Disclaimer– "The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt it didn't matter. – Edward Albee.
The Maelstrom of Konoha-1.25
The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends
Well, here's another chapter. I had some fun writing this one even though it's not too 'actiony'. I hope you all enjoy it too and see roughly where I'm taking things. Also, Happy Super Bowl! I'm off to watch it riiiight NOW. – C.
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The glare of the sun through the blinds in the window woke Kurenai. She rolled over, trying to hide from the glare, only to find that hospital rooms were unnecessarily bright. And the stark white of the room did nothing to dim the glare of the sun.
She shut her eyes closed, willing herself to sleep, but even then she could hear the faint hum of the fan in the corner and the birds chirping outside. The noises weren't loud, but they were enough to keep her awake. Kurenai sighed and gave up the fight, resigning herself to the fact that she was wide awake now.
She tried to sit up, and immediately regretted it. Her back protested the movement with a dull throbbing pain. Then she remembered. The bandits. Her team, and then Itachi and Kisame. She tried to reach around to feel her back where Kisame had hurt her, but her body was too stiff. She couldn't move that far.
A knock at the door interrupted her efforts, and she brought the sheets up to cover herself just before the nurse walked in. As she saw Kurenai, her eyes widened and she shut the door behind her.
"Oh, I didn't actually expect to find you awake, Yuuhi-san."
Kurenai gave a faint smile in return, and watched as the nurse walked in and took her wrist. She ran through a standard check up. When the nurse finally went to look at Kurenai's back, peeling the bandages away momentarily, Kurenai couldn't help but ask.
"How bad is it?"
The nurse met her eyes, and Kurenai could see the slight look of sympathy before she looked back at Kurenai's injury.
"Well, thanks to Tsunade-sama, we managed to heal it better than we would normally have been able too. However, Tsunade-sama couldn't stay for the entire healing because Mitarashi-san was also in a critical state. We did the best we could with what we had, but there will still be some scarring. It isn't nearly as bad as it would be normally, but it is there. I'm sorry."
Kurenai nodded to herself. She had expected as much. While medical ninjutsu was capable of working wonders; keeping men and women alive long past the point that they should have died from an injury, it wasn't a miracle worker. Even she understood that the larger and more serious the injury, the less that medical ninjutsu could completely heal it.
"How long have I been out?" she asked.
The nurse fussed about while she spoke. "A few days. You were a long way off from Konoha when Jiraiya-sama's team recovered you and brought you back. If it weren't for him, you and your team would likely be dead."
Kurenai's hands clenched into fists. She was embarrassed for herself. She had allowed herself to be injured so badly and to leave her own genin team to protect her. She was supposed to protect them, not the other way around.
"Was anyone else hurt?"
The nurse nodded. "Mitarashi-san, as I mentioned. Everyone else made it back to Konoha in good health."
"How did Anko get hurt?"
"I don't have all of the details on Mitarashi-san's case, but the rumor in the hospital is that Uchiha Itachi had something to do with it."
"It's a miracle enough that we got out alive. Itachi alone is enough. With Hoshigake Kisame in the mix it was a nightmare."
"It's thanks to Jiraiya-sama and the team he selected that you all made it, I think." The nurse commented. "Do you feel much pain?" she asked. The question threw Kurenai off guard.
"What? No, I'm okay, just a little stiff. The pain isn't that bad." She answered. The nurse pursed her lips and muttered about prescribing some more painkillers. "By the way, who else was on Jiraiy-sama's team? I don't remember everything that clearly."
"Well," the nurse said, pausing for a moment. She tapped her finger on the clipboard that normally hung at the foot of Kurenai's bed. I was told that it was Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi-san, Gai-san, and Mitarashi-san."
Kurenai's eyes widened. Jiraiya had picked a formidable team. Each of them were some of the strongest jounin in Konoha. Clearly, Jiraiya had known exactly who he was going up against whne trying to find her team.
"I see. Thank you. I'll have to be sure to thank them each when I check out."
"Well, that won't be lone, Yuuhi-san," the nurse said. "You seem well enough, I don't see any reason that you won't be allowed to leave in the next day or so, or perhaps even today. You will just have to take things very easy. No strenuous training."
Kurenai nodded and thanked the nurse. She allowed her to finish her check up without distracting her again. Kurenai wasn't sure how she felt about the scars that she'd have, but she knew that was a tiny issue compared to actually having her life. She definitely owed Jiraiya. As the nurse opened the door to leave, she turned and looked back at Kurenai.
"Yuuhi-san, you do have visitors. Do you feel well enough to see them or should I send them away?"
"I'd love to see them," Kurenai answered. The nurse smiled and shut the door, promising to give Kurenai a few moments to compose herself. Kurenai quickly went about combing through her hair with her hands, trying to make sure she didn't look haggard, and then smoothed her sheets. She stopped though and smiled to herself. Here she was, in a hospital bed, trying to make herself look presentable. Might as well try to move a mountain.
