Well, I'm back to writing! And that means we're back to war, hope that's what' you guys wanted, cuz it's been going on for a while. Sorry about that horifying wait, though. I'll try my best not to do it again, but that's all I can really promise.

I don't own this

One week. Naruto had been with Suna and Taki forces for a single week, and his hair was likely starting to turn gray. No more 'Gold flash', it'll be gray now. Sai and Sho had proven to be more than capable when it came to actual work, but any moment that they had free time Naruto felt like he was babysitting. Between the petty arguments and squabbles, the antagonizing of the other shinobi, and the nearly constant questions Naruto was ready to have them take a long walk off a short pier.

On the other hand, the two seemed to work tirelessly, and they had helped the rest of the shinobi really dig into the terrain. The majority of the border now had deep trenches, defendable and/or hidden bases, and more than a few traps were strewn about. Naruto had made the rounds with both Temari and Kankuro, Sai and Sho occasionally tagging along, and had helped and overseen the building of the fortifications. A Few hundred clones could go a long way.

As it was now, Sai was pointedly ignoring a loud Sho while Naruto tried to eat his meal in peace. By the sounds of spy reports, it may well be one of the last peaceful meals they would have for a while…

Iwa had sent a force out of the village. The exact numbers were currently unknown, but a few thousand was a relatively safe bet according to a number of spies. There had also been some form of infighting which delayed the deployment of those shinobi, something that both relieved and worried Temari and Kankuro. It had bought them time, but since the spies couldn't actually get into the village they were in the dark about what the Iwa nin were fighting about.

Naruto finished his meal, stood, and sighed loudly to attract the attention of the children. "Come on, we have another round to make today, and the Sand Siblings are probably already waiting for us."

They were. And Kankuro didn't look very happy when he heard Sho before seeing the trio. "Naruto, good to see you so punctual."

Ignoring the light sarcasm, the blond replied with, "Thanks, it's good to see you like to be early. Really inspiring."

Sai interrupted the banter then, "Naruto, were we not late by three minutes?"

Temari smirked to herself as Naruto forced a tight smile. "Thank you, Sai. Let's start the inspection of the troops so I can ram my head into a tree."

"As much as I've 'changed' I still enjoy watching you suffer."

The five took off, and Temari tried to keep the mood as light as a war would allow. "Hey Naruto, I think you'll be pleased to hear that Konoha sent a spy into Iwa for us since they dispatched those troops."

Naruto didn't say it, but he knew who it was. Only Jiraiya would be crazy enough to infiltrate an enemy village like this. Luckily he was good enough to do it, too. Hell, if Tsunade wanted to, she could have Jiraiya use his Hirashin kunai to have Naruto assassinate Onoki.

"It won't be long before we have some more intel, then," Naruto responded with a small smirk.

"Confident in your village, I see," Kankuro prodded, "Or at least the ninja in it."

"Not… ALL of them, no," Naruto looked behind him. Sai was walking normally, but he was ignoring Sho. The air-headed Root member was balancing a spinning Kunai on the tip of his tongue. Chakra training, yes, but it still looked really stupid.

There was a lull in all sound, and Naruto picked up on the change in the atmosphere a split second before the Sand Siblings did.

"Dodge."

Four of the five members of the little group leaped up and away, leaving a dazed Sho to bear the brunt of an attack. A massive chunk of earth and rock hat crashed into him, sending him flying into a tree, his kunai forgotten as his head bled freely.

"Fucking hell!" Naruto sent a pair of clones in the direction of the Jutsu's origin, and they were soon followed by a Suna and a Taki nin. Naruto rushed to Sho's side.

Kankuro cursed lowly as he followed. "Why the fuck did we not have sensors focusing underground? These shits live in a rock, for fuck's sake!"

Temari sent of a lone shinobi to inform the sensor corp. of the threat. "Naruto, how is the damage?"

The blond jinchuriki propped Sho up against the tree, and he let out a sigh of relief as his unfocused eyes opened. "Conscious, but he's losing blood. Sai, bring a medic here, I don't feel comfortable moving him like this."

"Understood."

Sho's head lolled upwards, and he tried to focus on one of the several Naruto's in front of him. "Wouldn't you guess, huh boss? They're here."

