Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it.
Waking up was something that Sasuke had become accustomed to doing in less then a second. A live of a shinobi depended on split seconds and waking alert might be the difference between a dagger in the ribs or killing the assassin who tried to plant the dagger.
Yet for all his training, waking up was slow this time, the light blinding but not painful to his eyes. He had to blink several times to be able to see properly and even then he felt… slow. He could feel a strange pressure on his limbs and it took a few seconds for his mind to piece together that he was sitting bound to his chair, straps around his wrists, elbows, ankles and knees. There was someone at his side who injected a syringe, shooting him full of something.
Several seconds after the injection, Sasuke's mind began to speed up, going back to normal. Only now did he see the second person, holding a hand on his left shoulder. Or what was left of his shoulder, anyway. Odd that he didn't feel anything from his arm, it looked like he should have been in agony.
Despite the destruction of his left arm, Sasuke kept his face neutral. His revenge was nearly impossible with his arm like this, but he wouldn't show despair. Not to those in the room with him. He recognized only one of them, a huge man in a black trench coat with a bandana around his head. He had seen him only once before, as an examiner and even then he had been weary of the man.
Morino Ibiki.
"Glad to see you're awake." Ibiki started, standing with his hands on his back, looking down on Sasuke. "I'll give you a basic rundown; you are now our captive, due to your injuries you have been held in a comatose state since you were recovered from the Chuunin Exams. I don't want you slowed by drugs, so I've had my men give you a shot of adrenaline, which you should be feeling by now. Your mind will be up to normal speed soon."
He took a step forward and Sasuke got a good look at his face. It was by no means a kind face – covered in scars as it was – but it was at least not set on hating him. Not yet, anyway.
"As you can see, your left arm is completely ruined from the shoulder down and you are in agonizing pain, unless the signal's blocked. That's what my associate is doing now, stopping all neural input between your brain and your shoulder. Give him a taste."
The man at Sasuke's shoulder released Sasuke's body and immediately the teen was overcome by pain, crying out despite his best efforts. Before he could even begin to squirm in his bonds though, the man had grabbed Sasuke's shoulder again and the pain disappeared.
"Now, I will give you the same option I give everyone else: talk now and be spared much pain and agony or I will start doing my job. I doubt truth serums will work on you, not if Orochimaru and Kabuto trained you half as well as I expect, so I won't even bother to try. Fail to answer truthfully and you will suffer the consequences. Will you answer our questions?"
The silence stretched on for several minutes, Ibiki not even moving a muscle. Sasuke tried to analyze his situation, see the benefits and consequences… finally he smiled at Ibiki and spoke up.
"I have no loyalty to Orochimaru whatsoever." He announced. "The Curse Seal has an influence on my mind, as I learned while studying it, but it doesn't make me loyal. I was planning on killing him myself at the first chance I get. He taught me all he could and I've surpassed him already. What do you want to know?"
Still towering over Sasuke, Ibiki let out a smile as well. Sometimes his job was nasty, but every once in a while… every once in a while it was easy and fun. Sometimes he didn't need to break his victim's mind.
XxX
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was stuck in an office somewhere in the Hokage tower, going over the profiles of every shinobi in Konoha of Chuunin rank or higher. He had a day and a half left to gather his squad and begin their travel to assassinate Orochimaru, but he had made no headway whatsoever. He had already assessed which Shinobi he could use best while traveling, but he had reached no conclusion.
Kakashi was his natural first choice, the young man had a talent that was rare, along with loyalty to Konoha that would make him do anything. Kakashi was also one of the most successful assassins that Konoha had developed the last twenty years. Only Itachi ranked above him in that area. Unfortunately Kakashi was away on another mission already, due to return in Konoha in a little under two weeks, but completely unreachable while away.