There was a knock at the door, and Kurenai looked up to see the nurse poking her head in. When she saw that Kurenai was ready, the door opened fully to reveal Shino and Hinata.
Kurenai couldn't hold back the smile as the two genin walked into the room and the nurse shut the door behind them. She was about to greet them when she realized they were missing someone.
"Where's Naruto," she asked.
Shino answered first, as Hinata managed to look a little hurt. Kurenai cursed her own stupidity. She hadn't even said hello to Shino or Hinata yet and already she was asking about her blonde haired student.
"He went on a mission, Kurenai-sensei."
"Without his team?" Kurenai asked. This was interesting. "Under whose authority?"
Shino for once managed to look slightly uncomfortable. "He went with Jiraiya-sama, Kurenai-sensei. For some reason the sannin wanted Naruto specifically for a mission and told him personally to come with him."
Kurenai was at a loss for words for a moment. "I see…well, that is certainly interesting. Did Jiraiya-sama say how long the mission would be?"
"Not very long. He wasn't too specific."
"Ano-, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata interrupted, and pulled out a small bouquet of flowers. "These are for you. Please get better soon."
Kurenai flashed a wide smile at the Hyuuga girl, who gave a small, slightly shy smile in return. Despite the girl's recent efforts to grow a backbone, her old self still shined through more often than not.
"Thank you, Hinata." Kurenai turned and put the flowers on the nightstand beside her bed.
Just then there was another knock on the door, and Shino went over to open it. He peeked his head out and then wordlessly took a step back to open the door fully.
Tsunade strode in like she owned the place. Well, perhaps she did. Her eyes glanced around imperiously, taking the room and everyone in it into account.
She strode over to the foot of the bed and picked up Kurenai's clipboard, looking over it silently. She flipped the paper back to look at the nurse's notes from before, and then glanced up at Kurenai. She put the clipboard back with a small smile.
"Well, it seems you've come along nicely, Kurenai." She said. "Well enough to check out, if you wish, in my professional opinion.
Kurenai gave a small smile in return.
Tsunade glanced at Shino and Hinata. "And your team is here too. That is good to see."
"About that, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said. Tsunade turned back towards her and raised an eyebrow. "Shino has told me that Naruto-kun has gone out on a mission again already. With Jiraiya-sama. Why is that?"
Tsunade folded her arms and looked out the window. "Well, the old goat came to me with it as a special request. Jiraiya has gone on a routine mission of his. Intelligence gathering. Needless to say, Jiraiya has taken an interest in the boy. Do you have any issues with this?"
Kurenai paused for a moment. In a way, she did feel slightly hurt that Naruto wasn't here with the rest of the team. But then again it wasn't often that a sannin took an interest in you. And Naruto was ambitious. She knew that from day one. He was smarter than most people gave him credit for and had the drive and skill to use that knowledge.
As she was musing in her thoughts, Shino spoke up. "I told him to go."
Kurenai looked up at the Aburame. "What?" she asked, not understanding.
"When Jiraiya told him to go on the mission, I was there with them. I told Naruto to go."
Tsunade nodded. "Good that you did. Jiraiya would've taken him anyway regardless of Naruto's answer. Kurenai, if you have an issue with this we can talk of it later in my office. You will also have to speak with Jiraiya. I will admit that I gave Jiraiya the go ahead on this. For now however, I suggest you get out of this stuffy hospital and enjoy some fresh air. And maybe something other than hospital food.
Kurenai nodded, and Hinata gave a small smile. Her team left to give Kurenai some privacy as she dressed back into her normal attire with Tsunade's help.
"Now that they are gone, I'd like to tell you Kurenai," Tsunade said as she helped steady Kurenai. "Jiraiya will probably ask to take Naruto as his apprentice. I hope I don't have to explain to you the advantages this offers Naruto."
Kurenai nodded. "I understand, Tsunade-sama. I can't help but feel like my student is being stolen from me, though."
"Your student, or something more," Tsunade asked from behind her.
Kurenai didn't say anything. She wasn't sure of the answer herself. She didn't see Naruto in that fashion, not really. He was too young, too immature. If he were several years older then perhaps. But for now even if Naruto meant well and Anko was fully willing to tease Naruto until he was old enough, Kurenai didn't think she had it in her. It felt too much like preying on Naruto. If Kurenai were honest with the situation, she could acknowledge that Hinata was probably a much better match for Naruto if she ever grew a backbone.
Tsunade thankfully didn't press Kurenai for an answer, and instead continued with her own advice. "Apprenticing under Jiraiya would be one of the most beneficial moves for Naruto. Jiraiya has experience with training students like Naruto, and while I can't reveal all of the reasons behind this, Jiraiya actually has the full legal right to take Naruto under his wing."