"What?" Naruto asked, "Sho, don't speak if it's too hard. You took a heavy shot, just wait for a med nin. And we know that Iwa's here. They snuck underneath and behind us."

Inside Sho's head was a mess.

Flashes of memories, all bombarding him at once. His mother and father, happy with him even though they had to remain secret. A Konoha Kunoichi and an Iwa Shinobi, who could have guessed?

"No no, boss, Not Iwa! The readers! They're back… and it's been so long."

"Sho you aren't making any sense buddy."

Flash. His mother's corpse, slamming onto the wooden floor in front of him hard enough to splash the pooling blood onto young Sho's face. Was that even his name?

Flash. His father, crucified by four tanto to the wall of the living room, writhing in agony for no sin other than being born in Iwa.

Flash. Danzo. "Rescuing" him from a broken home, the Root members behind him covered in the blood of his family.

"Naruto, the medic is here," Temari said softly.

"It's alright, boss. I'm not the author of this story or even my own story, but he who is won't let me die."

"Is he always like this?" the man who passed as a medic asked.

Flash. Torture. Failed seals. More torture. Successful seals.

"No, he's usually less crazy. Not by much, but most of what he says makes sense."

Flash, and a memory.

"I do not trust the Kyuubi Jinhuriki. We will use him to finish reforming Sai and Sho, but as soon as he becomes too bothersome for our plans he will have to be eliminated."

"Danzo-sama, how will we manage this? We do not have anyone currently capable."

With Sho's final conditioning, his last seal will force him to carry out the assassination once he is closer to the boy. We may need Namikaze for the war, but afterwards, I will be sure to remove both him and our current excuse of a Hokage."

"I look forward to working with you, sir."

"Likewise."

"His concussion is pretty severe, and the swelling is already causing problems. I've managed to stop the internal bleeding, though," the medic said.

"Where's the boss? He's awesome, I'm sure the author will make him fix me. I'm too beautiful to die right now."

Sho was thinking clearly now, although no matter how hard he tried his mouth wouldn't say what his brain wanted to shout.

"Naruto! Don't trust Danzo! Don't trust ROOT! Warn… warn the Hokage… and don't, trust, ME!"

"It figures that this would happen now, you know?"

"No, I don't know. Why don't you tell me? Just stay awake with me, okay?" the medic urged while Naruto watched over his shoulder.

"It makes sense that this would happen now. It feels like that the last few chapters of my life have gone too well. Almost as if the great author has been granting us reprieve… and his divine judgment has decided that the time for peace has ended. He's a real ass hat, that guy."

"Yes, I agree. What else do you have to say?"

"You know, doc, for as many lives as I believe I've saved… I think that the weight of my sins will drown me in the blood of the innocent that my hands are dipped in…"

And the crazy, albeit brainwashed, ninja succumbed to his head injury. He was rendered unconscious, but the medic assured everyone that Sho would live.

As Naruto left with Temari to mobilize four thousand shinobi, Sho's clear thoughts faded away along with his concussion.

Danzo used a very barbaric, ancient kind of mental seal. The state of mind that a person was in whenever the seal was applied would be the time that the seal would be at its weakest. In times past, rulers would use the seal on troops that were under the influence of a variety of drugs, but that was a scenario that could be accidentally replicated.

In Sho's case, being so concussed and on death's door was the perfect time for his seal to be applied. Any Root member that badly injured was supposed to be burned alive by his comrades, so as to not leave a trace or slow down the group. This was a rare occurrence indeed…

"I guess it's time to stop messing around, huh?" Naruto asked as he walked alongside Temari.

"Yeah, time to really show us why you were sent alone. If they're close enough to send a vanguard for an assassination attempt, they're close enough to attack. Our scouts must have been picked off."

"You want me to send off a few clones? I don't mind abusing them."

"If you would. Save me a few scouts and it's a good start to earning your keep!"

Naruto obliged, and before another moment passed three clones had sped off. "I guess this is where the war really starts, huh?"

"Yeah. They're around somewhere, and I'd imagine that before dusk tomorrow we'll see bodies. I'll have to find Baki-sensei and get some more advice…" Temari trailed off as she finished speaking.

