Hey there readers! Please do me a HUGE favor and READ the important author note at the end of this chapter. This chapter has SPOILS! ENJOY!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own this fanfic.
Chapter 26: The Death of the Akatsuki
As Sasuke lay asleep, Sakura just stared up at his calm sleeping face. The bed end where their upper body laid was slightly propped up, just enough for them to sleep comfortably. He was clothed in only his boxers; she was clothed in a pair of panties and a very thin nightgown. She lay against his naked chest, her head resting on his right shoulder. His right hand was around her shoulders and his other hand on her waist. The blanket covered them only up to their waist as they lay in the propped up bed.
The young Uchiha matriarch couldn't sleep, there was too much on her mind that she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly. She tried to stop thinking about the possible pregnancy, the time she had left with her husband, and the upcoming battle with Itachi, but it was just too hard to do so. Each one had an impact on her life, their lives. The pregnancy would create a family for the young married couple which was something the young Uchiha always wanted; his goal of reviving the clan would be complete. The battle against Itachi would decide the faith of the great Uchiha clan and which of the two brothers was stronger; if Sasuke died, she would have to deal with being a signal mother or the Itachi could kill her and the possible unborn child. She didn't know how long her time with Sasuke was going to last; everyday to her seemed like their last.
The kunoichi wasn't going to break down even though deep down she wanted to; she had to stay strong no matter what happens. Why was their lives surrounded by so many problems? Is there such a thing as a happy ending? She placed her head back on the crook of his neck and sighed; it was seriously too much for her to handle all at once at a time like this. Sakura snuggled closer to the warmth of her lover's body as she tried to let sleep overcome her. She felt Sasuke's right hand move to the back of her neck and massage her slightly, lessening the tension of her body.
"You should be sleeping," he said, without opening his eye.
He sounded as if he had been awake all along and had just closed his eyes to rest. He hadn't fallen into a deep slumber and he knew his wife has been staring up at him. The young man understood most of her worries, but there wasn't much he could do. Yes he wished most of their problems would go away so that his life wouldn't be as complicated as it is now, but life wasn't that simple. There are obstacles in life they just have to face. His free hand pulled the blanket up higher to cover their bodies then rested his hand on her lower back.
"I know," she whispered back to him. "There's just a lot on my mind Sasuke-kun."
"Don't think too much about it," Sasuke replied to her. "You need to rest as much as I do."
"Don't worry about me," she said. "You should go back to sleep though Sasuke-kun."
He didn't say anything, but stopped massaging her neck. He held her closer to his body and let sleep overcome him. She listened to his even breathing before her eye lids were beginning to get heavy. She finally closed her eyes and slept in the arm of the man she loved.
It was the next day in the village of Konoha and everything seemed calmed. It was a simple day with people going around the village to buy their needed goods; ninjas were either busy with missions or training. The only ones that were very busy were Tsunade, Shizune, Genma, Anko, and Yamato.
Anko and Genma had split their task so that it would be easier to find out more about what the rookie teams knew. After the meeting with the Hokage, Yamato went to get the layout of the Root ANBU base right away. Charting down a map of the building wasn't difficult; he had finished that by nightfall on the day he was assigned the mission. What would be difficult was getting in and out of the place undetected because of the heavy surveillance. He needed to get the Godaime's opinion about how might he approach the mission and avoid any encounter with people from the ANBU Root squad.
Yamato went directly to the Hokage's office the next morning to tell Tsunade his progress. When he arrived, Anko and Genma were there too, telling the legendary sannin about their mission's first day.
"So the only people that know anything of what we're doing are the rookie teams," Tsunade said. "And all they know are the very basic detail of what's going on."
"Hai Tsunade-sama," Anko said.
"Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji are the only ones that have more knowledge of what's going on," Genma added in. "Nara exchanges more information of what he had gathered with the Hyuuga prodigy and they elaborate on the situation."
"I see," Tsunade said. "Ah, Yamato, what's your progress?"
Yamato bowed to the Hokage before speaking. "I have charted down the building's layout, but unfortunately for us, the Root ANBUs have the entire place surveillance." He took out the map he had made and gave it to the female Hokage to look at it. "The main office belonging to Danzou is locked with two Root ANBUs guarding the door. The Root members guarding the door have a shift changes too."
"Damn," Tsunade cursed. "I never thought they wanted to be that secretive in what they did." She signed and her eyes glared down at the paperwork scattered on her desk. "To think the Root ANBU squad actually has the full support of the elders."
"Speaking of the elders," Genma said. "The rookie members are considering over the idea of telling the elders of what they know about the Uchihas and us."
Tsunade slammed her hands on the desk hard as she stood, making it break in half. Yamato knew that whenever the Hokage broke her desk it was never a good thing; especially now, at a time like this. Anko was silently cursing the man for not telling the Hokage the important information in the beginning. Genma took out the senbon in his mouth and held it in his hand, afraid that if he were to be punched, it would be safer without the piece of metal in his mouth.
"Have they gone to the elders at all yet?" Tsunade asked full of rage. The way she spoke showed that she was trying to keep her anger from exploding.
"No they haven't," Genma answered. "They're waiting to gather more information first before making the decision of whether or not they want to go to the elders."
"Anko, make sure they don't go to the elders," the Hokage said. "If they were to find out, the village will be under the old farts control and cause more problems for us."
"I understand," Anko said. "I will bring them in before they reached the elders."
"Good," Tsunade said. She turned her attention to Genma and Yamato. "The two of you will work together on retrieving the documents. I want it done immediately."
"Hai Tsunade-sama," the two male jounins said.
The female Hokage sat back down in her seat; she was getting stressed way too much over this, but it was important to her. She sighed heavily as the door opened. Shizune stepped in the office carrying a backpack and a tray with a pot of hot tea and a cup. The first apprentice of the Hokage noticed the broken desk and knew whatever had gotten her upset was huge.
"Yamato-san," the brunette said. "Take this with you." She handed the pack over to the former ANBU ninja. "I packed some things in there that may be helpful."
"Arigatou Shizune," Yamato said.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune called. The said person looked up at her assistant as she handed her a cup of hot tea. "Drink this down; it will help relax your body."
Tsunade took the mug and slowly sipped the steaming liquid. "The three of you are dismiss," Tsunade said.
The three jounins bowed then left the room in a puff of smoke. The female Hokage leaned back in her seat; the tea was helping a bit to relax her body, but it wasn't enough.
"How are things so far Tsunade-sama?" the brunette asked.
"It's worse than I had expected it to be," Tsunade replied.
—xXx—
Anko was over at her favorite dango stand getting a sweet snack. She wasn't there just because she really likes the dango; she had some people to watch from a distance. Close to the stand she stood by there was an outdoor tea stand and seated at a table were two ninjas she had to keep an eye on, Hyuuga Neji and Tenten.
