

"Tales of a Gutsy Ninja…?"

"Well go on! Take it, before I change my mind."

Naruto took the booklet in his free hand, and stared at it for a few more seconds. The spine was a bit worn; perhaps Jiraiya read it often…?

"You know kid…"

Naruto glanced at his sensei; for some reason, Jiraiya had a serious yet somber look on his face.

"… I think you might be just what this world needs. There's… something about you; something that makes the people around you want to… walk with you. It makes them want to support you and fight beside you. And it's… It's really something else."

Naruto bit his lower lip, and replied.

"Ero-sennin…"

"Yeah kid?"

He hung his head in shame; he didn't know why it had taken him so long to actually say it.

"T-The… there's something you should know…"

His breath was starting to falter.

"T-The truth… the t-truth is… I…"

His shaking hand went up to the scarf that covered half his face. But, just a he was about to pull the length of cloth off, Jiraiya spoke.

"You know, Naruto…"

His entire frame tensed up. He felt his knees shake and all strength momentarily leave his body. He could hear his very heart pounding. With tears threatening to fall from his eyes, he looked at Jiraiya, who still wore a mask of sadness over his countenance.

"… Naruto, my pupil before you…? You know, sometimes I dream that… that somehow, he's still out there. Somehow, he's still alive and making his way through the Elemental Nations… or perhaps through some unknown land. Somehow… he's out there, making a name for himself. Tearing through the land without a care in the world…"

A tear rolled down Naruto's cheek.

"… Sometimes, I'd dream that one day, he'd come see me again… he'd come see me and he'd tell me 'Hey, Ero-sennin… I know I've been gone a while but… This is what I've been up to… This is how strong I've gotten… This is the man I am now…"

Jiraiya's hands and lips began to quiver, and he feared his voice might soon falter.

"A-And then I'd say… I'd tell him…"

He flashed Naruto the widest grin he could muster.

"I'm proud of you, kid."

The blonde boy's gaze dropped to the floor.

"E-Ero-sennin… sensei… The truth is, I…"

Suddenly, he felt a strong hand grab the back of his head, and pull him into an embrace. And just like that, Naruto broke into sobs.

"I-I…! I-I'm really g-grateful! I-I'm really grateful that you t-took me a-as your student!"

Jiraiya smiled warmly as his pupil sobbed into his shoulder, and replied.

"Thankful… You kidding me Tatsu? The master always learns more from his students, than they ever do from him…"

The two of them embraced each other, as if they were a father and son reunited at long last. Then, after a few moments, Jiraiya broke away, and looked into Naruto's eyes.

"Listen to me kid… I believe in you. So go. Give 'em hell."

Naruto smiled widely beneath his scarf, wiped his tears away, and nodded firmly before turning around and rushing off towards the forest; towards his new adventure. Before he could jump up onto the branches though, Jiraiya called out.

"Oi, kid!"

Naruto turned to his mentor – his godfather.

"Yeah?"

"You better get strong, ya hear me? Because one of these days, we're going to fight!"

Naruto grinned, and replied.

"I hear ya, old man!"

And with that, he took off, leaving behind a grinning Jiraiya.

"Hah…"

A slow, cool breeze blew by. Suddenly, a drop of water fell onto the earthen floor.

"Ah, shit it's raining…"

Another drop fell, then another.

"… I better get going…"

His face felt wet.

"… Maybe in a while."

Jiraiya stared into the forest where his pupil had run off into. Tears poured forth relentlessly from his eyes, and he wore an expression of unmistakable sadness, with just a touch of joy.

"Gh…!"

Without meaning to, he broke into a fit of sobs. And as he stood there, wiping his tears off with his sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably, he could only say one thing.

"Kh… Damn gaki…! You've gotten taller…"

And as Naruto leapt from branch to branch, gripping his sensei's book in his right hand, he could only think one, simple thought.

… One day I'll come back. One day, when this is all over and when I've proven to everyone that I am strong, I'll come back, and I'll ask you.