Naruto nodded slowly as his gaze trailed off mush the same way Temari's voice did. "I guess there's no helping it. These last few weeks I've been just coasting, putting off this idea that I'm going to kill more people than I ever have before. Might as well get over it, huh? Time to start getting serious again."

Kankuro walked up to the pair as Naruto finished, "Darn, I was starting to like smart ass Naruto!"

Naruto smirked, "That makes two of us."

Sasuke pulled his sword from the chest of a Kumo shinobi, the other two in the enemy scouting group being handled by Anko's hands and Ryu's fangs. With his dying breath, the Kumo nin bleeding at Sasuke's feet threw one last kunai at the Uchiha's throat, one that was easily avoided.

"There'll be more where that came from!" Anko said gleefully, wiping down her bloody hands with the man's ruined shirt.

"Summon me back when they appear, young Sasuke," Ryu's flat command was the only precursor to his disappearing. Sasuke had been in the middle of a session practicing fighting alongside Ryu when the scouting party chanced upon them.

Sasuke gave a grunt in true Uchiha fashion, sheathing his sword as he did so. He had hoped that they wouldn't see combat for a little while longer, and now he only hoped that Sakura was having a better time than he was.

Sakura wiped her forearm across her brow, only really managing to replace the sweat with blood. Mist had attacked during the night, and Sakura had been in the medical tents ever since. Now the sun was doing its best to reflect into the tent Sakura was in.

In the next room was Ino, doing her absolute best to break the minds of the prisoners that Dray dragged in. The older boy had started the day strong, but now he was covered in both sweat and bruises. Able-bodied prisoners weren't always compliant.

To make matters worse, when the Mist shinobi found out that they were being taken to a Yamanaka they often killed themselves before Ino could fully grasp their minds. Sakura routinely checked on her team between patients, and every trip she was either healing Dray or sharing soldier pills with Ino.

Kakashi had left her to her own devices two hours into the attack to go and help out, trusting that the steady rhythm Sakura's team had managed would maintain itself. It had.

"You're Sakura, right?" the woman stretched out on the cot managed to ask between grit teeth. "Tsunade's pink-haired apprentice? You can save my leg, right?" she was panting by the end.

Sakura leaned over the trembling woman to see the damage.

It wasn't pretty. Everything from halfway down her thighs was ripped to shreds with the occasional bone protruding from the mangled flesh. Four inches above the damage was a tourniquet, two inches higher than usual. Even the field medic knew she would have to amputate.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said lowly. The woman's eyes went wide as the pinkette's hand went to her neck, striking the nerve to put her under. They were out of anesthesia.

There had been plenty of people who suffered similar injuries that she'd been able to save. Removing part of a calf or resetting a few bones would only require intensive therapy later down the line, but Sakura didn't have time to save this woman's leg. There were three other people waiting for her. Motioning to an assistant, Sakura formed a chakra scalpel and got to work.

Naruto sat at a table alongside Temari and Kankuro, waiting for Waterfall's representatives to show up. Naruto knew that the three of them would be overlooked due to their age, but they could at least show up on time.

The door opened suddenly as two Taki shinobi strolled in. They were both much older than anyone had expected, but one thought of Danzo and the Old man made Naruto expect anything from them.

"We're all here, good. We get started right away," the older lady began. Her male counterpart pulled out her seat for her, and he followed suit soon afterward.

Kankuro looked like he wanted to say something, but his older sister was the first to speak. "We have our shinobi out on the line right now holding of Iwa's main force. What are your plans for a defense?" her voice was heated, likely due to the fact that Suna was the only one actually fighting.

"Defense?" the older man started. Naruto figured that he was the only person who hadn't been introduced yet since the other four seemed to already know each other fairly well. Naruto also knew that Sai and a healed Sho would be listening in for any clues about their secondary objective.

"You know," Naruto interjected, "that thing one does when they have something they want to keep?"

"We're too old for any of that anymore. We are simply here to show Konoha that Taki and her people stand with you, the planning is to be left up to Konoha and Suna."

Naruto took a deep, aggravated breath in as Temari and Kankuro bristled.

Kankuro spoke next, "You kept us waiting for twenty minutes for this?" he was understandably heated.