"Things are really getting complicated," Tenten said.
Neji nodded. "What I just told you should remain a secret," the Hyuuga said. "The others can't know about it yet."
She cocked a brow at her teammate. "Then why did you tell me all these information?" the weapon mistress asked.
"If things turn out bad, Nara and I will at least have someone that knows what's going on," the Hyuuga said. "I trust you with this information."
"Hai," the young woman said sheepishly, turning her gaze away from the male.
She felt as if his fierce gaze stared straight threw her. Everything just felt award; she wasn't use to the being around the Hyuuga prodigy for a long time alone. He isn't very social, but when it came to training, he would be somewhat social with people. There was a pregnant silence between the two as they remain seated. Tenten would slowly eat her food as Neji sipped his tea.
"When will you and Shikamaru tell the others?" Tenten asked to break the silence.
"We don't know yet," a voice said approaching them.
The two turned to see who had spoken and it was Shikamaru. He took one of the empty seats and a waiter came to take his order. After his food came, the three talk more about the current issue.
"I assume you told Tenten-san," the young Nara asked. He received a nod from the Hyuuga. "Alright, here's is my theory. If we tell the others what we know it could get us in deep trouble." The two nodded in understanding. "Also not everyone can keep their mouth shut." They knew whom he was referring to. "If all of us knew of the information it could lead to suspicion. We have to avoid that at all cost, but I think it's going to be a bit difficult for us now."
"Did either of you have anyone else in mind beside me to tell the information to?" Tenten asked.
"I have been thinking over whether we should tell Shino or not," Shikamaru said.
"He will be a huge help to us," Neji said putting down his mug of tea. "Gathering information will be easier for him to accomplish."
"That is what I had in mind," Shikamaru said. He leaned forward on his chair and whispered. "But I think we should wait a while before drawing Shino in more. I can't shake off this feeling of being watched and I think we should stop talking about this for now."
'Being a true genius doesn't get you out of everything Nara,' Anko said in her mind as she smiled. 'You can't always be ahead of the game.'
The purple haired ninja tossed the small wooden stick into the garbage and licked her lips. She purchased another stick of dango then went on her way to see what the others were up to.
—xXx—
On a nearby roof top, two jounins hid in the shadows as they watched the building they were targeting, the ANBU Root headquarters. They have been at it for quite a while and haven't spotted anything out of the ordinary yet. It was already noon and they needed to act soon.
"What do you think Genma?" Yamato asked. "Can we get the files without being noticed?"
"That Danzou person hasn't appeared since we've been here," Genma said. "And I don't' sense any other chakra around beside the two guards down there." He shifted the senbon needle to let it hang out the other side of his lips. "Other than that I think it would be easy for us to get the files." Yamato nodded, agreeing with what the man said. "Now our only problem is our uniform."
"That has been covered," Yamato said pointing to the backpack he had over his shoulder. "Shizune had prepared these for us to use if we needed it." He took off the pack and opened it, revealing two sets of ANBU uniform and gear. "Shall we begin the retrieval?"
The two jounins quickly changed into the ANBU uniform shirt since the pants weren't any different. Yamato slipped on the mask and secured his sword over his shoulder. He took the ANBU mask of a dog and left the one of an eagle for Genma. On his left arm, the ANBU tattoo was in plain sight. Luckily, Genma was a former ANBU ninja and he still had the red tattoo on his arm. He had considered over the idea of removing the tattoo, but the process to do so involved unbearable pain and shock that it could lead a person's death. Genma removed his Leaf headband over his head and tucked away his senbon needle. The extra sword in the pack was hanging over his shoulder; easy to reach if anything were to happen.
"We have twenty minutes to get what we need and get out of here," Genma said. "How do you think we should deal with the guards?"
"Knocking them unconscious would have a faster affect," Yamato suggested. "But we have to do it fast, before they notice us and call for backup."
With that said, the two jounins disappeared and quickly reappeared behind the Root members that were guarding the doors. They knocked them out before the Root members had time to act. Genma and Yamato caught their bodies then placed them down on the ground carefully. As Genma kept watch, Yamato turned his attention to the wooden door. He made a few hand seals then placed his hands against the door.
From the inside, a wooden clone of Yamato emerged from the door. The clone looked around then went through the files without messing with the way things were set. When he finally found what they had been looking for, there were several copies of the bounty files. The clone took one and flipped through it to make sure it was current and it was; the two on the top belonged to the Uchiha couple. After making sure that everything was left the way it was before entering, the clone slipped the file under the door. It then disappeared back into the wood of the door.
Yamato removed his hand from the door and let out a heavy sigh; he had used up almost half his chakra, but it was necessary. He picked up the file and turned his attention to his comrade.
"Got it," Yamato said. "We were lucky that there were more several copies of it."
Genma smirked behind his mask. "Then we don't have to worry too much about Danzou. Well we better get out of here, time is almost up," he said then pointed down at the two Root members. "These two are bound to wake up any second."
The two jounins left quickly and back to the roof top where their things were at. With no desire to waste any time, they just gathered their things and went directly to the Hokage's office.
—xXx—
Tsunade stood at the window of her office, looking out at the view of the village. Her desk has been replaced earlier, but she didn't want to do any paper work. She had spent some time going through the files Shizune and Kakashi had gathered awhile back, but didn't find anything that would benefit the young Uchiha family. One thing that did catch her attention was a letter in the Yondaime's file; well it was better to consider it a note than a letter. She studies the hand writing and noticed it had been hand written by Namikaze Minato himself.
The note didn't make any sense and she assumed that it was because he didn't want the elders to understand if they ever looked at it. She let the words of the Yondaime run through her mind. If she remembered correctly, Minato would leave difficult clues or riddles behind that would decipher the meaning of things. He only did this if the message was very important, but the only problem was it didn't state to whom the note was supposed to be for.
He will befriend a fan and spring. They are the key to his loneliness.
"Befriend a fan and spring…" Tsunade said to herself. "Who is Minato referring to?"
She was dissecting the note by parts, it would be easier to decipher this way. Tsunade was going to keep this to herself for now before getting any of the others to help. Two people she did want to inform first were Jiraiya and Kakashi. Because the copy ninja had the fourth as a sensei and Jiraiya was the sensei of the fourth, they may have some information of this mysterious note. If the two have no knowledge of the note every being written, they would at least have a better chance of deciphering the meaning.
"How would a person befriend a fan and spring?" Tsunade questioned herself.
The Hokage felt two other chakras in her office and turned around to see who it was. She thought it was odd for two ANBU ninjas to be in her office, but then again, it could have something to do with the elders. The blond gathered a little bit of chakra in her finger tips so that she would be ready to knock them out if needed to. When they removed their mask, she was revealed to know it was only Yamato and Genma.