That last bit surprised Kurenai. Who could take a student from their teacher like that? "As a sannin?" she asked.
"I can't say more, Kurenai. I am sorry. However, I honestly suggest that you speak with Jiraiya about this and voice any concerns you might have. Feel free to speak with me about it. I have already given you my advice on the matter however."
By then Kurenai was finished dressing, and Tsunade turned Kurenai around to face her, fussing with her hair like a mother would. After a moment she seemed satisfied and turned towards the door. "Now I suggest you and your students take the day easy. I'll keep in touch."
Tsunade strode out of the room much as she had entered it. She had an air of command about her that didn't have any room for nonsense. It was a wonder that Jiraiya and Naruto always somehow managed to press the woman's envelope.
Kurenai got up and followed after her, but by the time she had left, Tsunade was already striding down the hall, and Shizune was hurrying to catch up with her, speaking urgently about something. Probably another patient. Shino and Hinata were sitting quietly on a bench outside her door in the hallway.
The two genin stood as she left her room, and she looked down at them. Oddly enough, she was at a loss for what to do. She knew couldn't exercise too much with her injury, the nurse had said to take things easy. She could have Shino and Hinata spar, but she dismissed that and instead began to wonder what the other teams were doing. She had heard that they were getting together often to train together. Perhaps her own team could benefit.
With that thought, she headed off towards Team Asuma's training grounds. As she walked down the hall, an angry Uchiha Sasuke roughly shoved past Shino. She turned around and was about to rebuke him for being so rude, but decided that the last thing she wanted to deal with was an angry brat that would just ruin her first day out of the hospital. Shino gave her a look saying it was okay.
The three of them continued towards the training grounds in silence, and Kurenai just enjoyed the sun and the sounds of the village at work. The hustle and bustle was a welcome change from the sterile, silent hospital room.
When they reached the training grounds, Asuma was the first to notice them. He stood up quickly, ignoring the shogi board that was between him and Shikamaru, and hurried over.
"Kurenai!" he said with a huge smile. "You're out of the hospital I see!"
He quickly walked up and pulled her into a tight hug. A little too tight, and Kurenai had to pat him on the back and gently push him away. "Asuma, sorry but my back is still a little sore. Could you please?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry Kurenai. I just got caught up in the moment. I'm glad to see you're okay."
She nodded in understanding, and just then Gai leapt in between them with a giant kick. "Kurenai-san! How joyous a reunion! You're already out of the hospital! How brightly your flames of youth burn!"
She smiled at his antics, and gave him a hug, which he gently returned, perhaps having heard what she said to Asuma.
"How are you, Kurenai-san?" He asked, in a more serious voice than most were used to hearing from Gai.
"I'm feeling great, Gai. My back is still a little sore, and I don't have full mobility, but I'm well enough. I'm just happy to be able to be here," she said with a smile.
Gai flashed a huge grin at her and gave her a thumbs up. "Yosh, that is most youthful of you, Kurenai-san! Now, let us get your students in a healthy spar to start their training today!" He began to turn away.
"In a moment, Gai," she said, grabbing his arm. He paused and turned back to her. "I just wanted to say thank you, for coming for me and my team. I don't know what would have happened if you had not made it in time.
"It was not just me, Kurenai-san," Gai said. "Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Anko all made a great effort to make sure you returned home safely."
"I understand, and I'll thank them as well when I have the chance."
Gai nodded, and then turned away to get the spars set up between the genin.
"He's something else, isn't he?" Asuma asked, staying back with her as they watched Gai.
"Yes, he is. I'm glad we have him on our side."
They stayed like that for much of the day. Kurenai watched her students sparring with the various members of the other team, and each of the jounin would help the genin occasionally. Kurenai was surprised over how quickly they were all learning. When these students had first left the academy, they could barely fight. Now however, they were all showing definite promise.
Sakura and Tenten were both surprisingly good with the sword. Kurenai watched them spar with both Gekko and Yugao, his not so secret girlfriend. They managed to get a few hits on each of them. Granted, it took them working in tandem, but still, to be able to land a hit at all was impressive.
Ino, Shikamaru and Choji had all gotten very good in their formation. In team spars against team Gai they had managed to pull off several victories, despite the fact that they severely lacked speed like Lee or range like Tenten. One on one, none of them could match Neji, Lee, or Kiba in taijutsu, but Shikamaru each time managed to come up with a sound strategy to incapacitate them in some way and find a weakness to exploit.
This made her turn towards her own genin thoughtfully, and she truly had to wonder if she had made much progress with them. What had she truly taught them? It seemed that in the volatility of her own team changing members, she had never truly focused on the team and made huge improvements in their skills and team work.
The difference was very noticeable in front of the other teams. In the spars, they lost relatively quickly. Even when matched up against Kiba, the difference was astounding. Kiba had come far under Gai's tutelage.