"Why aren't there any Taki forces backing us up on the field?" Temari demanded.

"Children," the old woman droned, "I am just like every other member on Waterfall's elder council. I make few, yet important, decisions and let the youth handle everything else." The old man nodded in agreement.

"And why aren't there any Konoha forces fighting, hmm? This is their war, after all," the wrinkled man asked.

"Because you've been holding them up for twenty minutes," Naruto almost snarled.

"You? You're all that Konoha sent? Pity."

Temari and Kankuro stiffened. They knew what was about to happen.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your names."

"Kurotatsu Jintou," said the man.

"Mina Jintou," the woman chimed immediately after.

"And do you happen to know who I am?" Naruto pressed.

Mina eyed the blond with clear distaste, "Yes, we do. Jinchuriki," She spit to the side after saying the word. "And a child no less."

"You disrespect Konoha like this?" Kankuro stood as he growled.

"Konoha disrespects US! We face a powerful enemy and they send a boy! We didn't expect Shikaku Nara but this is foolish!"

The room went silent. Precious time and lives were being lost, and Taki was to blame.

"I see you don't appreciate jinchuriki very much. You have already managed to insult both me and my home, let's see what you have to say about my kind" Naruto hissed the end of his sentence. Kankuro sat back down. "What happened to the Nanabi Jinchuriki?"

"Someone took her. We couldn't care less, and the council was unanimous in refusing a rescue party. It wasn't important, but this fight is."

Naruto knew that these old fools would die tonight. If Sai and Sho didn't do it then he would.

Temari was the voice of reason during the escalating matters. "Here's what's going to happen. You two will return to Taki and deliver a message. 'You have two options. Send every Shinobi you are willing to offer along with a competent commander or make an enemy of both Konoha and Suna. The disrespect of your chosen elders has cost your village an alliance with at least Suna, and Konoha will no doubt follow."

"Ha! You children don't have the authority!" Mina's voice was losing some of its confidence. Being responsible for the destruction of one's village might do that to a person.

"The Kazekage is our brother and hand-picked us for this mission," Kankuro stared down Kurotatsu as he spoke.

"I am the next best candidate for Hokage, and the Clan head of both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans," Naruto added, standing as he did so. "Now if you will excuse me, I just felt one of my Hirashin Markers get thrown in a place I'm needed much more than here. I'll leave the Kyuubi to help out my Suna allies," Naruto smiled at Temari then, showing his seriousness.

"Wh-where could be more important than here?" Mina asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman. "Iwa."

Sakura had just finished a six-hour shift in the tents, and now she was resting with her team on the far end of the medical bay. They had a four-hour break before they were given their roles for the next six hours, but Sakura had woken up early. Almost an hour early. Odd, considering how exhausted she was.

She must have healed a hundred people on her own. And lost a dozen. She knew it was inevitable, and everyone she lost wouldn't even have survived if Tsunade herself had been present, but it still hurt to know they passed because she wasn't good enough. She would get better.

"Sakura," Kakashi stumbled in, his blood-covered hands leaving imprints on the tent canvas. "You're switching spots, and I'm taking over your team as the leader while you're gone. They need a field medic right now, and Mist seems to have a few Kumo shinobi that have erected a powerful Earth Dome to wait for reinforcements. I volunteered you to bust it down since no one else could."

Sakura looked at her sensei and took immediate note of his state. It wasn't so much that he was overly injured just extremely exhausted. He had been operating nonstop since the attack started.

"Don't you need a break a little longer than an hour?" she asked quietly.

"Jonin have to learn to fight through the fatigue, Sakura. That's why I didn't mind getting you up early. Now, go make us proud."

Sasuke growled as he bit down on the deep cut his forearm received. The flame leaking from his mouth cauterized it quickly, bringing silent tears to the Uchiha's eyes. Lee was in front of him, first gate open as he caved skulls with every blow. The brown-haired Ava stood to his right, scribbling on tags while Lee covered his team.

Ava was a new Chunin in the Sealing Corps, but since she was just barely touching on what Naruto knew a few years ago Sasuke thought she was in over her head. The endless supply of bomb tags was nice though.