Tsunade was another of Jiraiya's prime choices, but she was unable to leave the village for longer periods of time due to her tasks as Hokage. There was no-one alive who Jiraiya trusted more and Tsunade was a known element to Jiraiya. They could work in perfect tandem without a word exchanged. But alas, she couldn't join him.
His final choice was Konoha's second-best assassin, ranking just below Kakashi; Uzuki Yugao, a captain of ANBU and a former subordinate of Kakashi's. When Kakashi had been in ANBU, Yugao had worked on his squad and learned much of his style and loyalty. She was willing to do whatever it took to protect Konoha, but not blinded by her devotion. A smart woman, more than deserving of her rank in ANBU. However, like Kakashi, she was out of the village and her mission could not be stopped.
So, Jiraiya was now digging through every other file, but failing to find suitable teammates. Gai was of course a powerful and capable man, able to do whatever he put his mind to and be quiet about it if needed, the only man in Konoha to come near Kakashi's success rate on missions. Kakashi had a success rating of 99.9 percent, Gai had 99.8 percent. However, Gai had always been clear about one thing; if possible, he didn't want assassination missions. The man had ideals, goals and hopes and he found the work of an assassin unable to fit in any of them. He would comply if ordered, but it would be with reluctance.
Reluctance was not something Jiraiya could afford on this mission. Well, so far only one file had made it onto his stack of 'possible candidates.' Only Shizune; Tsunade's aide was the second-best medic in Konoha and, though she often worked as Tsunade's assistant, she still did field missions as well. More skilled than most Jounin, Shizune was someone Jiraiya could rely on, someone to guard his back while he worked. That still left two other spots.
Kurenai was out, since she was heavily pregnant, though few matched her skill with Genjutsu. Asuma was dead, Hiashi was no longer active in foreign missions and none of the other clan-based ninja that Jiraiya knew were skilled in assassination.
Of course, Jiraiya could have just taken a squad of ANBU with him, but a mission like this was ranked above S-rank. The assassination of someone like Orochimaru was dangerous business and it could only be accomplished by a squad that could and would rely on each other. Jiraiya needed people he could trust, not random strangers.
Sighing, the white-haired man stood up and stretched out. he needed a small break from going over all those files. As he did so, his mind went to Naruto. The hyper boy would have also been one of Jiraiya's first choices. Like Gai, he was the type that wasn't expected to become an assassin and was that much better because of it. While traveling, Naruto had developed into a fine assassin. Twelve had died by his hand without knowing who had killed them.
"But, alas," Jiraiya muttered aloud, taking a sip of his sake before sitting down and going over the files again. "He's out. I'll be happy if he just survives what's going on with him. After I get back from this mission, I'll spend as much time with him as he needs, he has to recover. Wouldn't be much of a godfather if I didn't."
But being Naruto's godfather would have to wait, at least for a while, because he first had to select his squad. If he didn't have his squad ready for this mission, he wouldn't be able to return from it.
XxX
Sakura was walking through Konoha's hospital, quickly writing down some data on Kiba and Chouji's files. Konoha kept carefully detailed medical records on all shinobi, keeping track of both their physical and mental condition. As soon as they had arrived back in Konoha, Kiba and Chouji had been sent to the hospital and been attended to by Med-Nin and doctors there. The poison had been completely extracted from both of them and they had been kept overnight to monitor. Sakura had just finished releasing both of them from the hospital and was now on her way to her check.
Part of Tsunade's hospital policy for Med-Nins in training was that they had to see different sections of the hospital they worked at. This month, Sakura would be working the Intensive Care unit. The most injured of patients, the vast majority of shinobi hurt in the line of duty somewhere, and the one department that Sakura wanted to avoid like the plague right now.
The department that held Naruto and Sasuke-kun.
Sasuke had been taken out of his room early in the morning, accompanied by a squad of ANBU, but this floor was still filled with the masked ninja. Not all the ninja who had been 'hurt in the line of duty' were doing a duty to Konoha. Captives had to be kept alive to interrogate, enemies were kept drugged up until they could be studied and various other situations meant that over half the department had at least one ANBU guard.