By the end of the training, Kurenai was determined to change that. She would make sure her students were better prepared for next time. She left the training grounds with Shino and Kurenai in tow.
They hadn't got far however, when Kiba ran up to them, motioned with his hands for them to wait for him. "Hang on! Guys, Kurenai-sensei!"
Kurenai stopped and turned around, waiting for Kiba to catch up. Her wayward student paused for a moment to catch his breath. "Yes?" she asked.
He looked nervous. "Ah, well, look I just wanted to apologize again. I know I wasn't the best student."
"Thank you Kiba. I believe that I speak for all of us when I say we have forgiven you. However it will take time to return to normalcy between us." Shino and Hinata both nodded along with her words.
"I know, Kurenai-sensei. Look, I was thinking maybe we could all get something to eat? My treat? I want to try and make any amends I can."
Kurenai thought about refusing, but then realized that to do so would be quite petty on her part as the adult in this situation. Besides, clearly Kiba was making an effort. So she put a smile on and nodded.
"Of course Kiba. That is, if Shino and Hinata feel like it as well?" She glanced at both of her genin.
"I am agreeable," Shino responded.
Hinata nodded along with him. "I'd like that very much."
"Well it's settled then. Lead on, Kiba."
Kiba nodded and started to walk off, with Kurenai and her team in tow. It wasn't very long before they all found themselves at a very familiar ramen stand. Ichariaku Ramen. Kurenai couldn't help but be reminded of Naruto's absence as she sat down at the booth and the older man took their orders. He gave Kurenai a flirty, but playful, wink and then quickly went about cooking. The four of them, the original team 8, sat in relative silence as they waited.
Kiba drummed his fingers on the table nervously, and then coughed to clear his throat. "So….what've you guys been up to lately?" he asked lamely.
Surprisingly, Shino was the one who spoke first. "We just returned from our mission, as I'm sure you heard earlier."
Kiba waited, and when Shino didn't go on in detail, he gave a frustrated grimace and had to prod for more. "What was the mission about?" The old man dished them all their food, and Kiba went about sliding the bowls down the counter to each one of them as he asked. Kurenai's came first.
"We had to find and rescue a mayor's daughter who was kidnapped and ransomed by some bandits a few days from here." Kurenai elaborated. "We all managed to deal with the bandits quite well, especially considering they had some ninja with them. Unfortunately we ran into complications on our way out."
"Is that how you got hurt?" Kiba asked. He took another bowl from the old man and look at it for a moment. "Hang on, who got this ramen, Hinata, or Shino?" He waved his hand over the ramen bowl as he pointed.
Shino nodded to himself and Kiba gave a triumphant smile. "Thought so. Here you go. Enjoy."
After the small interruption Kurenai continued. "Yes, that is in fact how I got hurt. We ran into two S class missing nin, who attacked us. Had it not been for Jiraiya and several jounin that he personally selected, we wouldn't have made it back to Konoha."
They continued their meal as they all shared details of what they had been doing ever since Kiba had left the team. It was surprisingly comfortable, and Kurenai left quite happy. She hadn't expected it to be a pleasant experience. She left thinking she'd have to reevaluate her opinion of Kiba.
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Anko sat in her hospital bed, poking at her hospital mush. She hated the food here. She hated how bright it was. She eyed the tray of food lying on her lap. It was divided into little portions. The tray had sections dug out into it for food to rest in. In one pocket there was some fruit, an orange, an apple, and some grapes. They'd given her some toast with some butter to spread on it in another pocket. In another sat a cup of tea, and then finally in the center of the tray sat a bowl of oatmeal. Mush.
She sighed and tipped the tray over onto the floor, ignoring the loud crash of the tray and the clatter of the utensils. The apple bounced and then settled into a slow roll towards the door, where it stopped with a small thump.
Orochimaru. She remembered it all. How she could have possibly forgotten so much about her past struck her as even more horrible than what had actually happened to her. She had forgotten her own parents and replaced them with Orochimaru. He had raised her, that sick man, pretending to have never had any hand in Anko's orphaning.
She bowed her head as she felt tears begin to well up in her own eyes. She had loved her parents, and that bastard snake had taken them from her.
And yet she couldn't find the hate inside her for the snake that she should have had. Orochimaru had raised her, and despite everything, he had taught her much. To this day, she remained Orochimaru's only known apprentice and successor. While she often wasn't spoken of much because of Orochimaru's infamy, she was one of the strongest jounin in Konoha.
She owed a lot to Orochimaru-sama, and she wouldn't forget that. And perhaps that was what made his betrayal all the more painful. She couldn't entirely dismiss him from her mind. There had been times when he truly had been like a father to her. And she didn't know what was true and what had been pretend.