Ryu had fought himself into a corner off to the side, and Sasuke considered forcibly sending him home for now. Anko was with him, though, so Sasuke would wait. His arm no longer bleeding, Sasuke jumped back into the fight next to Lee. The bushy-browed ninja had opened the second gate, and Sasuke had to admit that he was likely as fast as himself and Naruto now.

"Ava!" Sasuke called out. Since she was behind the pair now, he also gave her a hand signal just in case she missed the verbal cue.

"Duck!" her voice pierced the sounds of the surrounding battle.

Sasuke and Lee did so, and the girl behind them threw a pair of kunai forward. There were four Kumo shinobi left in front of the boys, and they paid almost no attention to the two widespread projectiles. Until the tags unfurled from the line that connected them.

The four tried to leap backward, but the line had already gotten caught in their legs. The resounding explosion shook the battlefield, and the screams that followed afterward sounded distant in comparison.

"Nice shot, Ava!" Lee congratulated as the cloak of chakra the two open gates gave him dissipated.

"Thanks, you two catch a breather while I go put down the two that survived."

Sasuke saw what she meant, and there were indeed two Kumo shinobi that had lived through the explosion. Naruto's tags would have blown away ALL of them, but that's a pretty high standard. Neither of them had legs, but unfortunately only one had gone numb from the shock. The woman who hadn't was clutching at her bleeding stumps, cutting her hands on the jagged bone as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"Thank you," Sasuke muttered as he averted his gaze.

Lee and Sasuke took the time to look around them, seeing their comrades engaged in similar battles. Anko and Ryu were fighting off half a dozen shinobi, but there didn't seem to be any struggle in Anko's crazed smile. Then again you could never tell with that woman. What did Itachi see in her?

"Sasuke, one O'clock, there is a most youthful opponent! He has eliminated two teams so far!" Lee's voice was strained in the efforts to stay positive. He likely wanted to rip that man apart.

Sasuke looked in that direction as well, and he saw who Lee was talking about. The man was in his early twenties by the look of him, and he was wielding a long Katana as he ran through the third team of Konoha Shinobi. Sasuke would put an end to him.

"Lee, take Ava and regroup with Anko. Finish off her opponents and then come aid me if I still need it. I doubt I will."

"Yes, Sir! Come, oh, youthful Ava!" Lee seemed to take comfort in the fact that Sasuke would handle the situation. Over the mission, Lee found out that when Sasuke went to handle something it was definitely handled.

Sasuke moved in front of the approaching shinobi and drew his own katana, his Eternal Mangekyo blazing.

"Oh? The baby Uchiha?" the stranger asked, raising his sword.

"You seem to have me at an advantage. What's your name?" Sasuke asked warily. He had become very cautious about talking during fights thanks to Naruto. He saw the headband was from Mist and was further confused. That was the only one he had seen so far.

"I have no name yet, but once I become the next member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist I'll have an answer! Unfortunately for you, you will never get the chance to learn it!"

Why was he here? Fighting for Kumo seemingly alone?

Sasuke didn't have time to question it further since the nameless ninja had engaged with a flurry of strikes. Sasuke was forced onto the defensive, and he could tell right away that this man had much more training with a sword than he did. Sasuke stayed defensive for a few long seconds, but he began to notice the intricate patterns that Zabuza liked to use. The gaps were longer, too, since Zabuza was much better than either of the two combatants.

Sasuke launched a single counter, right at the end of a sequence he knew Zabuza used to bait him into attacking. The gap was too large to be a real bait, so Sasuke felt confident he was safe to strike.

"Oh! The baby Uchiha has some skills with a blade! How did this happen?"

Sasuke smirked, deciding that the fight was over. "Zabuza Momoichi taught me, and you have no hope of ever reaching that man's level."

Just as Sasuke expected, the nameless nin was shell-shocked by the news, and in that split second Sasuke summoned the concentration needed for Ameterasu. The flames would end the fight.

Except they didn't. The sword was in front of the nameless man's chest suddenly, and it caught aflame instead of his torso. "That Demon taught you! Then I will take pleasure in killing both an Uchiha and a student of the last generation of Swordsmen!" then he flicked his sword, sending the flames to the ground in a burning puddle.