… Are you proud of me, Ero-sennin? This is the man I've become, when you weren't looking.

---

Fro yo! Time for the reviews, but before we get to that, chapter discussion! You may notice that one of the cahracters in this chapter has a strange speech pattern (focking hell). I did that on purpose. Try reading the word 'fucking' and 'focking'. For some reason, the latter just sounds more crass and vulgar, right? Sounds real scummy. That's what i wanted to do with his speech. Also, here it is. The big reveal. Make of it what you will~ I shall instead choose to discuss the other events worht noting, such as Ame opening its borders (apparently Konoha still thinks Hanzo of the Salamander runs the place) and Tobi's plans for Ishi. You shall see their repercussions in the future chapters, that much I promise. I also promise that the events in Yugakure are important as well, so take note of that. And while I know it's a bit of a hassle to like Original Characters, I'll try to make them a bit more interesting than usual. So, stay tuned for more! And please, feel free to review or to send me a PM. I always have time for you guys. And if you need help with something you're writing or if you want me to read something of yours, go on ahead and message me. Next Chapter, the group heads to Kumo to face A and his shinobi. Also, it would seem that a name on the the list has appeared and begun terrorizing the outlying villages and trade routes of Kumo. How does this all connect? What has happened to the rest of the world? What of the Konoha 11? Stay tuned to find out. - IIVII

GunnerRyuu - Here it is! Terribly sorry for the long ass wait. Hope you enjoy it, and I hope you didn't lose interest.

MaddenMobileJesus - I'm really sorry that it made you tear up, but then again, I'm kind of glad that you liked her. She was the first ever original character that I created, and I was worried people would see her as a minor part of the story when in fact, she plays a huge role.

skepsis66 - I'm glad you kept reading as well, and I am also glad that you feel that way. I really do hope it gets more reviews, but it's not like I'm in any position to demand any. I'm just glad people read my work at all, and that they like it. Thank you for your support!

Sun Asunder - I know, even I cringe when reading some of the things i wrote in the early chapters. Goes to show that how we write and think changes over time. I'm glad you really like the story, and do not worry I will finish this and give you all the ending you deserve. With regard to where the plot will go, I can't give you any definitive clues but I can say that you are very close. However, Itachi and Kisame's level and manner of involvement may surprise you.

Kurama Thunderstorm - Sorry! I really am sorry that it took so long! Like I said, I was in a bit of a rut for a long while after the manga ended. Writer's block. I hope it didn't make you lose interest though, as i plan on updating again. Also, while I'm not sure if it's allowed to translate someone else's story, I'm sure the site moderators will find it if it is indeed a verbatim copy. If not then, well, I guess i should just be glad that my story has earned it's first translation. I just hope he isn't more popular than me by now ahahahaha.

SneakyDevil - I'm glad you enjoyed my twist on Tobi as well. Don't worry. While right now it may seem like Tobi's character is just some loony guy, I will add a bit more depth into him. You'll see. Thank you for reading.

dayfox96 - I cannot tell you how much of a compliment it is to know that you guys read and reread my work. I'm sorry it took so long, but here it is, and I hope there are no hard feelings. I am very grateful for the support you guys have given me, and I wish you continue to read. Thank you friend.

heavydestro - I hope I continue to get you with more.

psycho-uchiha - Yeah Kurama was a bit of a prick in the early chapters. Not so much now though. Don't worry, we aren't even halfway through with the story, so this will really be a long one.

Guest - Yes! That was actually where i got the inspiration for that interrogation scene. I hope you keep reading, because Karin will have quite the role in the future.

omega-fanfiction - Hello to you old friend. It's been a while eh? Don't worry about your reviews being too long, I actually enjoy reading them. In any case, I hope you had fun reading the interactions between the jinchuuriki and between Naruto and Jiraiya. I hope to show more of the former i the future. And I also hope you like what I did at the end there. Now, on your comment about Konoha's reaction, that is precisely why I had Jiraiya travel back to Konoha. So that he can be the bearer of good news. And yes, you are correct. Naruto's 'stats' still aren't that amazing, but he will get better. With regard to Itachi going blind, it is possible, however, if and when it does happen, it will be for a good reason. I thank you for your support friend, and I hope you have fun reading this story! Keep on, keeping on yo.

