AN: Note that I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of the characters from either Anime. This work is a fanfiction written out of my love for the series and not in any attempt to make a profit.

Proofread by: Author and Kyluxia

Well, shit. This chapter turned up a fair amount darker than I first intended. I wish to warn people that this chapter brings up the darker sides of war and human nature. There's a reason for the Mature rating, so don't think things like this won't be brought up on occasion, even with the more light-hearted, humorous approach I've been taking with this story lately.

Chapter 19: The horrors of war and man


As soon as they realized what had woken them up, Sakura and Heikō shared a wince, as they realized they now felt how it was to be on the other side of a Haruno meltdown. Their clone or rather, the Sakura consciousness currently in control of it was obviously upset about something she had read in the book. Evident by the fact that as soon as Jiraiya showed his face, he found himself having to dodge the book the clone had been reading, shouting at him, demanding to know how he dared to even suggest they follow the instructions in the book.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, yawning as he squatted next to the real Sakura and Heikō who shrugged at him.

"No idea, whatever it is, I think Jiraiya deserves being woken up in the middle of the night for it. Sorry for waking you." Sakura apologized, having revealed herself by draping some of her hair over her right shoulder. Sleeping with their hair done up in a braid wasn't really pleasant, so whenever they could afford it, they avoided it. Either way, they had to remake the braid once they woke up, as it usually came undone anyways.

Nodding in understanding, Naruto made to leave, before hearing that the clone and Jiraiya were still being rather loud, and instead stopped and reached into one of his pockets, offering Sakura something.

Curious, Sakura took the offered package and saw that it was a small box of earplugs. Raising an eyebrow in question at Naruto, he shrugged. "Ero-Sensei snores sometimes." He offered as an explanation, smirking before he left. Thankful for the earplugs, Sakura put them in and went back to sleep, leaving her clone to deal with Jiraiya. She could inherit that anger later, as, at that moment, she was far too tired to get involved.


Meanwhile, a small distance away from the tents, where Jiraiya was nursing a bump to his head, the clone was going off on him.

"I can't believe you would endorse this! We should have known better, this could be considered-" The clone continued until Jiraiya decided he had had enough. It had taken a while to get his thoughts in order after waking up and realizing there wasn't an immediate threat on their hands. He had let the clone go off on him while he calmed himself down, to avoid lashing out and dispelling the clone. He wanted to meet with Fezā the next day, and there was no doing that without the clone there.

"Just calm down and explain what exactly it is you've taken exception to. I didn't write the damn thing, and I can't be expected to remember everything written in it. So please, consider that and explain what's wrong instead of being angry with me." Jiraiya tried to be diplomatic, which thankfully made the clone stop its rant, although, it didn't seem to calm it down as it continued to glare at him, seemingly bristling at whatever injustice she felt he had subjected them to through the book.

"This thing says I should have sex with Naruto!" She exclaimed, outraged, pointing at the book accusingly.

Jiraiya blinked in surprise and tried to think of what Sakura could mean, as he didn't remember any such entries at the top of his head, the closest he could recall to something like that was a mere suggestion for virgins to…

Jiraiya chuckled as he realized what Sakura had been referring to and shook his head. "Is that what this is about? It's a mere suggestion. Besides, in all honesty, while a little outdated for our current times, it is the truth." Jiraiya defended the book, which had Sakura staring at him, gaping in disbelief.

"H-how can you say that! We're twelve!" Sakura reminded him, and Jiraiya nodded.

"True, but you have to understand that the book was written during wartime, and as Genin, you're officially considered adults. No one, well, none of the Shinobi would judge you for losing your virginity this early." Jiraiya tried to explain.

"B-but it's sex! Why the hell would having sex be considered a good idea for freshly deployed Genin? It-it's stupid, immoral, and impractical!" Sakura insisted, while Jiraiya just shook his head.

"I guess your civilian upbringing might have you thinking like that. Let me try and explain it to you like this. You're going through puberty right now, no? You're a smart girl, and I believe you're aware of the changes and urges you're feeling as a result, as well as what you can expect. How are you dealing with it?" Jiraiya asked.

"Um, we took a Comfort pill," Sakura informed him, blushing slightly, and Jiraiya nodded.

"That's a fairly good way of dealing with it. Clean and pleasant. Now, do you think such a thing was invented yet back then, or if it was, that it was always available, or affordable?" Jiraiya asked, making the clone pause and think, realizing what Jiraiya was hinting towards.

"The Shinobi back then, Genin at the very least, had very little to help them through puberty. The suggestion in that book to have sex with a teammate was advantageous in multiple ways. For older Shinobi, it was an excellent way to destress, blow off some steam and enjoy someone else's company. Looking at it from a very blunt and objective point of view, it built relations between Shinobi and kept their desires in check." Jiraiya continued to explain, while Sakura was stunned, both by disgust and uncertainty, as she could see the logic behind it.