"How?" Sasuke asked as he was put on the defensive once more. He would have to find a way through this without his flames. His own skills likely wouldn't work either, since this man was honestly almost as good as Zabuza. Sasuke could always use Susanoo, but the drain from that would make it a last resort. Worst case scenario, he would wait for Lee and Anko as a backup.

"I know you Uchiha like your fire, so I am fighting with Water Chakra coursing through my blade! I can cut through any fire you blow at me, or slough off any of your black sorcery!"

Sasuke smiled then, an honest to goodness smile. That's why Naruto stressed staying silent during fights. Water Chakra, huh? How well does it hold against lightning…?

A different opening caught Sasuke's eye and using his Mangekyo he memorized the sequence that led up to it. Another three seconds of hard raining blows and Sasuke knew it was coming. Sasuke channeled his lightning Chakra the way Anko and Itachi had shown him as he struck back.

The nameless man felt the powerful shock and his fingers numbed. His sword dropped, and his eyes filled with fear. Sasuke ended him the way he knew Zabuza would want to go, by the blade. His head rolled down his chest before hitting his toes, and Sasuke smiled in grim relief.

Time to meet back up with Anko.

Sakura made her way to the front lines as quickly as she could, hoping to get Mist's defenses down before they could regroup. She healed the occasional shinobi on her way out, but for the most part, the other field medics were performing well enough. It was rare that Sakura's skills were truly tested, but when they were it was clear that no one else could do it.

She saw the massive construct before she reached Konoha's front line. It was truly impressive, and she understood why Mist needed extra Earth users shipped in. It was much like that oto nin Jirobo's Earth Dome but supersized.

"Sakura! Kakashi said you would be here soon!" Gai greeted her. "I don't see a way to break that dome without opening at least five of the gates, which is something I would prefer to avoid until it's needed. You don't have such a restriction, though."

Sakura looked at the construct again, then back to the faces of the expectant Konoha shinobi. Then, channeling her inner Sasuke, she smirked. "With Tsunade's strength technique I shouldn't need five."

The cheers that followed grew when she opened the third gate, and then she was gone. Gai followed her movements easily but most present couldn't. Suddenly, she was above the dome, and there was a loud and resounding Crack! As the dome started to split and crumble. She could have obliterated it if she would have listened to Gai and took the time to open five gates, but she HAD to show off… Oh well, she healed her broken hand before she even got back to the cheering crowd.

"Now let's get back to work, my youthful comrades!" Gai shouted as he charged back forward.

Sometime before…

Jiraiya had done it. He was in Iwa, and no one was the wiser! The constant rain didn't seem to deter anyone, though, and he had to work to remain inconspicuous in the busy streets. He was in the civilian section of the village, and the few civilians permitted in the village were bustling to get what supplies they could. Jiraiya knew all too well the hard times that war could bring on the people.

Jiraiya made his way to a bar, hoping to score both some info and some tail. Eh, old habits die hard. Opening the door, Jiraiya smelled exactly what he was looking for. Hard liquor and vomit. Most people here would be too far gone to realize that he wasn't supposed to be here.

Taking a seat at a booth just off of the center of the wall, Jiraiya waved over a barmaid. "Bottle of Sake if you've any left, miss," Jiraiya said gruffly. There was no real reason to change his voice, these were civilians after all, but it never hurt to get into the habit early.

"We're running low, the cost is up," the maid gave him a look, possibly suspicious that he didn't already know this.

Grumbling for a show, Jiraiya followed with, "I knew I should have been in before today… Fine, I'll pay whatever the extra is. I just have to lose this damned edge."

A quick flash of coin was all the extra encouragement she needed.

As Jiraiya waited he strained his hearing to pick up anything the drunken workers were saying. Of course, there was the usual complaining and talk of the barmaids, but a few things actually stood out.

"Man this new Tsuchikage is a real hard-ass ain't he?"

"Yeah, and that defective Suna guy with him ain't no *hiccup* none better."

"Did ya hear the rumors about that Dedra? He used to be one of us."

"Nah, he wouldn't have been allowed to be Kage if he actually left. I think he just went undercover!"

"Then how do you explain his Sashori friend?"

"He must have defected from Suna when he met the Tsuchikage!"

Jiraiya did his best to keep his face passive and then smiled lecherously at the woman who brought him his sake. Being a pervert was both a blessing and a curse!