"Were you two able to get the file of the target bounties?" she asked, taking her seat behind her desk.
Yamato nodded and gave the file to the Hokage. "We were lucky that Danzou had several copies."
Tsunade took the file and opened it up to see what Root was planning. Upon opening it, she couldn't help feel sadden at the sight of Sasuke's and Sakura's bounties on the top.
"Did anyone spot you there?" Tsunade asked as she flipped through the papers.
"No," answered Genma. "We left no trace of our presence and made sure we weren't sighted."
"Good," she said as she continued to go thought the file. "I haven't received news-"
A knock on the door interrupted the Hokage from speaking further. Tsunade tried to guess who was at the door before granting whomever it was entrance. She narrowed her eyes at the door; if it was Shizune, the brunet would have just entered without knocking.
"Tsunade, it is urgent that we speak with you," a voice said from the other side.
The Hokage cursed; the elders were outside her office doors. They were the only ones that would call her without the suffixes. This met trouble for Tsunade. "The two of you get out of here," she said in a low voice as she placed the file in her hand away. "I'll send Shizune to speak with you later." The two jounins nodded, knowing exactly who it was at the door. They placed their mask back on and left in a puff of smoke. Tsunade locked the drawer and then took a deep breath. "Enter," Tsunade said calmly.
The two elders entered the office and took their seats in front of the Hokage's desk. Though hard to believe, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were the elders when the third Hokage first got the title. Tsunade hated them ever since they took the title of village elder. When she became Hokage, wanted to remove them from their position, but the rules clearly state that a new elder can only be appointed if the current one dies or denounces their position. They were in their late seventies already, but have never considered denouncing their position.
"What is the problem that needs immediate attention?" Tsunade asked.
"This is the problem," the female elder, Koharu, said. She took out two pieces of paper out of her sleeve and placed it on the desk. "We wouldn't be surprised if you are aware of this already?"
The papers were of the bounties belonging to Sasuke and Sakura. Her assumption had been proven right; the elders and Root knew of the bounties before she did and were planning something. For the elders to come in to talk to her, Tsunade knew right away what the elders wanted her do to. She was to announce out that if anyone were to ever come in contact with either one of the missing ninjas, they were to report their sighting right away. Ninjas were suppose to engage them to bring them in, dead or alive.
"It wouldn't do us any good," Tsunade said leaning back into her chair. "They're stronger than most of the ninjas in the Leaf and it will only cost us more lives."
"Tsunade, we know that, but consider announcing this to the entire village," Homura, the male elder, said. "It's to the keep the village safe. If Uchiha and Haruno were to ever enter the village, who knows what Konoha will be reduced to. We want all the villagers to be safe."
Tsunade folded her arms across her chest. "And how will informing the villagers keep them safe?" she questions. "All you're doing is basing things on assumptions; we need solid evidence if this information is going to go out to everyone." She needed to stop the elders from getting what they wanted. "Keeping it within the ninjas is good enough and we don't need to put fear into the villagers' lives."
"We know your relation with Haruno Sakura, but you can't let that cloud your judgments on what is right for the village," Koharu said. "If you do not wish to inform the entire village, then we will do it with the help of Danzou of course."
Tsunade was pissed; the elders were willing to act without her to get something out to the entire village. "Fine, do what you think is best," she said. "But I will not be responsible for lives lost because of this."
"Understandable," Koharu said as she and Homura got up from her seats. "But we assure you that no lives will be lost except for the enemies'."
The elders left the room. Tsunade was now beyond pissed, she was furious. She had accomplish one thing, but now had to deal with another problem. Her bad luck was really getting to her.
Shizune entered in the office right after the elders left. She suspected something had happen or they wouldn't meet with Tsunade at all. Usually it was Tsunade who went to them because the problem involved Naruto, but having the elders go to her met trouble.
"Shizune," Tsunade said, getting up from her seat. "Personally inform Anko, Genma, and Yamato to meet at the roof top of the mansion tomorrow at noon. You will then lead them to the garden to meet with me."
"Hai," she answered.
The Hokage opened the door of her office. "I'm taking the rest of the day off."
It was nightfall in the Rain village. The rain had stopped temperately, but Jiraiya knew it wasn't nature's doing. He sat in the belly of his toad with two Rain ninjas he was able to capture. One had been turned into a frog because of lack of corporation; this caused fear in the other ninja and he start talking.
"His jutsus are quite fearsome," the Rain shinobi said. "But the true horror of Pein-sama is not his jutsus." Jiraiya cocked a brow at the man. "The true horror lies in his strong and ruthless heart of blades. Those two might threaten his ideals are crushed without remorse."
"What did Pein do?"
"He didn't just kill only Hanzou, but also his family," the ninja said. "After murdering his parents, wife and children, he extended his terror to all of Hanzou's relatives and friends, even their babies." The man's face turn to that of fear mixed with sadness. "And then, after burning all their houses, he turned to clients of the village that maintained connections, killing all... everything was reduced to noting."
The sannin was shocked. "What else do you know?" Jiraiya asked.
"I'm not going to tell an outsider anymore," the ninja yelled.
Jiraiya finally got fed up and knocked the guy unconscious. The one that had been turned into a toad just sat there, minding its own business. Jiraiya stared at the two and tried to place the pieces of the puzzle together. It still wasn't enough information, but he did learn about some shocking things he never image would be true.
The civil war was over with the Akatsuki being the victor, Pein was the victor. The reason why Pein was considered a legend among his followers was because he destroyed Amagakure all on his one. The sannin couldn't believe it, for the leader, Salamander Hanzou, to lose against Pein was unimaginable. No one knew how the Amagakure leader was killed or what jutsus Pein knew.
They stood on the soaked battle field; some of their comrades dead, others still clinging onto their lives. The ground was slightly ruptured and there were puddles of blood. The rain poured down heavily making it a bit difficult to see things clearly far off in the distance. Jiraiya was wounded and Tsunade was supporting him up. Orochimaru stood in a fighting stands, ready to attack. They stood in front of a large salamander and on top stood its master, Hanzou. The Amagakure leader wore what looked like an inhaler over his mouth and his eyes were shadowed by a usual head band.
"This battle…in all likelihood will end in Konoha's victory…" Hanzou said through the mouth piece. "I'll spare you your lives."
"I don't need your mercy!" Jiraiya yelled out. "I can still fight!"
"Jiraiya don't," Tsunade said.
"Quit provoking him unless you want him to kill you," Orochimaru said to his teammate.
Hanzou looked down at the three Leaf ninjas. "The three of you are strong… Even within this strife, you survived…" Orochimaru released his fighting stand as he and his teammates stated up that Hanzou. "I, Hanzou...will hereby honor you as the Sannins of Konoha."