As she walked through the hallway, intending to check in with the reception, several of the ANBU gave her a careful glance and a respectful nod. Everyone was a suspect, could be someone else in a Transformation Technique, but those that showed no ill will were still treated with respect. After all, the medic you see in the hallway on Monday may be the one who has to prevent you from bleeding to death on Thursday.
There was, however, one room that made Sakura stop cold in her tracks. There was one ANBU guard outside, sitting in a chair by the door in a seemingly relaxed posture, reading a magazine. Sakura knew better though: ANBU were never off guard, only making it seem so to trap enemies. Naruto was inside that room.
Of course, Naruto was still drugged up and kept in a coma, but before long Tsunade-shisho would have to take action somehow. The paperwork had stacked up during her absence and she had immediately buried herself in her work, but Sakura knew why she wanted to avoid coming down here. Three years ago, the Kyuubi had saved Naruto's arm when all the chakra systems had been torn to pieces; a miracle healing. Now, Tsunade-shisho was probably hoping for the same thing.
A hope that Sakura shared; a hope that she was disgusted for feeling. Miracles were not something a medic should hope for. And nothing had happened so far to show of any kind of activity in Naruto's arm. Of course, the extent of the damage was too different; before, only Naruto's chakra system had been damaged. Overstrained to the point of explosion, yes, but the other tissues in his arm had been mostly undamaged.
Now… now every tissue in his arm had been burned away, the wounds not allowing the Kyuubi's miraculous healing to seep through and restore them. Perhaps it would happen with time, but how long would that take? Three years ago, Naruto had taken over four months to regain his arm.
The ANBU now gazing at Sakura reminded her that she had been standing at the door, staring at it, for some time now. Taking a deep breath to gather herself; Sakura continued on, not glancing at Naruto's door again. Shizune had told her what had happened the night before, when he had been woken up.
Sakura had to force her mind away from the matter. Perhaps she should have seen how Naruto was doing, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't look upon Naruto and see him so… so destroyed.
Forcing the tears down required effort, but with trouble she managed it.
'Rule of the Shinobi number twenty-five.' Sakura mentally scolded herself. 'A shinobi must never show tears, no matter what happens.'
XxX
Again, Naruto slowly woke. He hadn't told anyone, but already Naruto woke from his sleep much faster. His wits weren't as slow as they had been yesterday, when Shizune had woken him up for the first time.
Looking around, Naruto realized that it was dark outside, so it wasn't morning yet. He had already been fed his dinner, so why was he awake already? There was a movement at his side, causing Naruto to turn around and look at the stranger standing besides his bed, one hand pressed on Naruto's right shoulder.
The man at Naruto's side was bald, but otherwise there was nothing that Naruto could really put his finger on about him. The man wasn't really tall, but he wasn't short either. He wasn't slim or skinny, but far from obese. He seemed, in every possible aspect, to be a very common man. A person you saw when walking down the street and forget as soon as he left your eyesight.
So, what was he doing in here?
"Ah, you're awake, good to see." The man's voice was pleasant, but not musical. Again, something completely bland. "I thought so. The Kyuubi's survival instincts are very impressive, aren't they? Any kind of toxic enters and he immediately resists it. The effects are carried on to you, his container, in a lesser extent. Unfortunately, most medicines are just another form of toxins, so the Kyuubi starts to fight those as well. In less then a week, the drug they use to keep you under won't be effective anymore."
"Who are you?" Naruto asked, surprised by how quickly his wit was returning. Who was this man? How did he know of the Kyuubi and it's abilities?
"A pleasure to meet you," The man politely bowed his head in greeting, before continuing. "Yes, he is really quite remarkable, wouldn't you say? Of course, all the Gatekeepers are impressive in their own right, but the Kyuubi is special, even amongst them. Tell me, do you have conversations with him?"