Taking a swig, Jiraiya used the bottle to hide his scowl. Onoki was no longer the Tsuchikage. This in itself was news... and rather big news at that. What made matters worse was that it sounded like Deidara had returned to Iwagakure. How he got the shinobi to accept him Jiraiya had no clue.

Based on the intel that Obito had disclosed, Jiraiya figured that 'Sashori' was Sasori of the Red Sand. Not too hard to figure out if you already knew the members in Akatsuki… but what did this mean? Did Iwa support Akatsuki or found them? Has Akatsuki taken over Iwa?

Things weren't looking good, but they could always get better. There was more than one occasion that Jiraiya had managed to find something of use in the midst of horrible news. All he had to do was keep looking.

Jiraiya left after finishing his sake, stumbling slightly to give the impression that he had drank too much. Halfway down the street, he noticed that something was very, very wrong.

What was once a bustling marketplace was now a ghost town. Not a single person was present, and Jiraiya was immediately wary. The light drizzle started to slow, and then it finally came to a stop. Much too suddenly for Jiraiya's liking.

"What's this? One of the Legendary Sannin, un?" came a playful voice.

Jiraiya didn't know the voice personally, but he had a bad feeling because of it.

"What are you doing in my village, old-timer?" a blond man walked out of an alleyway at the opposite end of the street, smiling as he spoke. He was wearing the robes of a Kage.

"Deidara, I presume? Lovely place you got here, wonderful booze," Jiraiya complimented as he furiously planned within his mind.

Okay, what was his thing again? Clay-based explosions? I can work around that, and hopefully, he will avoid the bigger ones to save the buildings here.

"Got it in one, un!"

There was a shift below Jiraiya, and only years and years of surviving ambushes saved him from the metallic tail that burst from the earth. A robed, hunched body followed behind it. Jiraiya avoided the attack completely, but he was still on edge. This had to be Sasori of the Red Sand, the Akatsuki member who Obito said partnered with Deidara. Sasori made his way to stand next to the Tsuchikage, not a word spoken to Jiraiya.

"It seems that I'm outnumbered," Jiraiya said smoothly.

"No need to pretend here, Jiraiya. I remember you from the wars, and I know you can even these odds," Sasori rasped, his voice ironically sounding as if there was sand in his throat.

Jiraiya made a split-second decision and sped through the summoning process. Deidara tried to step forward and stop him, but Sasori held out a hand to stop the explosion user. "No, Deidara, wait and see what strength the Sannin summons. Most brats will never witness it."

Jiraiya finished, and in a poof of smoke, a pair of elderly toads appeared on his shoulders.

"Ha! The great 'Jiraiya the Gallant' must be so old he can't even summon the powerhouses he used to! This will be a cakewalk, Sasori my man!" Deidara laughed as he dug his hands into a pouch at his side.

"So what if the three of us are a bit older? Now it's three on two!" Jiraiya responded, hoping beyond hope that they would underestimate him. This could not become a long fight. Jiraiya had to get this information home.

"No, Deidara, you idiot. We are going to witness the Sannin's greatest technique. Likely one of Konoha's greatest techniques, and we will be able to test our art against it."

Damnit, he remembers too much! I guess I just leave such an impression on people…

"Jiraiya, you better have a good reason for calling us here!" Ma shouted as she took a swing at the sannin's skull.

Taking the hit with a feigned scowl, Jiraiya said, "We've got a pair of Akatsuki looking at us, Ma. One of them is still green behind the ears and the other one fought in the same wars as we did."

"That toad is his mother? I didn't see that coming but it sure explains a hell of a lot!" Deidara snickered to his cloaked partner.

"Stop talking. Attack him before he gets serious or we'll likely be dead. A form of this technique was used by the First Hokage to subdue the nine Biju."

Deidara paled at the news, frowned, and stuck his hands back into the clay pouches at his sides.

"It also improves my hearing, sorry," Jiraiya said cheerily. He moved, struck at Sasori's head, and was a few yards behind Deidara before the younger man could react to his actions.