Orochimaru and Tsunade looked confused; they didn't understand why the enemy would give them a title like that. Jiraiya on the other hand looked up at the man in anger, he wanted to continue fighting.
"In exchange for your lives, you shall refer to yourselves as such," Hanzou said.
The man and his summoning disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the three sannin on the raining battle field.
Jiraiya sighed; the past was seemed so long ago. Jiraiya stepped out of his toad's belly into another part of the toad. He made a few hand signs and something came out of his mouth; there stood a special toad. Its body was unusually; the amphibian was spilt in the middle with a long large scroll in between its body.
"Jiraiya!" the toad yelled out. "What the hell do you think you're doing bring me out here again?" Jiraiya smirked up at the toad. "You know quite well about Naruto's Key."
"No worries, there isn't any training," the sannin said. "Certain circumstances have me wanting you to stay out here for a short time."
"What's going on?" the toad said suspiciously.
"I'll be fighting a slightly tough opponent," Jiraiya said.
"Someone so strong that you need to let me get away beforehand?" the toad said with sarcasm as if the answer was obvious.
"This is just in case. I need to stamp the storage release order now." The toad sighed and unrolled part of the large document. One the square space, the sannin placed his hand there and some smoke admitted out. "I shouldn't be long," Jiraiya said when done. "But if anything happens to me, store yourself in Naruto."
"Jiraiya!" the toad yelled out loudly, rolling back the document. "What the hell is going on? I'm the key to reinforce the Fourth's seal if it weakens to the point the Kyuubi has more control of Naruto. Minato trusted the key's jutsu to you so that you can help the boy."
"I know that, but I think it should go to Naruto now."
"I completely disagree with you," the toad yelled out. "Remember what happened when you convinced me to twist the shishou seal just a bit."
"I know, I know." Jiraiya sighed. "Minato split the Kyuubi chakra for a reason, but I don't understand why he would seal it in his own child."
"Who knows? Perhaps Naruto happened to be his most or only viable option for the jutsu… or if not, surely wanting to leave power behind for one's child is the very definition of parental love."
"Minato does things with a reason," Jiraiya said. "He knew something of grave importance and it must have been because of that of something he chose to entrust the Kyuubi chakra to his own son…."
"You're thinking too deep," the toad said. "Anyways, who are you fighting against?"
"The Akatsuki," Jiraiya answered. "I need to find out more information."
"Jiraiya, are you crazy?" the toad yelled. "Didn't Tsunade specifically tell you not to engage the Akatsuki?" Jiraiya raised a brow at the toad. "I heard your conversation with her and she told you not to do anything stupid."
"I'm not doing anything stupid, I'm just going to gather more information," Jiraiya said, arguing back. "I have a feeling that Akatsuki has something to do with the Kyuubi." Jiraiya's attitude turned serious. "I've begun to doubt whether the Kyuubi was actually a natural occurring disaster that happened to strike Konoha." He looked directly up at the toad. "I'm certain that it was the result of a very intentional summoning and the only one capable of something like this is the founder of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Madara."
The toad laughed, croaking in between. "We both know that Uchiha Madara lived at the founding of Konoha. There's no way he would have been alive when the Kyuubi attacked. We also know he was defeated by the Shodaime at the Valley of the End."
"Still, I have a really bad feeling…" Jiraiya said. "…a premonition that just won't go away."
The night sky was filled with rain clouds, but not a drop of water fell. Far off in the distance, the moon night and stars be seen. Itachi stood at the opening of the cave, looking down at the village with his onyx eyes; things were going according to plan. By tomorrow, the Akatsuki would be completely dead. The decoy he was depending on would draw Pein out for him with ease.
"We shall see how strong you really are Pein," Itachi said to no one in particular.
The Uchiha walked back into the cave to rest, he would need all the chakra and physical strength he had to win against Pein and Konan. Even with the help of Kisame, it still may not be enough to defeat the leader of the Akatsuki.
Curtains shielded all the windows, leaving the room in darkness. Using a candle light, Kakashi quickly scribbled what he needed to say onto a piece of parchment he was sending to Tsunade. He didn't want to wake Naruto since he had slept late. The blond kept on insisting to leave the candle night on for him so that he could read a little more of the book, despite Kakashi's orders to go to bed. Believe it or not, Naruto was really getting into the book and taking his time reading it.
When he was done, the copy ninja folded the paper and placed a jutsu on it. The paper folded into a bird, hopped out the window, and flied off toward Konoha. Ever since he woke up, Kakashi had a weird feeling something bad was going to happen. He didn't know what or exactly when, but he couldn't shake off the feeling. Not only that, but he has been on full alert ever since they first arrived. Naruto didn't seem to sense anything unusual around, but Kakashi on the other hand couldn't shake off the suspicion that they were being watched.
Assuming that it was most likely a member from the Akatsuki, Kakashi didn't want to risk any chances, especially when it was only the two of them. It was the main reason he and Naruto never really stepped out of the room. He wanted to leave the place and head back to Konoha as soon as possible.
It was the next day and the sun had begun to rise in the distance, far away from the Hidden Rain Village. The village still had rain clouds hovering high above, but even now a drop of water hadn't pouring down yet. Jiraiya left the safety of his toad's belly in the shadow casted by his prisoner's body. Things were going smoothly as he got on to the pavement, but he failed to notice the origami paper butterflies flying nearby.
After walking for a short time, Jiraiya made the ninja entered an unusual alley way and found it filled with papers floating around in the air. The thin white sheets came toward him like a swarm of bees. It wrapped around the body, covering it completely, holding the body stiff. Some of the papers began to gather together and a figure began to appear. The figure's torso and arms formed and a paper rod in its hands. It drew the paper rod close to the body, in attempt to stab the body wrapped in the paper. Jiraiya quickly emerged from the shadow from the ninja before things turn out bad.
"Katon: Endan Jutsu!"
Jiraiya blew out a large fireball burning the most of the paper around. The smoke slowly began to clear and a body was becoming visible. The papers were piling together, changing color to give the figure detail.
"That can only be your toad-silhouette technique…" the female figure said as the paper shaped up her form.
She had short blue hair; part of it was tied into a small bun on the right said of her head. There was a white origami paper rose next to the bun. Her eyes were pale blue, almost white. Underneath her bottom lip was a piercing. Her skin was slightly tanned and she wore the coat of the Akatsuki origination.
With no other choice, the sannin released the jutsu he had placed on the ninja. "I cast the bait to catch Pein… who would have thought I ended up with you instead?" He stood up and looked at the particle form of the woman in front of him. "Konan… you've improved you jutsu… you also grew into one hell of a woman." Konan said noting and stared at the sannin emotionless. "I always thought you were dead… but all this time, you were just a bunch of paper scattered into the wind. So tell me Konan, who or what is Pein?"