The door slammed open. Anko jumped with a start, and was woken from her own thoughts as she looked up to see Uchiha Sasuke in the doorway. He looked her over and gave a self-satisfied smirk.
"So you're awake," he said.
"Why are you here, and what do you want?" Anko asked. She wasn't in the mood for this dumb brat.
"They say you were trained by Orochimaru."
Anko hid a wince at the name. Why did that always sound like an accusation?
"So what if I was?"
"How long did you learn under him?"
Anko didn't like the sudden interview she was undergoing. What right did this brat have to barge into her damn room without knocking and just start demanding answers from her. She narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think I should answer anything? You think you can come in here and just give me an inquisition?"
Sasuke grimaced. "No. Sorry," he said gruffly. "I'm just curious."
He stayed silent, staring at Anko. She waited for more, but when it seemed he wasn't going to budge either way, she weighed her options. She was definitely not up to the challenge of forcing him out of the room. Sitting up was difficult enough. Where were the nurses? She could just tell the kid to fuck off; he might listen to that. She glanced up at the kid and saw he still hadn't moved. She sighed in resignation.
"Fine. Have it your way. I was practically raised by Orochimaru."
"Are you strong?"
"Strong enough to whip your ass like your momma, kid." She retorted. Then she remembered he was the Uchiha as he glared at her. "Ah, sorry, did I hurt your little feelings? Well, good luck getting an apology out of me after you barge in here on me like an ass."
Sasuke looked like he was about to yell at her, and Anko could have sworn his eyes flashed red for a moment, but thought better of it. He took a breath. "Teach me."
"What?"
"You heard me, teach me, please."
"Oh, so you do have some manners, eh?" Anko said teasingly. "Well, let me think about it." She put her finger up to her chin, tapping it in mock thoughtfulness. "No."
"What? Is it because of that dumb Chidori thing? Will nobody ever cut me a break after that?"
Anko snorted. "I don't give two shits about that Chidori thing. You do what you have to do to win. But I don't like you."
Sasuke glared, and this time his eyes did turn red. His Sharingan spinning with hatred. "You know they call you the snake bitch around town. A walking traitor, they say. I bet Orochimaru just threw you out when he realized you were trash—"
That was it. Anko did not have to deal with this fucking kid talking to her like this. She summoned what little strength she had at the moment, which wasn't much, and lunge out of the bed, summoning the snakes from her arm at the same time, flinging them at Sasuke.
The kid didn't have time to react. Sharingan or no, Anko had taken on plenty of Uchiha's in her lifetime. Orochimaru had made sure she was capable of that. The snakes pinned the kid up against the wall as Anko hit him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She got right in his face.
"A little brat like you shouldn't even talk about things he doesn't understand. Wanting to learn Orochimaru's techniques, and then insulting the one person who could actually teach them to you. You're a pathetic disgrace to ninja everywhere," she snarled. "You couldn't handle my training, much less be able to learn any of Orochimaru's techniques."
She mentally had one of the snakes fling Sasuke across the room, and she bent to grab the plastic knife from the ground. "I wonder if one of these can rip through the skin?" she asked aloud as she picked it up. She had one of her snakes snap at the kid as he stood up. Even as she moved, in her head another voice answered "yes, rip into him, Anko-chan."
Sasuke's eyes widened and she bolted out of the room. But Anko was frozen in place at the voice. She had imagined it. It was just her imagination. She took a moment to calm herself with a deep breath, and then she surveyed the room. It was a mess.
Anko smirked. "Still got it. Some tough kid he is, that Uchiha Sasuke. He looked like he was about to piss himself."
Just then her chakra ran out. She didn't have much to begin with, and she crumbled to floor as if she'd run a marathon. Her body was not meant to be moving like that just yet.
Suddenly, the memory of her parents' deaths came flooding back to her, and all of the following memories of her and Orochimaru-sama. One image after another bombarded her head. The snakes, devouring the bodies of her parents as a hooded figure walked closer to her. Her being beaten by Orochimar-sama later as she made mistakes in her lessons. And again, with her on the operating table, screaming as he dug into her. And then finally her abandonment as Orochimaru-sama left her with the cursed seal. She wasn't sure what it was; the mental or physical fatigue, but this time the tears came freely as she slumped against the wall with her feet laying in the oatmeal from the tray.
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"Alright, are you ready?" Jiraiya said. They were standing not far from their destination. It was a small building, an inn or a tavern it looked like. There was a sign in the front hanging with a picture of a white tiger.
"The Tiger's Den," Naruto read aloud. "Cheesy name. Do you always go to bars with such cheesy names?"
"Quiet," Jiraiya hushed. "Be serious for once. The bartender in there is an informant of mine. Now, I want you to head in there first, just a little before me. In the back the men are usually playing dice. Sit near them, join the game if you want," as he said this Jiraiya handed Naruto a small pouch with coin. "I need you to listen to the other men in the room and make note of anything they say as I come in. And especially after I go into the other room."