XblackshadowX - I'm glad you find it interesting. I do try to incorporate some of those ideas into it because I feel like it adds a bit more realism that the story needs, you know? Thank you for noticing and taking the time to comment. I hope you keep reading friend.

owl - I am happy to report that the new chapter is in, and that it is emotionally heavy. While I'm glad you like how Naruto carries himself, he will take a bit of a... darker turn, and he will also learn more jutsus. To find out, you'll have to keep reading. Same goes for Tobi. His character; his true character, will be shown in the future chapters, and let me just say he does get a bit scary at times. Also, do not worry about the Kyuubi giving Naruto something special, as I will make it so that the jinchuuriki are all unique shinobi, not just because of their skill, but also because of the... enhancements given to them by their Bijuu, as discussed in this chapter. Thanks for reading friend!

DJKuhns - I hope you haven;'t given up on me yet, friend. I know it's been what, ten months since my last release? I'm sorry about that. But i am back now, and I will continue this story. That is a promise. With regard to your inkling about H, let us keep that on the down lo for now. I'm sure a lot of people have their own guesses already, but for the sake of those who want to be surprised, let's keep it our little secret. Enjoy!

SubSidium - I hope you enjoyed this chapter, friend. I'll try to update quicker since I know you guys enjoy reading it, but let's be honest here, it's not easy to punch out 40k words with writer's block. Hopefully, you'll like where I am taking this.

Random user - How is this for quantity? I know it's a bit of a hassle to wait for someone to update, and I know I'm a pain in the ass author to deal with, but I really do appreciate reviews such as yours. Please keep reading, and I hope i did not and will not disappoint you.

Sinister E - you called it, friend! He DID teach Naruto Fuuinjitsu! I'm glad you feel that way, and while I feel like I don't quite deserve such a compliment (its own anime... wow) I am thankful nonetheless. Again, I cannot say it enough. I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope you think it is worth it.

RahvinsCage - I hope this release managed to tug at your heartstrings as well! I know it took some waiting, but here it is! I hope you haven't given up on it just yet,. as I have some surprising things planned out and I think you guys might enjoy it. Again, thank you for your review and for your support. It means the world to me. Please enjoy the ride, eh? Also, Jiraiya and Naruto's bonding plus the last part... I hope I managed to win your manly tears as well.

lovleydragonfly - How is this for long? I'm glad you like reading my work, milady. And I do apologize for the long wait. I hope I didn't stay in your closet for too long. Enjoy!

shayrulz - I'm glad you appreciate the amount of work I put into making it mentally stimulating! I didn't want this to be just another run-of-the-mill story, and I hope you keep reading because I can assure you, it only gets better from here. Also, I am waiting for THAT moment too.

Cerulean Knight - While Naruto might not become a Toad Sage in this story (sorry about that) trust me, someone will. Trust me. I hope you keep reading for it.

RandomPudding - Thank you for that compliment, friend. While I feel that I don't quite deserve it, thank you nonetheless.

newbrotherhood - I know. Danzo is a dick

Oni X-Wolf - Thank you for the review. I am happy to see that I have satisfied you with theprevious chapter, and I hope you will be satisfied with this one as well.

Strife666 - You, my friend, are awesome. Thanks for the review and please keep reading!

Tango Charlie - I hope this managed to get your attention friend. While I'm sorry that it felt like a filler chapter, I'd like to assure you that it isn't. Every chapter is important. Don't worry.

angel11xpr - Hopefully the action here doesn't disappoint. Thank you for the review!

And that's all she wrote! Again, please keep reading. Thank you!