Woo! Nearly overdid it with the other side here, canon scenes are so much easier to write. Well, that's not exactly accurate but- eh, you'll see. Just keep in mind. lack of lag makes for faster movement. Plus, as I'm sure many of you will be relieved to hear, this will be the last time Rika and the other OCs will be seen for a while, that or when they do show up, they won't be so hateable. Anyways, here you go!

Disclaimer: By the way, if any of you can come up with some Naruto jokes, I'd like to hear them. I'm not exactly a comedic genius, those ones from before had me brainstorming for ages.


Heading off

Naruto sat on the edge of his bed, his satchel resting between his feet. It was around midday, the sunlight shone clearly through the open window. He wasn't sure who the culprit had been, but there was a damp, smelly patch on the carpet. As such, the window had been open for most of the night.

After a long and full week involving many surprise visits from Haru and the others, the day had finally come; it was time to leave.

Koyane and the other pups all sat around him in a half circle, looking up at him curiously. They seemed to be more of an inquisitive bunch than energetic, though when the spotlight was on them they certainly went all out.

A knock on the door stirred Naruto's senses. He looked up at the wooden barrier, wondering if this was the person he'd been waiting for.

"Hey runt, you ready?" called a voice. Naruto smiled, Kisame had finally arrived.

"Yeah, I'll be with you in a sec." he replied, grabbing the six brand new leashes Emiko had helped him buy.

He knelt down onto the ground and attached the chains to the pups' new red collars, holding all of the leather grips in one hand. He then slung the full satchel over his shoulder, before heading to the door. He reached out for the handle and pulled it open, already raising his head to greet the person on the other side.

"Come on, let's-" Kisame began, before his eyes lowered to the pups. He stared at them for five whole seconds, before looking back up at Naruto, "Dogs?"

"Ninken." Naruto replied, with a grin. Kisame grumbled to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You better have brought enough money for them." he said, "I'm not taking care of them."

"Sure thing." Naruto nodded, glad of the outcome. He'd been prepared for much worse, so he was a little thrown. But his finances had been updated recently, so he wasn't exactly strapped for cash.

"Hrmph, come on then." Kisame said, jerking his head away. Naruto followed him, closing the door once all the pups were out. Each of the little dogs were giving Kisame a look of wonder, completely ignoring Naruto as they found someone else of interest. They walked down towards Gaara's door, when Kisame looked over his shoulder, "So what's this guy like?"

"Know the orange haired guy upstairs? Shove a punch of poison ivy up his ass and you're pretty close."

"Heh heh." Kisame chuckled, looking forward, "Is that so?"

Naruto tried not to input, but he had to admit it wasn't an inaccurate comparison. He kept his mouth shut as they reached the door, and Kisame knocked on it hard.

"Hey, get a move on!" he called, impatiently. Naruto watched him with a cocked brow, was he trying to make an impression or something? He couldn't say that sounded like an effective idea, not when it came to Gaara.

The door slowly opened, the boy in question slowly raised his eyes as he looked at Kisame. His cold stare was met with a naturally cruel grin, as Kisame leant on the door frame."

"So you're runt number two huh?" he mused, looking him up and down, "Heh, nice expression. Come on, we're leaving."

Gaara stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. Like Naruto, he had a fully packed bag. The difference was, he had a carrying case slung over his shoulder, since the gourd kept him from carrying anything else on his back.

Kisame stepped over to the window, sliding it open and leaning out. He looked back at Naruto and Gaara, slinging his leg through the open space.

"Unless you wanna hang those mutts, take the stairs." Kisame said, directing at Naruto, "Catch up with us."

Naruto chuckled at Kisame's order, earning a glance from both the other Shinobi.

"No need!" he replied, as he threw his cloak open, "I got it covered!"

Along with the belt that tied Eko to his back, there were two new straps wrapped around his chest. Each of these straps had three sizeable pouches attached, big enough to fit a small puppy in each one.

"Wow… you're taking this ninken thing pretty seriously, aren't ya?" Kisame asked, with a tired look. Naruto chuckled again, before he began scooping the pups up in his arms, "Whatever, hurry up."

With that he dropped out of the window, Gaara following him moments after. Naruto took a while longer as he picked each pup up and secured them in a pouch. It was a task easier said than done, the little dogs had decided now was a good time to be squirmy. But with only slight forcefulness he managed to get them in, and stay there. The added weight was considerable, but he managed to get back to his feet and over to the window without too much difficulty.