He looked Naruto dead in the eye and waited for the genin to nod, showing he understood. Jiraiya gave a grin. "Good. Now Specifically I want to know if anyone in the bar seems to know what is going on. If people are aware that the bartender is slipping me information then his role is compromised in my network."
"Got it. And are you sure I can't bring any weapons in? I feel weird without them."
"No. Now get in there. Remember, no ninja techniques. The more you look like a civie the better."
Jiraiya gave Naruto a light push and Naruto stumbled into an easy walk towards the building. As he got near, a man stepped outside and lit a cigarette. He leaned against the wall and gave a nod to Naruto as he walked past.
He opened the door, and had to take a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark room. Immediately the stench of stale tobacco and spilt liquor assaulted his senses. The place was mostly wooden and relatively undecorated. A few movie posters hung on the walls, some silly picture of the lightning kage visiting the place, and something about a poker tournament.
To the right as he walked through the door was the bar. It was relatively empty save for two patrons sitting there chatting with the bartender. To the left in the center of the room the ground was slightly raised, only a step up, and most of the tables sat. Men sat at a few here and there drinking, but towards the back one table in particular had a crowd, and the occasional whoop or cheer would raise as they played dice.
Further past the table with the gambling, on the opposite side of the tavern from the bar, there were booths lining the walls. All of them were empty save one, which had three men seated in it. They seemed relatively quiet, talking only occasionally.
Naruto walked casually over to the bar, only slightly apprehensive at never having ordered anything at a bar before. He had never drank, and Jiraiya really hadn't thought to give any advice on the matter. Not that Naruto had considered even needing it. The bartender nodded towards him.
"What'll it be?"
"Just a beer," Naruto said, acting nonchalant. He looked over at the other two men at the bar.
"Er, which beer?" the bartender asked.
"Huh? Oh, uh, whatever. Something light I guess." Naruto said, crusing himself at his stupidity. Smooth, he thought.
The bartender shrugged and turned to grab a glass and pour the beer, putting it down in front of Naruto. Naruto handed him some money and waited for the change before lifting his glass in cheers to the bartender and walking off towards the dice table.
The men there were all crowded around, throwing money on the table as they placed their bets. Two men took the money in and handed it to the third, who put it in a locked box. He passed out chips to symbolize the money and where the bets were placed.
"Money on six!"
"On five and nine!"
"On eight!"
Naruto watched, fascinated and confused, as he tried to figure out the rules. One man held the dice as they all placed bets on various numbers. After a moment, when the bets seemed placed, the man shook the dice vigorously and let them tumble along the table.
"Seven out," the man who was handling the money in the center called. Various groans rose as the chips were swept up and a new round of betting started. This time the bets were different, men called 'Pass' or 'Fail' and tossed their money down. The dice were rolled.
"Point: Four," the man in the center called. More bets were placed, this time numbers. The man who held the dice gave a smug smile.
"Odds on the Pas bet," he said, placing more money down. Others placed their bets.
"Six and eight!"
"Inside numbers!"
The money changed hands, and the dice were rolled again. An eight landed. Some men whooped as they collected their money. The man kept rolling more and more numbers, everything except the four, and the table got rowdier and rowdier as they won their money. Finally, a seven came up.
"Seven out," most of the table groaned again as they pit boss collected their money. The dice changed hands.
"So a seven makes you lose?" Naruto asked one man to his side.
The older guy glanced to the side, but he concentrated mainly on placing his bet.
"Ah, a newbie, eh? Yes, a seven loses for most people, except for them bastards over there," he said, jerking his head over towards a few men who had bet 'Fail'. "They win their money if a seven comes up before whatever the point is."
"What's the Point?" Naruto asked. Most of the men had placed their bets, and another round was about to roll.
"Watch," the man said. A 5 came up.
"Point, 5" the pit boss announced.
"So the goal see," the man said, using his hands for emphasis, "is to land a 5 before a seven comes up. If that happens, everyone who put money down on pass wins. If the seven comes up first, Fail wins. Until that happens, we all just bet on numbers that might come up in the meantime."
Naruto nodded. "I get it. Can I put money down now?"
"The old man shrugged. "'Spose so. Up to tha boss."
Naruto pulled out some money, and held it out to the pit boss. The old man who was helping him slapped the money out of his hand onto the table. "Just toss it down der," he said gruffly.
The pit boss nodded and handed Naruto chips, which he put down on the 6 and the 8. To his excitement, the next number rolled was an 8.
And so the rounds continued for a while, and despite his streak of good fortune, Naruto was careful to not get too caught up in the gambling and not notice his surroundings. Jiraiya had walked in, and Naruto almost did a double take. He didn't look anything like he usually did. How he had donned such a detailed disguise so quickly was beyond Naruto. The man was a good actor too. He was obviously drunk. Or, pretending to be.