"I asked who you are." Naruto tried to make his voice more forceful, but it barely came out as a croak. Curse his medicine.
"I'm a fan. Well, seeing your lack of response to a name like Gatekeepers, you have talked to him. Has he told you his history? It is utterly fascinating, wouldn't you agree?"
"Tell me your name!" Naruto demanded, trying to rise up. The stranger simply applied some pressure to Naruto's shoulder, keeping him on the bed. Curse how weak the medicine had made him!
"It's not important. People often give far too much attention to such trivial matters when they should be focused on more important matters. You, for example, should be more focused on how to recover from this injury you have. You can't continue on like this, you have to be on your feet as soon as possible. Or do you really think you can be useful to anyone if you're lacking an arm?"
"Tell me who you are!" Naruto's voice was finally gaining some strength as his anger made adrenaline flow through his body. "What are you going on about? What do you want? How do you know about the Kyuubi? ANSWER ME!"
"Now, now, there's no need to start shouting." The man smiled, his voice not changing tone at all. "Like I said, I'm a fan. I've been looking at you for a long time, observing what you did. I knew you were destined for greatness the moment I laid eyes on you. The Kyuubi would not let his container be someone lost in the pages of history. And for that, you need to have your arm restored. It can't stay like this, but Chakra can't reach the wound… even the Kyuubi can't heal it like this."
The mention of his injury automatically made Naruto turn his eyes towards his arm. It was covered in bandages, thankfully, but even so, despite being awake, Naruto felt no pain. And the man still had his hand placed on Naruto's shoulder.
"How are you stopping the pain? What're you doing?" Naruto asked, a relief slipping into his voice he didn't want to make known. Something was wrong about this too-plain man. As he looked again, Naruto made eye contact for the first time and his head nearly jerked back.
The man had two rings in his eyes!
The sight of Naruto's flinch was, apparently, very amusing because the man burst into laughter.
"I'm doing what I have to." He said, eyes now locked on Naruto's. "As I said, I have kept a careful eye on you for a long time now. I know of your power, of the Kyuubi's power. And I have need for it. You and your friends play an important role in my plans. Plans that have been decades in the making. Plans that you almost ruined with your foolish fight with Uchiha Sasuke."
"What're you talking about? And who ARE you! " Plans that have been decades in the making? The man looked no older then twenty-five at most!
"You're not going to let that go, are you? Honestly, names aren't all that important." The man sounded amused, but there was a small hint of annoyance in there too. Still, Naruto kept looking at the man, eyes determined to get an answer. "Oh, alright. If you must call me something… I am into the writings of the Western Continent lately. Call me Richard, if you will. It's a nice name, means a rich and powerful leader. Yes, Richard will do quite nicely."
"I don't want some random name you just thought up." Naruto returned. "I want your real name, now! And what do you want with me!"
"Honestly, does it really matter that much what name I have? Even if I could remember my real name, why would I tell you? But, as I was saying before, I'm doing what I have to, you understand. I have, over the years, pulled of many different plots and plans, some lasting no more then mere days, others lasting months, or years or decades. You are a key piece in one of my plans. You and the Kyuubi. I can't afford to have you lost now; it would set me back by decades at the least."
Naruto didn't say anything this time, instead trying to work out what the man was going on about.
"Do you know that, in a good plan, you don't have to do anything yourself? Well, in most of my plans, I've managed to do just that. However, this is too big and too close to fruition to let it go to waste now. So, this is one of the rare occasions where I interfere myself, even though I hate having to do so. Best to make sure I won't have to do it again. You won't like it if I do."
"What're you going to do?" a small sense of fear suddenly struck the blond as he saw the gleam in Richard's eyes.
"I'm going to give you something." The bald man replied, eyes still locked on Naruto's. "I am going to give you that which no-one else can give you anymore. But I won't lie about this; it will hurt more then anything you can possible imagine. It'll help you learn why you shouldn't mess up my plans anymore."