"Alright, hang on guys." he said, as he lifted himself to a perching position. Then, after counting to three, he dropped out the window.

Keeping his foot touching the wall, he slid down the face of the building. He didn't want to throw the pups around too much, and so kept as steady as possible. All the while the restrained dogs yelped away, either out of fear or excitement, Naruto couldn't tell. He just hoped none of them decided to empty their systems on the way down, he didn't want to spend the rest of the day reeking of urine.

Kisame and Gaara had both already reached the ground, the two of them looking up as Naruto descended towards them. He slid further down, jumping and readjusting because of the many ledges and other such protrusions. Eventually though, he reached the bottom of the tower, landing next to the two strange looking Shinobi.

"Took your damn time." Kisame grunted, turning and heading down the steps.

As they walked, Naruto let the pups out and took hold of their leashes again. They seemed to be elated to be on the ground, their heads held high and noses to the air. People stopped to look at the three ninja as they passed by, each as strange as the next. A tall man with pale blue skin, a stoic boy with a giant gourd and a blond kid with lines on his face and six puppies. They must have looked like a circus act.

"You been keeping up with your training?" Kisame asked, glancing back at the dog walking idiot.

"Yeah, whenever I can." Naruto replied truthfully. He'd taken to doing basic exercises each morning, something he ought to have done regardless.

"Well, I'll find out soon enough." Kisame said, before looking at Gaara, "What about you? I'm gonna need to see what you can do."

"Later." was Gaara's plain reply. Kisame shook his head.

"Just like that guy." he muttered, before looking ahead again.

They passed through the dirty streets of Ame, where the pups' enthusiasm seemed to wither slightly. Naruto could see why, it was hardly a basket of roses here.

"Why does Kisame-sensei always pick the shittiest streets to walk through?" he wondered, slowing down as the pups traversed an iron grill on the ground.

Kisame led them through the dark and dismal areas as they made their way to the gates. Naruto found his eyes wandering around, and recalled the time when Gaara had thrown him from the tower.

"Oh yeah…" he thought, suddenly narrowing his eyes at Gaara's back, "Did I ever get him back for that?"

"What?" Gaara asked, looking back.

"Nothing." Naruto replied, without dropping his look, "Bastard."

* * * * *

"I can do it you know." Orochimaru said, his sinister smile present as always, "In exchange for that, you can see them again."

He leered from the shadows of the wall in which he stood in front of, watching Tsunade and Shizune with a knowing expression. Beside him stood his attendant, a young man with long grey hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore a smirk not unlike his master's, the light glistening off his round spectacles. He lightly ran his fingers around the wide collar of his purple shirt, showing cruel enthusiasm for the two women before him.

"It's hardly an offer you can expect regularly." he said, enticingly, "And it's hardly a costly one at that."

"Shut up you bastard!" Shizune yelled, before looking at the blonde to her right, "Tsunade-sama, you know you can't agree to this!"

Tsunade didn't respond however, her eyes were fixed on Orochimaru. Though the sun shone on her, her hair caused her eyes to be darkened by shadow. She didn't make a sound, not even a breath to pass over the breeze. All that there was, was her form, a silhouette set across the broken wall behind her. Despite her hidden features, Orochimaru could tell what she was thinking like she had told him herself.

"Of course, there's no need for an answer right away." he said, as coolly as ever, "I will give you some time to-"

"Am I interrupting something?"

Four heads collectively whipped in the same direction, eight eyes falling upon the figure standing in the street. With folded arms and a stony expression, there was no confusing the seriousness this person exuded.

"J-Jiraiya!" Tsunade exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"

"Call it nostalgia." Jiraiya replied, his light hearted words contradicted by his tone, "I'd say I wasn't expecting a full reunion, but that wouldn't be quite accurate, eh Orochimaru?"

"What does he mean?" Tsunade demanded, turning her gaze to the white face man.

"Oh, he's probably talking about the late Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru replied, his casual tone contradicted by his annoyed expression, "I'm afraid there was a situation, I wound up killing the old fool."

"What?!" Tsunade exclaimed in shock, "You… killed Sarutobi-sensei?!"

"Please don't ask me to repeat myself." Orochimaru replied, "It's bad enough that you did it yourself."

Shizune stared in horror at the evil Shinobi while her master bit her lip. Jiraiya's arms unfolded as he sensed rising killer intent.

"So Jiraiya, what are you really doing here?" Tsunade asked, her fingers curling into fists.