Jiraiya stumbled over to the bar and order a few shots, slamming his money down on the bar. He looked like a miner. He had dirt on his face and workman's clothes on. Several tools of the trade hung on a belt loop.
"Where's the women at?" he slurred.
The bartender leaned over the bar, concern in his eyes. He put the rag he was using to dry glasses down, and scooped up the money as he did so. Naruto glanced around. Most people didn't seem to be paying any attention to Jiraiya and the bartender.
"You must've gotten kicked out of the Whiskey Barrel," the bartender muttered, referring to another tavern not far from this one. "Well, come on, you're not going to get served here, and I'm not going to have you puking on my bar. Up with you." The bartender motioned for Jiraiya to get up, and the older man swatted the bartender's hands away from him.
"Drink," he said, his eyes lidded. "My woman left me. I need a drink. And someone else, just for tonight."
The bartender made a calming gesture with his hands. "Hush, why don't we step in the other room and you can tell me all about it over that drink?"
Jiraiya pretended to perk up at this, and let the older man help him stumble into the back room.
Naruto turned away from the seen, shaking his head to himself. The betting hadn't paused in all that time. Surprisingly Naruto was one of the few who really took notice of Jiraiya's entrance, except for the three men in the booth. All of them were turned towards the back door, leaning in close over the table and talking. One of them shifted in his seat and Naruto caught the distinct glimmer of metal. A blade.
Each of them, in one motion, stood up and began to move towards the back door. One of them moved to the entrance and leaned nonchalantly near the door. He was acting as a guard. Naruto turned back to the table. His bets were still down on the table, but now was when he should be moving. He didn't have many options. If he just left the game suddenly it'd be obvious that he was leaving his money.
Jiraiya hadn't mentioned the possibility of a fight, only that other people might be aware of his network. He had to get word to Jiraiya somehow. He couldn't let Jiraiya walk into an ambush, and this was clearly what it was. And he definitely couldn't let the men get away either Naruto took a sip from his beer, hiding his disgust at the taste. He much preferred the taste of sake. That's when his idea struck him, and he tripped into the man next to him, spilling his beer onto him. He dropped the glass purposely, letting it shatter and spread on the floor. The game halted, and everyone immediately began looking at the floor to see the broken glass.
"What the hell? The man said angrily. "Watch where you're walking, boy!"
Naruto pretended to stutter an apology. "So-Sorry sir. Let me go get some towels to dry that up for you." He went down and scooped up some glass shards as he spoke and pocketed them.
Naruto left the spluttering man quickly and the confusion over the broken glass. He walked over to the bar, keeping an eye on the man near the entrance and the two near the back door. Wait, one near the backdoor. Where had the third gone?
He drop the glass into the trash bin behind the bar and grabbed a rag. While his hands were hidden, he drew on the Kyuubi's chakra in a flash and quickly cast a genjutsu over the men that had been sitting the booth. With that, hopefully they'd lose the ability to sense his and the Kyuubi's chakra. If they sensed anything in that moment, they'd think it had been their imagination. He strained the stretch it and make sure he got the rest of the bar too. For them had made them stuck in a loop, with all of them winning their bets. Huge bets. Nothing was more distracting to men like them than winning money. In a second motion he made a seal for a kage bunshin that appeared behind the bar, and he kawarimied with it.
Naruto now had a view of the back door from behind the bar, and he crawled forward to get closer. The men at the booth hadn't moved. He let out a relieved breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It seemed his little stunt had worked. He looked up at his kage bunshin, now standing where he had been on the other side of the bar. It winked at him and moved to walk back over to the dice table with rag in hand to wipe up the spilled beer and pick up the broken glass.
Naruto dipped his own hand into the trash bin and dug out the glass shards he had dropped in there before, arming himself. Now all he had to do was wait and find out where that third man had went. Had he gone into the back room as well?
He didn't have that luxury however as just then the door opened, and the bartender left. He looked at the man to his right guarding the door and the man near the entrance and nodded to them, ducking out of the way quick. He managed to yell a quick "I'm sorry!" as he did so.
Naruto watched as they both began to draw weapons. Luckily, he had been ready first. He didn't have to look to know that his Kage bunshin had already gathered shards of glass as his own weapon, and Naruto was dimly aware of the man's neck near the door blooming deep crimson as the glass cut down into his jugular. He slumped to the floor.
The man near the door to the back room gave a start as the man near the entrance died, and turned towards the dice table, only for Naruto to stand from behind the bar and pelt him in the back with glass, aimning for the kidneys. The man fell over clutching his back in pain, and Naruto's Kawarimi finished the job.
The sudden shock of seeing someone die, or perhaps the force of the killing intent in the room broke the men at the dice table out of their genjutsu, and they scrambled to flee, some grabbing money as they went. Chips fell to the floor, and the men tumbled over one another in panic.