Finally Richard lifted his arm from Naruto's shoulder and immediately a wave of unrivalled agony crashed into Naruto like an avalanche of pain. For the first time, the full sensation of his injuries crashed over him, making Naruto scream and howl in pain for a second. After that second, the pain was so excruciating that Naruto couldn't even scream anymore, only lie on his bed, tensed beyond believe, sometimes twitching with his mouth open in a silent scream.
Richard took a small step back, but Naruto failed to notice through the pain.
"I am going to return life to you." Richard said, ignoring Naruto's spasms of pain. His hands started to glow in a strange purple chakra, creating an orb that was rapidly growing.
"Behold!" Richard said as the orb grew large enough to match Naruto's arm. "This is the power of the Five-Tailed Dolphin Horse. The power to reverse time in a limited area. The power that will return life to you."
Richard engulfed Naruto's arm in the orb of purple chakra. The effect was immediate for Naruto; the pain from before was as nothing to this! Millions upon millions of blades cut into every single cell of his arm, magnified a thousand fold and all he could do was scream in silence as the pain paralyzed his lungs.
Richard just kept the orb of chakra on Naruto's arm, not flinching as the boy writhed in pain.
XxX
Tsunade had only just settled into her office for the day, going over the documents that required her attention, when she noticed two people coming towards her fast. Ten seconds later, a distraught and excited Ino dashed into her office, Sakura hot on her heels.
"What's going on?" Tsunade asked her two students, curious what had gotten them this excited. They didn't do messenger-functions unless it was really important.
"Tsu-Tsunade-Shisho," Ino puffed, trying to catch her breath, "It… it's Naruto a- and Sa-Sasuke!"
Immediately Tsunade sat at attention. Had they been killed in their sleep? Had they somehow woke up from their coma and continued their fight? Teenage boys always did try to solve their problems with fists rather then thought.
"Their arms!" Sakura also gasped. She had worked a night-shift, so the news must have been discovered when she was finishing up. Of course it would be, the people in the hospital would have been given their breakfast about fifteen minutes ago.
"What is it? Did they start to fester or infect?" That could be a problem indeed. So far, the two hadn't had any further complications, despite their injuries, but if it happened now…
"No, their arms are healed!" Ino blurted out, finally having regained her breath enough to talk normally. Immediately Tsunade shot out of her chair. Healed? Those injuries? There was no way that could have happened! In Naruto's case, there was a slight possibility that the Kyuubi might have played a role, but with Sasuke there was no such thing.
"Give me a full report, now!" Tsunade barked, quickly seating herself again.
"Just as I was finishing my shift and informing Ino of the status of our patients, we received a report from the nurses sent to feed Naruto and Sasuke-kun." Sakura began, also talking on a normal level again. Military-style training had kicked in and she was finally giving her report as objectively as possible. "They reported that both patients had somehow recovered from their injuries, though both are still drugged. Immediate checks indicate that both have made a full physical recovery and are able to physically perform on mission-level intensity."
"Well, that's really something." A new voice suddenly said, Jiraiya appearing behind the two girls. The man always tried to sneak up on his old teammate, saying it was to keep her senses sharp. Tsunade personally thought it was because he was still hoping for a chance to peep. This time though, his voice didn't sound as happy or confident as it normally did. As soon as he stepped into the room he closed the door behind him and started pacing.
"Is there any indication of what happened? A remnant of chakra or medicine detected in their systems that could explain any of it? Are there any theories about what caused this?"
"No, but there was something else odd." Ino now spoke up. Apparently, the two girls were going to be talking in turns today. Much better then how they had been a few years ago, nearly breaking into fights just to get the right to say something. "As we were running basic diagnostic tests on Naruto, he woke up and wasn't slowed by the drugs as would be normal in such a scenario. One of the doctors present immediately questioned him. Naruto told the doctor that he remembered only blinding pain, so intense that he hadn't been able to scream anymore, and a strange voice saying something."