The ninja Jiraiya had taken prisoner looked over that woman in shock. "You're Konan-sama… the angel of Pein-sama." He turned around and pointed at the sannin. "He's an intruder!"
"Leave now," she ordered. The ninja left quickly and she turned her attention back to the white haired sannin. "You don't need to know who Pein is, sensei." The sheets of paper began to build together and form wings on her back. "But his will is to have you killed."
The sheets of paper formed into the end of the sword and shot down at Jiraiya. The sannin jumped away speedily for the fragile looking pieces of paper were able to pierce into the concrete. Without making any hand signs, Jiraiya prepared for an attack.
"Toad oil blast!"
A blast of oil came shooting out of the sannin's mouth. Konan tried to dodge the attack, but she was unable to. The oil made her entire paper body gluey that it was difficult to move and scatter into a million pieces of paper. Jiraiya's hair stretch out long and wrapped around the female Akatsuki member.
"So tell me Konan," Jiraiya said. "Where are the other two? Are they part of the Akatsuki too? Is one of them Pein?" Memories of the past flash through his mind; the innocent faces of the children he helped were a part of Akatsuki. "A few years after I left, I stated hearing your names coming up occasionally. Any time there was trouble whoever opposed your side would winged up dead."
"You have no idea what happened to us after you left sensei," she said emotionlessly. "You don't understand what we're doing."
"You're absolutely right, I don't." Jiraiya sighed. "But there's no doubt in my mind that what Akatsuki is doing is wrong."
"That's your opinion…Jiraiya-sensei," a male voice said from above.
Itachi stood at the entrance of the cave, looking at the village down below. His onyx orbs scanned over the surroundings down below as he searched for a certain chakra. When he finally found what he was searching for, he smirked; things were going better than he had anticipated.
He turned back into the cave to wake his partner. They had better set out if they wanted to interfere the battle before the victor was decided. After the Akatsuki was completely annihilated, there was only one thing left the Uchiha had to do.
"Get up Kisame," Itachi ordered. The Mist ninja sat up. "We're heading out soon."
"Finally!" the blue shark like man said eagerly. "I was getting bored just sitting around waiting."
Itachi walked over to the opening of the cave once again and let his onyx eyes change into the crimson orbs of the Sharingan. Kisame strapped on his large sword to his back and looked out into the distance.
"I sense two strong chakras," the Mist ninja said. "One belongs to Pein and the other one seems vaguely familiar."
They watched as several large buildings began to crumble as two large summoning fought one another.
"The other chakra belongs to the legendary sannin Jiraiya," the Uchiha said.
It was only seven in the morning and it was pouring down hard in the village of Konoha. Tsunade stood in her office window starting out the gloomy wet view of the village. The weather wasn't helping her feel at ease, it was only making her worry more. Shizune was in the office and knew exactly how her mentor was feeling.
"This damn rain won't stop…" Tsunade said.
"There isn't anything to worry about Tsunade-sama," the brunette said. "I'm sure Jiraiya-sama will return back very soon and-"
"No, he won't…" the Hokage said interrupting her first apprentice. She turned around with a smile on her face. "That's my bet, anyways. And we all know how my bets turn out."
Shizune had a small sad smile on her face; she knew that Tsunade was putting an act, but deep down inside, the older woman was crying. Not wanting to disturb the Hokage any more, Shizune left the room quietly.
"Always trying to act cool…" The Hokage chuckled lightly to herself. "If you make it back here, you won't have to put on a tough front for me any more…"
Jiraiya was forcefully kicked trough a thick wall. He quickly focused his chakra into his feet and stood his ground on the water. His body was in a completely different form, also known as Hermit mode. In this form, he was able to use the abilities of a toad and several powerful jutsus.
"Jiraiya-chan," the small elderly female toad on his left shoulder said. "Your arm was almost completely cut off."
On the sannin's shoulder were two small elderly toads, also known as the Ni Dai Sennin, the two great hermits. The female one, Kaa-san, was on the sannin's left shoulder and the male, Tou-san, was on the other shoulder. They didn't have an actually name; everyone just referred to the Ni Dai Sennin as if they were their parents.
Blood was beginning to pour out of the large wound on his left arm. He was able to avoid the surprise attack in time before his left arm was completely slashed off. Ripping the sleeve of his shirt, Jiraiya quickly wrapped it tightly around the wounds to slow and stop the bleeding.
Jiraiya looked up to see his attacker. There the Akatsuki leader stood, with five others, all dressed in the black coat with the red clouds. All of them had the same ripple like patter eyes of the Rinnegan and unusual piercings over their faces. They weren't clones at all; each one had different physical features. Jiraiya cursed; he didn't understand why there were six with the Rinnegan eyes when it only belonged to one. That one was once a student of Jiraiya, many years ago.
"Tell me who you really are?" Jiraiya yelled up. "Are you Nagato or Yohiko?
"We are all Pein," all six said as they jumped down to attack all at once.
Two Akatsuki stood at the center of the Rain Village. They wore their straw hats, hiding their face from all eyes.
"Who do you want to fight against?" Itachi asked his partner.
"Do you really have to ask me Itachi?" Kisame questioned. The missing Mist ninja headed toward the direction where the strongest chakra was coming from. "You already know what my answer is."
Itachi watch his partner leave as he himself headed toward the only female member of the organization.
The Sharingan user reached the building where Pein and Konan were rumored to be at. Itachi entered the dark building and immediately he found himself being wrapped up in sheets of paper.
"What do you think you're doing here," Konan said as she stepped forward. She removed the straw hat to get a better look of the intruder. "You were supposed to go after the Kyuubi." The Sharingan user didn't say a word. "Tell me, why are you here Itachi?"
"To measure my capability," was all he answered.
Konan's eyes widen; she quickly let her body scatter into many pieces of paper as Itachi's body exploded. When the smoke cleaned, her body began to form itself again. Her pale blue eyes scared the room, searching for the chakra of the Uchiha.
"Tell me Konan-san," the voice of Itachi said. "What is Pein's weakness?" She sent paper swords toward the voice. "Tell me and maybe I shall spare you life." Again she sent more of her sharp paper sword toward the source of the voice. "Attacking me like that is useless Konan-san."
Getting fed up with the Uchiha's game Konan scattered into thousand pieces of paper. Each piece turned into a tip of a sword and shot out in all directions. After several minutes pasted, Konan's body began to form back. She knew Itachi was still around, but the only way to catch him was for him to come out and attack.