Naruto's kage bunshin fell and got trampled, dispelling, and Naruto turned to walk towards the bartender, forgetting for a moment that there had been a third man to look out for. Naruto took a sudden blow to the back from the man as he appeared from seemingly nowhere. He was fast. Naruto was out of glass to use, and the man had a small tanto poised to stab him in the chest. Naruto raised his hands, trying to mold his chakra fast enough for a jutsu.
By then, Jiraiya had exited the room in the back. The sudden commotion had put him on guard. He saw the man standing over Naruto, and kawarimied with him. If the man with the tanto was surprised at all, he didn't show it as he struck at Jiraiya, who lazily dodged it and smacked the blade out of the man's hand, and brought his elbow around into the man's temple. He crumpled to the floor unconscious.
Jiraiya surveyed the room, looking for anymore attackers before his eyes settled on the bartender.
"Naruto," he said, still staring at the bartender.
"Yeah?"
"Get all that money off of the table and get outside. Yell if anyone's coming."
Naruto nodded, scooping up the money box and the spare change on the table, and went outside. As soon as he left, the whole building changed shape into a large frog, which henged into a building much as it had just looked. Naruto sat by a tree, watching the entrance, and began to count his earnings.
It wasn't long before Jiraiya left, the frog dispelling, and leaving the regular tavern behind. Jiraiya noded towards the money. "How much?"
"Enough to pay for a B-class mission," Naruto said. "I haven't finished counting all of it."
Jiraiya nodded. "Good enough. That'll be your payment for this mission," he said. Then he rubbed his hands together. "Although we need to make a celebratory stop on the way back to Konoha!"
"What did you do with the bartender?"
The older man waved his hand dismissively. "Just asked some questions. Didn't hurt him. In fact I need you to meet him."
"Meet him? But he just betrayed you!"
"Wasn't quite his choice. In this business it's something you have to get used to. Loyalty goes to the highest bidder, and even if you do have a rare loyal informant, other people are always putting the pressure on to take them away from you. In this case, those men forced him to turn, or so he says."
"And you're going to believe him?" Naruto asked incredulously.
"Don't have much choice. He's too valuable to me at the moment."
Jiraiya waved for Naruto to follow him back inside, where the bartender now sat, a bit more beat up and disheveled than before—it seemed Jiraiya had told a white lie when he said he didn't rough the man up—and he was swirling some liquor around in a glass.
"I swear Jiraiya, I did—"
"Alright, alright, I get it Ced."
The old man—Ced, nodded, and focused on Naruto.
"So who is the brat? Fancy work with some broken glass earlier."
Jiraiya nodded. "Damn resourceful sometimes, this kid is," he said, slapping Naruto on the back. "All you need to know is I'm taking him under my wing. For now you can call him Hoshi."
"Hoshi?" Ced asked. "I thought we were past codenames, Jiraiya."
"After this betrayal?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes narrowing. Ced gave an honest look, and Jiraiya gave in. "Alright, alright. Names Takeru."
Naruto barely managed to keep his face still at the second lie, but he knew to follow Jiraiya's lead here. He'd ask later.
"Interesting," Ced said, eyeing Naruto. "Well, nice to meet you Takeru. If you're Jiraiya's apprentice, than anything you need, you can come to me. I'll show you the ropes."
Naruto nodded, and Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Now, I know you've said they threatened you, so even if you didn't want to go along with them, it still means you're compromised, Ced. We need to relocate you."
Ced nodded. "I understand. I'll be packing up soon after I torch this place. Where do you need me?"
Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Intelligence is a bit weak from Kusa. I need you to go there and set up shop. Doesn't matter what it is. Send a letter to the Safehouse with your new codename and password when you're settled."
Ced nodded, and then turned and grabbed a folder for Jiraiya. "Well, here is the folder with the information about Iwa. Everything I've got for now."
"Good. I'll keep in touch, Ced." With that, Jiraiya turned and left with Naruto in tow.
Naruto looked up at Jiraiya after they had been walking for a while. "Takeru?" he asked. The whole question didn't need to be voiced.
"I don't trust him, obviously. If word of a Takeru comes out at all, or even an apprentice from Jiraiya, then Ced is definitely not loyal. Last thing I needed though were rumors of Jiraiya with a Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. You've got enough people after you as it is."
They both walked for a while, and Jiraiya flipped through the folder. "So how about it?" he asked, his eyes still scanning the intelligence folder.
"How about what?"
"Interested in helping with my eyes and ears network?"
Naruto nodded.
"Glad to hear it. Because if we have my way, you'll be leaving Konoha in about a month for three years as we train. You'll be my apprentice, learn everything I know, both about being a ninja and about being a spy."
End of CHAPTER 25
Thought today was the fourth not the fifth!