"Also," Sakura added, "the ANBU guarding the room reported that nothing has happened inside the room. No sounds or movements other then those expected in a room with a sick man. The only visitor was a nurse around midnight who checked up on the patient's status. No changes reported then."
"Thank you for reporting this so quickly." Tsunade said, holding her hands together as her mind raced. "You're dismissed. Ino, you're still needed in the hospital and Sakura, you need to rest."
"Yes Tsunade-Shisho." Both girls bowed, turned and left. As soon as the door closed behind them, Jiraiya slapped a paper on the door, the seal preventing any sound from escaping to the outside.
"What'd you think, Jiraiya? What happened to him?"
"I have no idea." The white-haired man admitted as he marched through the room. "Other then you, Kabuto is the best medic I know of and he can sneak into a room guarded by ANBU, but why would he heal Naruto? Better yet, how did he do it? Are there any permanent changes? Erasing Naruto's memory wouldn't be needed; the pain will wipe out his memories of the moment, completely engulfing him. And nothing in my information network points to Kabuto being able to heal injuries like that."
"So, even you have no idea?" Tsunade was stunned; Jiraiya always had intel, always knew things no-one else did. The man's information network was more extensive then any other in the known world!
"However…" Jiraiya said, a thoughtful look on his face as he looked at Tsunade, "If the tests point out that Naruto is in mission-operative status… can you finish checking up on him, ensuring he'll be ready for a mission before noon?"
"Don't tell me you want to bring him along!"
"I do." Jiraiya now sat down in the chair, on level with Tsunade. "Naruto is one of the people I trust with my life. I need reliable people to watch my back and we know how we operate. I will hardly have to give him instructions, he'll know what to do and that is an invaluable skill when deep in enemy territory."
"Very well, if Naruto checks out alright, you can bring him along. If you pull this mission off and Naruto is a part of it, no-one can even begin to doubt his ability. But keep an eye on him! Also, if you bring Naruto, you'll have to bring Izayoi with you. She has been ordered by the Mizukage to stay close to Naruto. She didn't bother him at the hospital because I ordered her out and into an old house in the Uchiha complex, but if he goes on a mission… I don't want to know how far that girl will go to complete her orders. She takes them far too literally."
"I understand." Jiraiya nodded. "But I don't think we want her away from Naruto. In the exam, he proved to be able to somewhat control her. He stopped Izayoi from killing Hanabi and Sakura's reports indicate that she is now curious about Naruto as well. I'll keep her close, but with an eye on her. She might prove to be very useful. Not only is she strong, but she's been trained by the Mist. Assassination is a bit of a specialty of theirs."
XxX
The sun was setting, but already Team Jiraiya was on the borders of the Nation of Fire. They had pushed hard since leaving Konoha, but no-one had experienced difficulty in keeping up. Such a stark contrast between this and Jiraiya's previous team. They had covered three times as much ground as when Konohamaru and Hanabi had joined him and Naruto.
They hadn't stopped for lunch, instead eating while running. They needed to be inside the base that Sasuke had said would be Orochimaru's most likely hideout when recovering before the combined forces of Konoha, Sand and Rock would arrive to completely destroy the Sound village.
"We'll find a place to rest soon," Jiraiya informed his team. "Rest until midnight and then continue on." He had always disliked traveling at twilight, the light could reveal you when you thought you were well hidden, or hide things you wanted to see.
"So, how much longer will we be traveling?" Naruto asked. "And where are we going?"
"We'll be traveling for most of tomorrow as well, but we'll have to be more careful. Expect frequent patrols when we enter the Land of Sound and we can't afford to take them out. According to Sasuke, Orochimaru will be going to his greatest stronghold, a base in the south-east of the country."
"I take it we're relying on more than just Sasuke's intel?"