"Konoha needs a new Hokage." Jiraiya replied, even though he knew this wasn't the time for such a talk. Orochimaru looked at him, his sickly face shining with glee. He turned back to Tsunade, awaiting her response.

"So… you're asking me?" she asked, with clear disbelief, "That's ridiculous."

"The village needs you." said Jiraiya, simply. Orochimaru's attendant looked over the people before him with relaxed interest, showing surprisingly greater composure than his master.

"My my, it looks like this won't be as easy as you thought, Orochimaru-sama." he said, turning his head to look at the Sannin.

"You may be right." Orochimaru agreed, without losing any of his enjoyment, "However, dear Tsunade already severed all her ties to that village. She is under no obligation to do anything. And besides, that won't get her what she wants."

Jiraiya noticed Tsunade tensed, and he was hit with a feeling of unease. He had only just arrived, and didn't know the situation himself. But from the look of things, Orochimaru had offered Tsunade something that would tempt her to help him out. Of course, one look at his blackened arms was enough to tell what his own agenda was, but what could he have that Tsunade could possibly want?

"Unless…" he thought, as he recalled what he'd been told about the battle between Orochimaru and the Sandaime Hokage, "It couldn't be-"

"Damn it!" Shizune cursed, jumping between Tsunade and Orochimaru, "DIE!"

She whipped back the sleeve of her kimono, revealing a device attached to her wrist consisting of several tubes and connected wires. She pulled the wires back as far as they'd go before releasing them, sending five senbon flying straight for the snake. But each of the senbon were blocked in a flicker, Orochimaru's assistant deflected them with a curved kunai.

"Good boy Kabuto-kun." Orochimaru praised. Though it seemed he said it merely for the sake of it, he had shown no signs of concern in the first place.

"Shizune!" Tsunade exclaimed, glaring at her attendant, "Stand down!"

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune gasped, looking back, "You can't accept their offer!"

"It's hardly the job of the attendant to tell their master what they can or can't do." Kabuto said, his kunai still at the ready, "You're pretty presumptuous, aren't you?"

"That will do Kabuto-kun." Orochimaru said, looking over his assistant's shoulder.

"As you wish." Kabuto replied, lowering his weapon and stepping back. Shizune begrudgingly did the same, glaring at the two in front of her.

The five ninja stood silently, everyone's eyes on Tsunade. They each awaited her response with waning patience, Jiraiya and Shizune feeling unease while Kabuto grew annoyed and Orochimaru winced in pain. The blonde woman appeared to be lost in her thoughts again, her brow creased in concentration.

"Fine." she said, as she began stepping forward.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried, as Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. On the other side, Orochimaru's smile widened as he stepped forward, "I'll do it."

* * * * *

Up ahead, Naruto could see the exit to Ame. A fortified gate stood between the village and the bridge leading to the outside world. It was well guarded, especially during this time.

"How are we supposed to get through?" Naruto asked, looking over the guards. They had been careful before when Naruto and Gaara came and went, but this was a different case entirely.

"It'll be fine." Kisame replied, his tone mimicking his relaxed face.

"Yeah, look."

Though he was already looking, Naruto did as Eko said and looked closer. It took him a few moments to recognised one of the guards. But when he did, he couldn't help but grin.

Right next to the gate, on an old wooden chair, Jirou slouched lazily. He looked off to the distant world outside the village his eyes half closed in a bored expression. It took a nudge from one of the other guards to get him to direct his eyes inwards, but when he saw Naruto and Gaara his expression shifted to a grin that matched Naruto's.

"Hey Jirou-san!" Naruto called, waving his hand in the air. Jirou raised his hands to his mouth to call back.

"Yo Naruto-chan!" he said teasingly, "What's with the pups, you finally get a D-rank little Genin?"

"Shaddap!" Naruto yelled, turning his waving hand into a shaking fist. Kisame and Gaara both glanced at the loudmouth next to them, before simultaneously sighing.

They reached the gate, where they stopped to allow the guards to do their job. Jirou however, made sure to be the one to check their papers, though Naruto could see the glassy look in his eyes suggesting he wasn't studying the forms very hard. He handed the papers back to Kisame, before signalling to the others to open the gate.

"Good luck kid." he said, giving Naruto a thumbs up, "Try not to get eaten again, alright?"

"Heh, I won't." Naruto replied, as he passed by, "Try not to get killed by Haruka-san!"

"Ha ha… I'll try." Jirou laughed, though his expression soon faded as he experienced a flashback of some kind. The shiver was enough to tell Naruto he didn't want to know.