"Now, as a Genin who graduated during a time of peace, not to mention having come from a civilian family, I imagine you have no idea how terrible true war can be. Shinobi, while honored and revered within our village and country, can only truly do so due to the great amount of work put in by the village to paint us in a favorable light. The will of fire, our approval from the Daimyo, and the fact that we have civilians living with us who interact with us as human beings daily. However, our profession has a much darker past than that. Shinobi, despite fighting in wars, do so not through firepower and frontline assault. When Shinobi go to war, that is only a single aspect of it all. Sabotage, poison, assassination, infiltration, and much, much more. War is horrible, and it brings the absolute worst out of good men and villages." Jiraiya told the clone, his tone growing serious and somber, making the clone a little apprehensive towards what Jiraiya was leading up to.

"You must understand that, when it comes to war, a victory means everything. Suicide missions, betrayal, and disregard for both individual and global morals occur on both sides. In the last war, some villages even resorted to releasing their prisoners, arming them with suicide seals, making them act as suicide bombers, either trapping their minds with Genjutsu to return to their homes and take their loved ones out or in case they came from their own villages, sending them out to die in a blaze of glory and a pardon." Jiraiya informed them, and Sakura couldn't do anything more than a nod, to show that she was still listening.

Sighing, Jiraiya continued as he sat down, Sakura following his example. "And now, to my point. With the morals of all involved lowered, criminals running around and pointed in the direction of enemy nations, certain, particularly cruel and mentally unwell individuals roamed the battlefield. With an anything-goes mentality, torture was common if you were caught and managed to survive the ambush, and if you were lucky, you managed to take whatever they tortured you for to the grave, killed quickly. If you were unlucky, however…" Jiraiya frowned, a dark, haunted look taking hold in his eyes as he trailed off.

It took Jiraiya a while to recover, one during which the clone didn't dare disturb him, or even take a breath. Only managing to release the breath it had held as Jiraiya returned to normal. "Well, let's say that going mad, spilling secrets, or being manipulated into turning against your own village were particular favorites. However, there exists another, a particularly sick option that came up even now and again." Jiraiya informed them, looking them straight in the eyes as he explained.

"Rape. Sexual assault on the unlucky Genin that were caught. Before, or after torture, regardless of age or sex. It happened, and as little as it helps, having given your virginity to someone you know well was a small blessing to most, but it did its job. Statistically, those that had already had sex were less likely to break during such circumstances and provided they survived and retained their sanity, came out of that shit-show better than those that hadn't. That's why that book strongly recommends bonding with your teammates on such an intimate level, although, it was hardly considered intimate in such a setting. That is something I am hoping to get into your head. Sex, while it can be a romantic thing, is nothing more than sex. It brings pleasure and is a natural process in our biology. You gain nothing out of clinging to the civilian idea of chastity. As a Shinobi, it can quite possibly end up hurting you instead. As long as you, and the one taking your virginity both understand this, there should be no issues concerning sex between teammates. Heck, I'm pretty sure at least half the children from your generation, or the one before that were conceived in this manner." Jiraiya finished his explanation with what he considered a light-hearted joke.

"Fuck, that's depressing and horrifying to think about." Heikō summarised, sharing in Sakura's revulsion at the thought of what Shinobi might have done and gone through during the last Shinobi war, the two wars preceding it possibly being just as bad, if not worse. It made them both feel sick.

Noticing the look on the clone's face, Jiraiya shook his head. "It's horrible, I know. It's why I, as well as most Shinobi I know, prefer to discuss such topics with some Sake on hand." Jiraiya informed them, before handing them a bottle.

It took a moment for the clone to register what exactly Jiraiya had handed them. Showing their distaste for the idea of drinking, the clone grimaced, seeing Jiraiya already drinking from another bottle, only to reconsider. They were a clone. Drinking with others could be considered the norm for certain Shinobi, and it was only polite to accept an offered drink. Drinking as a clone was likely not going to result in a hangover for their real counterpart, and it would be an ideal way to check their own alcohol resistance, as well as get used to the taste of Sake. With a final shrug, the clone uncorked the bottle and took a sip, deciding to see what made Sake and alcohol in general such a big thing, as well as explore how well it worked for dealing with shitty crap like what Jiraiya had told them.


The first thing the Haruno twins registered as they woke up was the smell. While not something they were used to, the smell of Sake was unmistakable, the question, was why it was permeating their tent as much as it was. With a frown, Sakura took control and looked around, only to see their clone, undressed and reeking of Sake laying next to them. Glaring at the clone, and already feeling a headache coming on from the no doubt stupid memories the clone would leave them with, Sakura sighed and hoped her dignity wasn't going to plummet any more than it had back when Naruto had seen them naked. Throwing a blanket over the most likely drunk and hungover clone, she brushed their hair, braided it, and got dressed before leaving the tent in search of Jiraiya to demand why their clone was drunk and naked in their tent.


AN: Kyluxia here. Our inquisitive young ninja have just learned an important lesson about the darker aspects of humanity, and how far people are willing to go to win a war. On a lighter note, what could have happened between Jiraiya and the clone? The Haruno sisters will certainly find out when they summon Feza! Until next time.

Fictional Fanatic: While not something explored in the Naruto canon, I don't think that even that universe is free of the darkness known as perverts that prey on children. I shudder at the thought of what happened to many of the Genin that went to war. It is sad to know the history of our own world is not much better.