"Yes, I've checked everything Sasuke told Ibiki with what I already knew via my own network. His intel confirms my own, so it is at least partially reliable. It did help reduce my possible strike-sites from fifty-nine to ten. The other locations I had discovered are area's he doesn't visit personally, used only for training small cells of shinobi. Sasuke did tell us that the facility we're going to is the most protected, so we'll need to be at our best"
Naruto, Shizune and Izayoi all nodded, but said nothing more. Jiraiya summoned the three to close formation and a jump later they were all so close together that they could have touched each other without raising an arm.
"Now, on to the actual briefing," Jiraiya said, his voice now barely above a whisper. "Every cell of the Sound Village will be hit simultaneously by attacks from the Villages of Sand, Rock and Konoha, including the location we're going too. This is the most like an actual village, so the brunt of the attack will be at our location. Before the actual attack hits, we are to infiltrate Orochimaru's hideout and then use the confusion of the attack to assassinate him."
The three only nodded.
"The layout of the base is like a maze, intended to slow down any potential attacks like ours. If we get split up we may spend days wandering the base without knowing where we are. Once we reach the base we're going to meet up with Konoha's agent inside the base, who'll show us where Orochimaru is staying. The base itself is built almost completely underground, so we'll have likely notice very little about the battle up above. Aside from our insider's knowledge, Sasuke has given us a detailed map of the outside, with best points of entry and traps."
"How wise will it be to follow his word, Jiraiya-sama?" Shizune asked, her voice as kind as respectful as always. Tsunade really had trained her well. "He has not proven to be trustworthy and information like this could likely prove fatal if false."
"I know. But like I said, I checked everything Sasuke gave is with my own sources first. I am about ninety percent certain this information is true, but we'll keep an eye open anyway."
"It's rare that you're that sure." Naruto remarked, though he didn't look back to grin at his teacher.
"It's rare that I have an insider's information to compare to my own." Jiraiya returned. He glanced over at Izayoi, the only member who had not spoken a word since leaving Konoha. The girl only nodded when he gave an order, listened when he spoke but never said anything back. Obviously, the Mist had trained her to never question her orders. A good military doctrine, but it left little space for being human.
Shizune was now traveling at Jiraiya's side, her hands quickly moving in a sign-language that Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade had developed when they were kids. Apparently Tsunade had taught her that as well. A good means of silent and understandable communications, but one he hadn't used in nearly twenty years now.
Have you noticed how Izayoi-san keeps looking at Naruto-kun? The message was. Jiraiya shook his head; he had been traveling at the front of the group, the two Jinchuuriki in the center. He hadn't been able to notice such a small gesture.
Her eyes keep seeking him out, but she looks confused. Yes, that would fit with Sakura's report. Something was going on with the girl, but no-one knew what. Jiraiya only nodded, signaling acceptance.
"One more thing," Jiraiya said, reaching into his coat and extracting four small pieces of paper. He handed them out to everyone before continuing. "Those seals I just gave you are designed to suppress chakra. They'll hide your chakra signature completely, so to anyone who sees us we'll be just another civilian walking by. Not even the best sensors will find us now. However, this also means that we can't use Ninjutsu. We can use it to augment our physical abilities, but any chakra that goes outside of our body will be blocked. After we rest, attach the seal to the back of your hand, so it'll be easy to remove."
Again the three people nodded, before Naruto pointed to the side. A little distance to the side a perfectly-shaped cave was waiting, a good place for them to rest. With a nod of his head, Jiraiya directed the team to go there. They would sleep and eat and do whatever else they needed now. As soon as they woke, they would have to be on the way and they couldn't afford to leave marks while traveling in an enemy nation anymore.
When they woke, Jiraiya would finally have to get ready to do what he had been planning for over twenty years.
He would finally kill his best friend.
Beta Note: Kushin eX here, telling you all that this chapter has been beta'd by me.
As always, please leave a review telling me what you think.