They passed through the open gate and onto the long, steel bridge which took them out to the vast and empty land outside. The pups seemed almost exasperated as once more they were forced to navigate their way across the metal grills, and since they could see how far they'd have to walk under such conditions, it was easy to feel sorry for them.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, looking through the still open gates to the street they'd passed through. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a slight sense of loss. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but he did feel guilty about not being able to give Rika and Yuuka a proper goodbye. Despite the former's attitude, the other sister had confided in him; neither really wanted him to go.

He kept his eyes on the street for only a few seconds longer, before turning his head with a small smile.

"See ya later." he thought, as he picked up the pace to catch up with Kisame and Gaara, the pups barking at him reproachfully.

"Ah!" he grumbled, as the little dogs tugged on the lead, "Come on!"

He gave the leads a light tug, which persuaded the pups to move forward. Though their whines of complaint made him feel guilty, he couldn't just stop to put them back in the pouches, that would only waste time and probably spoil them. So he had them walk, despite their unease.

"Hey runt." Kisame said, looking back and reaching with his hand, "Lemme see the Ekokaeten."

Naruto glanced at Kisame, wondering why he referred to Eko by his full name. But then he remembered Gaara, and soon stopped wondering. It seemed Kisame was serious when it came to protecting certain secrets.

He did as was told, lifting his free hand to the sheath on his back. He gripped it and pressed the tsuba up with his thumb, pushing out the habaki that would usually hold the blade in place. He then took hold of the hilt and drew Eko out, turning the blade and handing it to Kisame.

"Hmm… looks like its been maintained." the ex-Kiri nin muttered, "Been to a weapons shop have you?"

A slight grin grew on his face, Naruto had an idea that Eko was feeling quite warm right now.

He looked the blade over a couple of times, raising it the light and lowering it to the shade. He had a contemplative look that was rare for a person like him. In the end, he grunted, handing the blade back to Naruto.

"Looks like you've been busy." he noted, "That's good, things will go smoother that way."

"What'll go smoother?" Naruto asked, as he slid Eko back in place.

"There are some things that can only be learned when the blade is ready." Kisame replied. His words would be cryptic to most, but Naruto realised what he was saying.

"So… Eko-kun can do more?" he thought, glancing at the blade. He got the feeling Eko was thinking the same thing, he sensed surprise coming from the blade.

"What is the meaning of this journey?" Gaara asked, looking up at Kisame plainly. The blue faced Shinobi chuckled through his teeth, returning Gaara's look.

"Leader-sama has ordered me to train you two." he replied, "Due to my chakra levels, it looks like I'm the best person for teaching you Jinchuriki."

"Training?" Gaara repeated, with a cocked brow, "Why would we need to travel for that?"

"Uh… desert Shinobi are annoying." Kisame grumbled, rubbing his eyes with his hands, "Look at it this way, Shinobi from Suna are best known for their skills with Futon Jutsu, Kugutsu no Jutsu and survival in the desert, right?"

"Right." Gaara nodded.

"Well think about this." Kisame continued, raising his finger pointedly, "Futon Jutsu is the only Jutsu that can be safely used in the desert, since Katon and Suiton would dehydrate the user, Doton couldn't be used and Raiton could cause a shift in the dunes that could crush you. Meanwhile, Kugutsu no Jutsu can be used as a means for fighting in a sandstorm without losing your way. So it would be accurate to say that Suna teachings specialise in fighting in the desert, right?"

"What's your point?" Gaara asked, bored by this obvious revelation.

"My point is, you're not in the desert anymore." Kisame answered, looking the ex-Suna nin in the eyes. Gaara's other brow rose, he looked surprised, seeing Kisame's logic, "We travel so that you can learn to fight in any climate without gaining a disadvantage. Hell, by the time we're done you'll be able to defeat even Suiton users."

Naruto and Gaara both fixed their eyes on Kisame's, both intrigued by this prospect.

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked, the speed of his speech betraying his composure. Kisame replied by jerking his thumb over his shoulder to Naruto.

"Since you're from Suna, chances are like this idiot you've got a Futon affinity." he said, not even acknowledging Naruto's look of disdain, "You use that with your sand and the water won't even be able to touch it."

"Wow, that sounds pretty- YAAH!" Naruto exclaimed, as the pups suddenly dashed off the bridge and onto smooth rock. Naruto fell flat on his face, slipping on the wet ground, "Damn dogs!!!"