When she least expected it, a large amount of oil came pouring down. The female Akatsuki member quickly moved away, she didn't need that had happen against Jiraiya to happen again. Sensing Itachi's chakra behind her, she quickly turned around and stabbed a sharp paper rod through him.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn't the real Itachi just another one of his clones. The clone exploded and threw the young woman into the wall. She coughed up some blood and looked up, only to be drenched in oil. Itachi grab hold of her neck with his left hand and held her up. Her oily hands tried to grab hold of Itachi's hand to pray it open, but it didn't do any good.
"Tell me what I need to know Konan-san?" Itachi ordered as he crimson eyes bore deep into her pale blue orbs. He didn't get one answer from her as she struggled to free herself from the grasp around her neck. "Since you do not wish to cooperate with me, I have no other choice."
Itachi threw her to the other end of the room as Konan threw several shuriken stars at him. The Uchiha threw several kunais, canceling out her attack. Without making any hand sighs, he blew out a huge fireball, engulfing anything with oil. Konan tried to disperse herself, but the oil prevented her from doing so. The oil was fueling the fire as it burned her.
"You won't be able to escape Itachi," she yelled out at him. "Pein will kill you."
The Uchiha watched with emotionless eyes as the female Akatsuki member burned. Itachi used the transformation jutsu and disguised himself as Konan as he left the building toward the battle.
Jiraiya had finally defeated one of the six forms of Pein, but he received a severe wound to his right shoulder. The wound on his left arm had finally stopped bleeding, but he had difficulty using the limb.
The sannin was able to figure out some things about Pein, but it still wasn't enough information. That wasn't the only thing keeping Jiraiya there, a prophecy he was told of long before was falling into place.
"Jiraiya-chan, you can't go on like this," Tou-san said. "You're wounded badly and you have to run for it now!"
"Not yet," Jiraiya said. "I can't allow the two of you to be hurt… please return home."
"Excuse me," Kaa-san yelled. "You'll be killed if you go out there again."
"I know, but I don't think anyone will ever get this close to Pein again, especially if I run now." Jiraiya stared at the corpse in front of him. "This is all in line with the Great Sage's prophecy. It's time for me to make my choice!"
"But Jiraiya-chan," Kaa-san said. "We can't leave you here all by yourself to fight them."
"Don't worry about me," Jiraiya said. "But please take this corpse of Pein with you… take it with all the information we've learned back to Tsunade…"
"If that's all, Kaa-san can take care of it all by herself," Tou-san said.
Jiraiya was about to argue, but Kaa-san cut him off. "You better not be late for dinner!"
"Don't worry we won't be," Tou-san said to his wife, smiling. "We'll have Jiraiya-chan join us too."
Kaa-san smiled at the two then jumped off Jiraiya's shoulder. She took hold of the coat the corpse was in and jumped into the water.
It was early afternoon and the blond knuckle head ninja was still in bed, asleep and snoring loudly. Kakashi entered the room with a large tray completely filled with food and a very large bowl of ramen. He placed everything down and went to wake his student. He first nudged the blond, but the only response he got was a groan from the boy. He nudged the young male again and this time Naruto groaned then waved his arms as if he was swatting bugs away. Getting annoyed by that the blond didn't want to wake up, Kakashi flipped the bed mattress. Naruto feel into the ground with a loud thump. Thinking that they were being attacked, the blond pulled out a kunai from under the bed and stood in a fighting stance, fully alert.
"Who's there?" Naruto yelled. "Come out and fight me!"
The white haired man cocked a brow at his student; that was a very interesting to watch.
"Brunch is calling you," Kakashi said pointing to the large bowl of ramen.
"RAMEN!"
The blond literally dived for the bowl of ramen and began to devour the contents without bothering to brush his teeth. Kakashi just sighed and grabbed his share of food to eat before it all disappeared.
The rain had finally stopped and the sun was shining brightly over Konoha. Tsunade was up at the garden, seated on the railing of a pagoda by a large pond, taking her time drinking her sake. It has been three days since Jiraiya left for the Hidden Rain Village, but he still hasn't sent anything, help nor information. She assumed he was having some difficulty gathering information or her teammate was actually taking her warning seriously for once.
She didn't want to be in or around the mansion ever since the elders came into her office yesterday to convince her to do something she didn't want to do. Unfortunately, the elders were willing to proceed with or without her support either way. Root's involved with the elders' plans only make her more furious. To think Danzou had the nerve to form the group behind the Sandaime. The empty sake bottle in her hand broke into pieces as Tsunade's grip had tightened. Just wondering what the elders were planning with Root got her to assume that something bad was going to happen to Sasuke and Sakura.
She dropped the broken bottle pieces on to the ground and grabbed another bottle of sake. The Hokage was about to take a sip when she noticed a paper bird in front of her. She held out her hand and it landed, turning back into a normal folded parchment. She opened the letter and read what Kakashi had written. Tsunade understood what his plans were then placed the note away in her pocket to dispose of it later.
"Looks like we're both uneasy today Kakashi," Tsunade said up to the sky.
The blond took another sip of her alcohol. She heard footsteps and turned to see Shizune, Genma, Anko, and Genma walked over to the pagoda.
"Good you're all here," Tsunade said. "I just received a letter from Kakashi. He and Naruto are heading back today and will be back around late afternoon or early evening."
"Is it wise for them to come back at a time like this?" Shizune asked. "The elders are beginning to do things without consulting you about it."
"I know what you mean, but Kakashi feels someone has been spying on them," Tsunade said. "If it's the Akatsuki, he doesn't want to risk having Naruto taken."
"What did the elders want yesterday Tsunade-sama?" Genma asked.
The Hokage grind her teeth. "They wanted me to make the announcement about the bounties regarding Sasuke and Sakura to the entire village." She turned her fierce glare at the pond. "I declined on doing so, but they took matters into their own hands."
"Do you think the elders will restrict Naruto's movements?" Yamato asked. "They could order Root ANBU members to trail him wherever he goes."
"I don't know what they're planning," Tsunade said. "We can only try to stay a step ahead of them and be prepared for anything."
Suddenly the water in the pound began to swirl into a whirlpool. Tsunade kept her eyes on the pond, everyone else got into a fighting stance. The Hokage recognized the technique and turned her body around to face the pond fully. When a familiar toad surfaced, Tsunade jumped on top of the water.
"Kaa-san," Tsunade said as she grabbed hold of what the toad was holding. "Why are you here?"
"Take hold of the body," Kaa-san said. The other four ninjas come onto the water. "That's one of the bodies of the Akatsuki leader."
Yamato created a wooden stretcher for the corpse to be placed on. Genma and Anko lifted the body out of the water and placed it on the stretcher.
"This is one of the bodies of the Akatsuki leader," Tsunade said. "How many bodies does he have?"