Sasori knew what to expect, roughly. When he saw the incoming fist, he ducked at the last moment, tilting his head just enough to move to the side and beneath the opposing force. Much to his momentary surprise, Jiraiya did not follow up with a second attack. He sped past, Deidara still standing still like an idiot.

Sasori was prepared to shout a warning to Deidara, but he was cut off as his head exploded backward off of his body.

"W-what?!" Deidara exclaimed, his hands bringing out the still molding clay as he took in his fallen comrade. "You missed him! I saw it!"

"Then your eyes must be worse than mine, boy!" Pa grinned as he rested on his perch.

"Surrender now, and I won't kill you."

Jiraiya's tone was the same as the one Deidara had gotten used to hearing. The mirth was gone, the carefree undertone was absent. All that was left was a chilling feeling that whatever this man said, he meant it. Too bad Deidara had already set his trap.

The tiny, bug-like bombs had crawled out of Deidara's pouch the first few moments he had stuck his hands in. They had seeped into cracks around the battlefield, the walls and roads acting as nearly perfect trenches and cover for them to approach the target. The two, bigger, more powerful bombs shaped like birds were ready to fly from Daidara's palms, just as soon as the Sannin was distracted.

"At least you were polite, un!"

Jiraiya's head snapped around, the extra sense granted to him from Sage Mode firing rapid warning signals. And then the explosions started.

First to his right and back, forcing him to jump forwards a split second before the explosions hit. They weren't large but numerous enough to throw him off enough to be vulnerable. He couldn't let that happen.

Unfortunately, the bombs behind him only really acted to herd him to a larger cluster of the hidden explosives, and he was soon engulfed in the tiny infernos. His mind was completely occupied by avoiding the hundreds of small bangs as well as the shrapnel each caused. Thanks to Sage mode Ma, Pa, and himself was getting by without a scratch.

There it was again, a massive incoming sense of danger. The small explosions increased in both number and intensity, and the impending dread made its way onto Jiraiya. Thinking as fast as he could, he wrapped himself in his hair, safe from almost any threat.

Deidara smirked as his two, larger bombs flew into the Sannin, the entire street overtaken by the ensuing explosion. As the dust began to Settle, Deidara felt a familiar presence to his side.

"You took too long, and you damaged too much with your last attack," Sasori chided, his voice much lighter now, and his appearance just as altered.

He was now a perfect, wooden replica of a young man, a living doll controlled by some unseen puppeteer.

"It got the job done though, so stop complaining, un!"

Sasori laughed. ACTUALLY laughed. The sound scared Deidara more than the Sannin ever did. "Do you really think you could kill one of the Sannin with that? If I didn't ask for help, at least one of us would die in this fight."

Before Deidara could ask what he meant, he saw the rooftops. Well, what was left of the rooftops around him after the two large explosions? Rows upon rows of Iwa shinobi had gathered, not so much behind their new Kage but in front of one of Konoha's strongest. Deidara could dream, though.

"Pity, really. I was hoping I could go another few years without destroying another village," Jiraiya's voice rang out, the flat, serious tone sending shivers down Deidara's spine once again.

"Un, I guess you were right, I might need to use a C3 on him to kill him."

"Not in your village, idiot."

Jiraiya looked around him, taking in the massive crowd while Ma and Pa conversed quietly. He could handle the small fry himself, but with a pair of S-class missing-nin here he might want some backup. It had been a while since he got to fight alongside Naruto, anyway.

"Well, if you got to call in reinforcements, I might as well do so too. I'll settle for just one though."

The Hirashin kunai was in his hand in an instant, spinning as he readied to throw it. Just before he could, however, there was an impossibly fast, black streak. It hit the kunai and sent it to the dirt, likely not fast enough to alert Naruto to his need. Nothing should be able to be thrown too fast for Jiraiya to follow, not in Sage Mode…

"Unfortunately, 'Gama-Sennin', I am afraid you'll have to remain alone in this fight. Although, it will likely only be against myself."

Jiraiya followed the voice with his eyes, narrowing them as he did so. Before a full second passed, his gaze settled on a face he had only been able to see recently in his dreams.

"Yahiko?"

His past student's knee to his gut sent him flying through building after building, his body traveling in a painful ball to the outskirts of Iwa as his mind went back in time. Both were in pain, but only one of them was showing the bruises...