TH: "I want to protect everyone but they don't trust me, waaah, waaah. Guess I'll just be evil." Seriously, I have been really disappointed in the way the villains have been characterized in the manga. Apparently, everyone in Naruto is just misunderstood and no one is corrupted by power.

Anyway, the abilities I attribute to a certain kitty are attributed to the source legend it came from. Oh yeah, there's this really great website that I stumble on! It's an encyclopedia of Japanese legendary creatures, and it's really interesting. It's the Obakemono Project if you want to google it.


Going Sideways


Chapter Fifty-five

Theme:: Spirit


Sakura yelped as her chakra wavered, guttering like a candle about to go out. Her henge dropped, and she fell to Itachi's feet, a fox once more. She squeaked when she landed, feeling the drain of all her jutsu on her chakra reserves as a muscle tremor.

"Sensei?" Itachi asked, crouching worriedly.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," she assured him. "Just tired."

Itachi touched her head with a green-glowing hand anyway. As her apprentice mother-henned her, Sakura looked up at Kakashi. "You said before that Minato-sama sent you? Does that mean he's out of his meeting with Jiraiya?"

"Yes," Kakashi replied. "It's been a few hours. I think Jiraiya-sama's getting ready to leave again."

"What?" Sakura startled. "Leave again already?"

"He has another mission," Kakashi nodded. Sakura's ears twitched and Itachi stood up.

"He hasn't already left, has he?" Sakura asked in concern. Kakashi shook his head. "Where do you think I could find—wait. Stupid question; nevermind."


Sakura did indeed find Jiraiya near the women's side of the hotsprings, but he didn't have his face pressed against his peeping hole. Instead, he was sitting on a nearby tree stump, head tipped back staring blankly at the sky. Hesitantly, Sakura edged forward.

"Jiraiya-sama?"

"Ah, Sakura-chan! Missed me too much to stay away long, eh?" he pasted a bright smile on his face. A mask. Sakura hesitated.

"Jiraiya-sama? Are you alright?"

There was a long pause, and Jiraiya's head tilted back again to the sky. "Alright?" he said musingly, a bitter little smile curling the edges of his mouth.

"Jiraiya-sama… Your apprentices… I'm sorry," she started awkwardly. How could you console the bereft when you thought the deceased were better off dead?

"I knew this was a possibility when I started teaching them," Jiraiya said. "But I don't think this is why you searched me out. Have you come to say goodbye?"

Sakura didn't think it was healthy, the way Jiraiya was avoiding the topic of his grief, but he very clearly wasn't going to talk about it, and there was no way Sakura could ever get him to do what he didn't want to do. Maybe if Tsunade was there… He had always been more responsive to his old Teammates. But she was still off wandering with Shizune, unable to let go of her past and yet unwilling to associate with anyone from it.

"Kakashi said you were leaving on another mission soon," Sakura said quietly.

"I am going to Kumo, to talk to their Jinchuuriki," he said. Sakura blinked.

"The… Nibi?" she said.

"The Nekomata can speak with the spirits of the dead," Jiraiya said shortly. "And we need to know if Madara has Nagato's Rinnegan."

"Oh!" Sakura said. "That's… a really good idea. Do you think you'll be able to speak with her? The Jinchuuriki?"

"Minato has sent a message ahead to Kumo. Our relations aren't so bad with them that they'll refuse out-of-hand. They might have some strong strictures on how and when we can meet, but I imagine they will let it happen."

It would be good for Jiraiya if he could talk to his apprentices once more, even if it was through the medium of the Nibi. As Sakura understood it, Yugito Nii, the Jinchuuriki, had one of the better relationships with her Bijuu tenant. She should be able to help Jiraiya contact the spirits of Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko. They should finally find out whether Madara took the Rinnegan. And Jiraiya could have some closure.

"Are you explaining to them why you want a meeting?"

"Yes," Jiraiya said. "If they require that we meet with escorts, it would be impossible to keep the truth from them, since I would have to speak aloud to the Jinchuuriki to tell her what questions to ask the spirits."

"That's true," Sakura said. "And I'm kind of glad. Madara isn't just a threat to us; I think they should know he's out there."

"I will warn them," assured Jiraiya. "Minato said the same thing as you."

Sakura relaxed a little. If Madara went after the Jinchuuriki again, then maybe this fore-warning would help. "I hope you have good luck, Jiraiya-sama. But be careful just the same."

"I always am," he replied.