"There are six in total," Kaa-san said. "Jiraiya-chan called Tou-san and me out to help him fight. Tou-san is with him as we speak, and things aren't going too well for Jiraiya-chan."
Tsunade's eyes widened. "He actually engaged the Akatsuki!" Shizune looked over at her mentor, worried. "Kaa-san, you have to take me to Jiraiya now. We have to get him out of there."
Jiraiya and Tou-san swam in the depths of the water, trying to find any of the five forms left of Pein. It would be easier for them to use the element of surprise to attack him because they still weren't sure that Pein's abilities were. When they finally spotted one, his back was turned toward them. Jiraiya with Tou-san still on his shoulder quietly emerged from the water. The elder toad clapped his front legs together and water harpoons shot out toward Pein. Even with his back turned, Pein was still able to dodge the attack easily. The attack pinpointed their location; Pein had waited, intending for the sannin to come out on his own for an attack.
Jiraiya quickly got out of the water to invade an incoming attack from the four that come out of their hiding. When he least expected, the sannin was forcefully killed up into the air. Jiraiya coughed up a large amount of blood. His throat was caving in and a cut close to his jugular was making it worse. His body landed harshly down on the let cement.
"Jiraiya-chan," Tou-san yelled out. "Get up now. We have to get you out of here."
Four forms of Pein were closing in on another attack. The small toad elder couldn't do anything to stop them from attacking. Seconds before the attack came in contact with the sannin someone stepped forward and forced each one away.
"I never knew you had different bodies Pein," Kisame said with a grin on his face. "Who would have thought that leader of the Akatsuki was crazy."
All five gathered together in front of the missing Mist ninja. "You have no right to be here Kisame," the one with spiky blond hair said. "Don't interfere in something that doesn't involve you." Kisame drew out his huge sword, Samehada. The Akatsuki leader could tell the former member of his organization wasn't going to corporate with him. "Get out of my way."
Kisame charged at one of the five as four water clones emerged from the water to attack the other four forms Pein had.
Jiraiya was losing it; he needed immediate medical attention. Tou-san noticed this right away and didn't want to waste any more time. The toad jumped off of the sannin's shoulder and claps his front legs together. A head of a lager toad emerged up from the water and stared at Tou-san.
"We need to get Jiraiya-chan out of here," Tou-san told the toad. "He needs to Tsunade to heal him right away."
The large toad opened its mouth and its tongue wrapped around Jiraiya's body. Quickly but carefully, the large toad drew the badly injured sannin into his mouth. Tou-san jumped in after and the large toad closed its mouth and submerged down into the water.
Tsunade kept reasoning with Kaa-san to have her bring them to help Jiraiya, but Kaa-san wouldn't take her. Shizune, Anko, and Genma had just turned after bring the body to the morgue so that Tsunade could get a full autopsy of the body later.
"Kaa-san you said so yourself things weren't looking good for Jiraiya," Tsunade said. "We can't waste any more time."
"I understand your worries Tsunade, but I can't take you there." Kaa-san looked away from the Hokage. "The battle is his alone."
Ripples were beginning to form in the middle of the pond. Suddenly, a large toad appeared and opened its mouth.
"Tsunade, you have to help Jiraiya-chan!" Tou-san yelled out.
The female sannin quickly rushed over with Kaa-san and Shizune right behind her. The blond checked her teammates pulse and found it very faint. She saw the cut near his jugular and went to heal it right away. After a few seconds, Tsunade cursed; his heart beat was slowly falling and she needed to get the man to the hospital right away.
"Yamato make another one of those stretchers," Tsunade ordered. "Shizune, I need you to heal his arm first." Shizune did as she was told. After Yamato made the stretcher, he brought it over to the Hokage. "Genma, Anko, I need our help to lift Jiraiya's body onto the stretcher." All five carefully lifted Jiraiya's body out of the toad and onto the stretcher. "Get him to the hospital right away. Anko, go on ahead and tell the front desk I ordered an emergency room to be set up immediately."
All four left immediately to the hospital. Tsunade turned her attention to the two toad elders.
"You two should go back," she said. "I'll handle things from here."
The large toad disappeared. "We're coming with you Tsunade," Tou-san said. "There is no way we're leaving Jiraiya-chan like that."
Tsunade knew exactly how they felt. She picked them other up and headed toward the hospital.
The three forms of the Akatsuki leader stood up on a ledge. The one with spiky blond hair and the blind one stared down at the former member of the origination. The larger one of the three looked over his wounds.
Spots of blood could be found everywhere; the water around was dyed with crimson liquid. Kisame was breathing heavily; he was able to take down two, the corpulent one and the one with spike pricings on his head. He was able to wound the largely build one, but it wasn't enough to cause a significant amount of damage. After fighting Jiraiya, Pein's bodies had weakened down a bit. Without the major help, it would have been difficult for Kisame to be able to get as far as he has.
Unfortunately for the former Mist ninja he was now low on chakra. He didn't have any major injuries, but the former mist ninja did lose a considerable amount of blood from several stab wounds. There were many cuts upon his body, but none were life threatening. He used his sword to support his body as he tried to use the little time to rest his body. There was also a bit of blood on the corner of his lips.
The largely build one came charging at the former Mist ninja from behind. Grabbing the hilt of his sword tightly with his right hand, Kisame swung the sword the moment Pein came into attacking range. He's left arm was completely shredded off. The severed limb landed in the water and crimson liquid dyed the water. Kisame prepared for a final attack, but he was kicked into the water by the blind one. Kneeing on top of the water, the former Mist ninja coughed up blood.
"You don't stand a chance against us Kisame," the one blind one said. "Give up and accept your death."
The shark like man looked at the two in front of him, watching them closely to anticipate which was going to attack first. Suddenly chakra strings with explosive tags of them wrapped around the two. The larger one struggled to get free only triggered the tags to go off. The body fell lifelessly on to the ground with a loud thump. Shurikens came hurling down at the dead body, hitting all the major arteries and organs; regardless of the last attack, this was the only way to make sure the body was completely lifeless. The blind one stood still, waiting for the attacker to make the first move.
Completely unexpected, the chakra stings tightened around the body, digging into the skin of its victim. It would dig in so deep that it could have sliced the body into pieces if it wasn't for the bones. Whenever the body struggled, one of the explosive tags went off. When the body finally died, it fell into the water with blood seeping through the wounds.
Kisame didn't even know what was going on; what he just witnessed was nothing he had ever seen before. He assumed that it was Itachi's doing, but the Uchiha was nowhere in sight. Then again, the former Mist ninja had never seen the technique before; Itachi usually had unknown techniques and would only use them if the occasion allows him to. The only form of Pein left looked around to see who had attacked.
Konan was spotted by the two males. Kisame feared for the worst; Itachi had been defeated by the angel. She turned her glaze toward Pein then at Kisame.