"Still a complete moron." Kisame murmured, trying his best to ignore the raging blond chasing after the puppies, whose leashes he'd dropped on his fall.

"Damn it!" Naruto grunted, as the pups split off in several directions. He ran after them, managing to collect the leashes one at a time.

Once he finally caught the pups again, he looked around for Kisame and Gaara. Both of them had made some headway, he needed to jog to catch up with them. It was too bad then, that he didn't look back. For if he did, he would have spotted Yuuka at the gates, her hands on her knees as she panted heavily.

"Na-Naruto-kun!" she gasped, her voice barely reaching the guards watching her, never mind the blond boy up ahead, "Haa… Haa…"

* * * * *

"Haa… haa…" Shizune panted, her hands on her knees as she gasped for air. She looked at the spot where both Orochimaru and Kabuto had been moments before, but was now void of either.

After a few more breaths, she straightened up, placing her hand on her aching side as she looked around for the others. In the wide open plain they now stood in, that wasn't a difficult task. Several yards from her position, Jiraiya stood on the edge of a crater. He looked down to the kneeling Tsunade, who was wearing his own forehead protector as a blindfold. She gripped both of her arms and had her head bowed, silently shaking. Jiraiya watched her sympathetically, before crouching down in front of her.

"It's over." he said, lifting his headband from her eyes, "They got away."

Tsunade didn't reply. Even though her eyes were no longer obscured, they still didn't see anything. He realised this and sighed, placing his hand on his shoulder and squeezing his aching muscles.

"I didn't think it'd be this bad." he muttered, noticing Shizune draw near, "Help me out here will ya?"

"I'm… fine." Tsunade said, her vision returning. She placed her hand on the ground and began to push herself up. Her nerves got the better of her though, and she slipped. Fortunately Jiraiya was able to grab her by the arms before she could hit the ground.

"Come on, let's go get something to drink." he said, helping her to her feet, "We'll talk then."

He blinked in surprise when Tsunade suddenly pushed herself away from him. She staggered off to the left, where Shizune supported her.

"Don't bother." she said, wincing from her wounds, "You know I can't be Hokage."

"Tsunade, you're the only one who can be Hokage." Jiraiya replied, seriously, "If not you, then who else?"

Tsunade didn't answer, nor did she look at Jiraiya. Shizune looked at her lady with concern, knowing what she was thinking, what she was reliving.

"I know it must hurt." Jiraiya said, his tone brushed with sympathy, "But you really are the only one. Don't pretend you don't care about the village. They cared. If you walk away now, what will you say when you finally meet them again?"

Tsunade, who had begun walking away, came to a sudden stop. She had her back to Jiraiya, and to the sunlight. Her shadowed face was screwed up as she fought back tears, biting her lip until it almost bled.

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune said, soothingly. Tsunade looked at her assistant, at her late lover's niece, before dropping her gaze again. she tried to take deep breaths, but every time she did she shuddered, her voice cracking despite her lack of speech.

"I hate you Jiraiya." she said, managing to at least get that much out, "I really do."

"That's fine." Jiraiya replied, placing his hand on her shoulder, "Hate me all you like."

Tsunade recoiled under his touch, but didn't move away. Jiraiya, Shizune, even she herself knew that deep down she didn't mean that. And just like they knew, she knew what she needed to do.

She turned around to face Jiraiya, who looked at her understandingly. Before he could even predict what she was going to do, her hand snapped out and grabbed at his pouch. She pulled out a kunai and before anyone could stop her, she stabbed her hand with the point.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried, batting the kunai away. Tsunade didn't hear her however, her eyes were fixed on the blood pouring from her hand. Jiraiya and Shizune watched her warily, in case she broke down. But after several moments of ragged breathing, she closed her eyes and clenched her injured fist.

"Let's go." she said. Amazingly, her voice was only a little shaken. She dropped her hand to her side, a faint green glow emitting around the wound. She began walking forward, towards town, on her own. But soon Shizune followed, with an amazed Jiraiya in tow.

"Tsunade-sama, are you sure about this?" Shizune asked, looking with concern.

"Yes." Tsunade replied, her brow creased, "As much as I hate it, Jiraiya's right."

Jiraiya smirked as he tied his forehead protector back in place. It looked like he had succeeded, though he hadn't doubted the eventual outcome. Well, maybe for a moment.

"Besides, there's something else I need to talk to you about." Tsunade added, looking over her shoulder to Jiraiya, "It's about the Yondaime's kid."