"Konan," Pein called out. The said person turned to face the man. "Finish off Kisame."
She said nothing and appeared behind the Akatsuki leader. The blue haired woman pulled out a kunai with an explosive tag on it and attempted to stab the weapon into Pein. The man jumped away quickly and glared at the woman.
"It seems you were the victory against Konan," Pein said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Itachi…"
A puff of smoke engulfed the body and revealed the Uchiha. The raven haired man pulled out three kunais and shurikens and threw them at the Akatsuki leader. The blond jumped away and right behind him appeared Itachi. Grabbing onto the collar of the coat, Itachi threw the man out toward the water. Drawing out another three kunais and shurikens, the raven haired man threw them at Pein. When the weapons pierced the body, it revealed a water clone of Pein. Itachi eyes widen when he felt a sword slice through his left arm.
"You don't stand a chance against me Itachi," Pein said. Itachi vanished and Pein turned around to block a kick from the real Uchiha. "I see through all your tricks."
Another Itachi appeared behind Pein to attack, but he blond moved away quickly. Unfortunately, the one that attempted to attack him first was a clone. Assuming that the one standing was the real Uchiha, Pein took his sword and stabbed it through Itachi.
Blood began to run down from Itachi's mouth, his clothing began to soak up the crimson liquid, and blood began to drip from the blade to the ground. Pein twist the blade, making Itachi groan in pain. The Akatsuki leader then jumped back, leaving the blade where it was. He made a few hand signs and black blades shot through Itachi's body. The Uchiha's body felt to the ground lifelessly as a pool of blood began to form around it. The blond turned to face Kisame, but he ninja was nowhere in sight. He turned around and found the body that he had just killed wasn't Itachi but Kisame. Suddenly his surroundings began to change.
"You stated you saw through all my tricks Pein," Itachi's voice said. "But you still can't kill me."
Pein felt a sword stabbed through him, but he didn't see the blade. Again he felt the shape pain of a blade penetrating through his body. The Akatsuki leader saw no one, but the pain wouldn't go away; each time he felt a blade pierced through his body, another would follow right after.
When it finally stopped, Pein was on the ground coughing a bit of blood. Itachi stood six feet away from the man, staring down at him with emotionless eyes. Pein stood up and charged at Itachi. Inches away from coming in contact with the Uchiha, hot black flames began to appear and spread over his body. Paying no attention to the flames, Pein grabbed Itachi by the collar. Unfortunately for the Akatsuki member, it wasn't the real Uchiha. The clone exploded into black flames, burning everything in its range.
Up on the mountain looking over the Hidden Rain Village stood the older Uchiha. He watched as the black flames of Amaterasu spread over the village. After several minutes have passed, the flames completely disappeared as dark smoke rose up into the air.
Itachi closed his eyes and let them chance back into this his onyx orbs. His vision was getting impaired that he needed to rest his eyes. The last member of the origination placed his straw hat back on and left toward his next destination, the borders of Fire and Waterfall.
A figure hidden in the shadows watched the older Uchiha brother like a hawk. When Itachi disappeared in a puff of smoke, the man turned to look at the Hidden Rain Village or at least what remained of it. The black flames of Amaterasu had vanished and parts of the village were left in ruins.
He looked at the spot he had last seen the Uchiha. Even though Itachi's ninja skills were impressive, he didn't sense the present of the person that had been watching him for quite some time already.
"What is your next move Itachi…?"
At the door of the hospital, a group of medics with a wheeled stretcher were waiting. When Genma and Yamato arrived, the medics transferred the male sannin the wheeled stretcher and rushed him immediately into to the prepared emergency room. Everyone in the hall quickly moved aside for the medics to get through with the injured man. Genma, Anko, and Yamato stood by the doors of the emergency room watching as medics ran in and out of the door. Tsunade arrived at the hospital right away and set the Ni Dai Sennin outside with the three jounins.
"Watch the doors," she ordered the three. "Don't let the elders or Danzou enter no matter what they say." The three jounins nodded as the Hokage opened the door of the emergency room to help the medics. "When Kakashi and Naruto arrive back, don't tell Naruto about Jiraiya's condition," she said then entered the room.
A team of medics had gathered in the room and began to heal the sannin. The man was stripped down completely so that it would be easier spot any bruising and heal the broken body. Shizune was giving out orders to the medics as she and another medic tried to keep Jiraiya in stable conditions. The medics were struggling to heal Jiraiya's broken body; there were too many damages that it wasn't going to be easy. His body was covered with blood and wounds; it was difficult to actually believe that the person on the stretcher was Jiraiya. A medic inserted an intubation tube into Jiraiya's mouth and into his trachea.
"He had internal bleeding!"
"There are too many fractured and broken bones!"
"Tsunade-sama I can't find his pulse," Shizune said worryingly.
Her heart sank like a ton of bricks; if Shizune was unable to find a pulse that was a bad sign to the blond Hokage. The brunette never lied whenever when it came to a patient's life. Tsunade quickly went over the almost lifeless body of her former teammate, poured chakra into her hands, and began to search for a pulse. The Hokage ran her hands over the man's bloody chest to find a heartbeat. She wasn't going to give up on him; he still had many things to accomplish and dying wouldn't do him any good. When she finally found a faint pulse, the Hokage focused on getting it up.
Tsunade cursed. "You can't die yet," she mumbled. "Six ribs and both arms were broken and you also had many internal organs ruptured…all because of me…and you still survived." Tears began to slowly gather in her eyes. "When things when wrong with Naruto's training…you were hit was a fatal attack and you still survived…" She poured more chakra into her hands. "Damn it Jiraiya…you escaped death twice and now you're going to give up?"
Special appreciation to my great fanfic buddy: animequeen100.
Hello again reader. Thank you to all of those that reviewed. It's another late update, but with a long chapter. I know there was a lot of scene jumps, but this chapter covered several days/scenes in Rain and Konoha. Yes I know this chapter only had a short SASUSAKU scene, but no worries, the next chapter will have tons of SASUSAKU moments.
Sorry if I spoiled things for anyone. Sorry for ending the chapter at the hospital with Jiraiya is in the emergency room fighting for his life. The wake up scene with Naruto and Kakashi, I wanted a little humor in the chapter so I decided to use them. Yes the elders are up to something and Root is working with them. Some of you may ask about Sai…there's no need to worry about him. Who could the mysterious person be that has been watching Itachi? Well I'm not going to say, but you shall find out in the later chapter.
To those that do reread previous chapters, you may have noticed some changes/addition to the chapters. No worries, I just read through it and found some mistakes and stuff and went back to correct it. The plot won't change at all.
IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE!!
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Yes Jiraiya should die OR No, Jiraiya shouldn't die.
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