Author's Note: Hey Hektols, if you are reading this (and I know you aren't), with this chapter, Son of The Sannin has surpassed New Chance in terms of wordcount! Yeah! Now, I think it's going to take more time to surpass it in terms of reviews, favorites and follows, hehe ^^U
And if you ARE really reading this... goddamit man, when are you going to update New Chance!? It's almost two years since the last actual chapter!
Anyway, enjoy this chapter:
Chapter 71:
Heavy Rain
or
Drinking and Planning
The journey back to Konoha did nothing but make Hinata and Haku's already precarious condition even worse.
Naruto's first idea to speed the journey was to summon a giant toad and have it give them a ride. But it was soon made evident that the constant leaps wouldn't sit very well with the heavily wounded Konoha ninja. Naruto's next idea was to carry them on the back of clones, but the problem ended up being the same. In the end, Naruto ended up making two makeshift stretchers, and carried them with the aid of clones.
Despite being able to run at a respectable speed, Naruto was unable to leap through the trees as he usually did, which ended up making his trip back home much longer than the justifiably impatient blond wanted. Not helped by all the times he had to stop in order to change the bandages or close a wound that wouldn't stop reopening.
Naruto couldn't be thankful enough when he saw the gates of Konoha. Finally, this nightmare of a mission could come to an end.
…
Konoha Hospital, a couple hours later
"Your teammates are indeed lucky. Either lucky, or crazy strong. To survive such a long journey with such grievous wounds," Tsunade commented, as she looked over the unconscious Hyuga.
Thankfully, after an intervention of proper medical ninjas –her mother among them– Hinata and Haku were finally out of danger, and placed in a room each.
Naruto sighed, and shook his head. "If we were strong or had luck on our side, Akatsuki wouldn't have won."
Tsunade placed a comforting hand on her adoptive son, and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't beat yourself too hard, Naruto. I'm sure all of you did what you could. But no matter how good you are, you sometimes end up facing an unexpectedly strong opponent. Did I mention the time your father and I foguht against Hanzo the Salamander?"
That made Naruto chuckle a bit. "You did. Hundred of times. Not that I ever get tired of hearing it."
"So you should know that even the best of the best fail at times," Tsunade pointed out.
"Oh, I do know that," Naruto replied. "It's just that..." he trailed off, as his eyes rested on Hinata's unconscious form.
"It doesn't make failing any less painful, right?" Tsunade finished his sentence. Naruto silently nodded. "Sorry if I sound blunt, but get accustomed to it. Be thankful that at the very least, your temmates came back home alive. Others aren't as lucky."
Naruto nodded. He knew exactly what his adoptive mother was talking about. While she was obviously not as eager to share such memories of the war as with the epic battle against Hanzo, Tsunade lost her fiancee and little brother during the Second Ninja War. It was what caused her to leave the village with no other company than a four year old Shizune.
That moment, the door opened. It wasn't a slam, but it had more force than it was acceptable in a hospital. Naruto and Tsunade turned around, and saw another two female Hyugas entering the room, concern and worry written all around their faces.
"My daughter!" Hikari Hyuga said, as she ran to check Hinata, followed by her youngest daughter.
"Don't worry, Hyuga-san. Hinata is fine, even if she may not look like it now," Tsunade interjected, reassuring the former Hyuga Clan Head. "We estimate she'll be completely recovered in three or four weeks."
"Oh, thank goodness she's going to be okay," she said, sighing in relief. "Thanks for your efforts, Tsunade-sama," Hikari replied, bowing at the Sannin. She then looked at Naruto. "And thank you for taking care of my daughter, Naruto-kun. I know that have you not been there, maybe she would have never returned."
"I doubt that's the case, given that she's in that state because of me," Naruto dejectedly said.
"Naruto, I told you that-" Tsunade began, before being interrupted.
"What do you mean, Naruto?" Hanabi asked. "How can you be responsible of her condition? That would mean that you attacked her, and I can't imagine you doing that."
"No, I didn't attack her, but not that it mattered," Naruto replied. "I wasn't strong enough to protect my teammates, and they ended up paying the price. Had I been better prepared, the Akatsuki wouldn't have defeated us and leave Hinata-hime and Haku like that."
Hikari couldn't help but smile a little. She placed a comforting hand on Naruto's cheek. "Naruto-kun, while I appreciate your feelings for my daughter, her injuries are not your responsibility. Hinata is a ninja, just like you are, and knows the risks such position entails."
"But we're teammates-" Naruto reied to protest, but Hikari raised a hand to silence him.
"Naruto, I've known you since you were a child. I know how much you care about my daughter, and how much you push yourself to be the best possible ninja," Hikari continued. "However, no matter how hard you try, there will be times that you will fail."
"See? That's exactly what I told you," Tsunade agreed, nodding vigorously.
"I'm not winning this one, am I?" Naruto asked in defeat. He then looked at his adoptive mom. "We should leave Hikari and Hanabi alone with Hinata-hime, mom."
Tsunade nodded in agreement. "These rooms are too small for so many people, and we've been here for quite some time already," she said, before both blondes left the room.
As Tsunade went to other parts of the hospital to continue with her daily work, Naruto moved to the next room, the one they put Haku in. Upon opening the door, the jinchuriki saw the uncosncious Ice Ninja had already somebody paying him a visit: a woman with long purple hair, holding a baby of a few months old, also with purple hair, albeit in a lighter shade.
"Hey there, Yugao," Naruto greeted the ANBU. The woman was wearing a dark blue shirt and green knee length pants. It was one of the few times the blond saw her wearing other than her job uniform.
Yugao turned at Naruto, and smiled. "Hello there. Came to see Haku?"
Naruto nodded, while repressing the urge to apologize to Haku's foster mother for failing to keep the Ice Ninja safe. He knew he would answer in a similar way to Hikari and Tsunade, and that would only made him feel even worse.
"You know, seeing Haku like this..." Yugao began, as her eyes drifted towards the baby in her arms. "Makes me wonder if I should allow Seiichi-kun to become a ninja like his father and I. If something happened to either of them..."
"Your perspective surely changes when you're a parent, right?" Naruto asked the purplette.
"Yes. You're aware of the dangers you go through with every mission, and even if you don't regret your choices, you wish your children would take a different path," Yugao explained, as she rocked Seiichi a little. "But in the end, it's them who have to choose, regardless of what we think."
"Yeah..." Naruto said, almost in a whisper. "Do you want Seiichi to become a ninja, then?"
"I want him to be whatever makes him happy," Yugao replied. "If being a ninja is his call, then I won't stop him. It'd be hypocritical of me if I did such a thing."
Naruto nodded at her response, and the two of them felt into a comfortable silence, with only Haku's slow breath being heard. That's it, until Naruto opened his mouth to ask something.
"Hey, Yugao, may I ask you something?" Naruto asked, not waiting to see the purplette's answer. "What made you and Hayate adopt Haku to begin with?" Naruto asked.
Yugao seemed to be taken aback by such direct question, but her surprise didn't last long. Her smile put Naruto at ease, knowing that the question wasn't as personal as he feared.
"At first, I admit it was the money," Yugao told him.
"Huh?"
"Hokage-sama announced that the village was going to take in a refugee from the Land of Water who happened to have a powerful Bloodline Limit," Yugao started to explain. "And offered a considerable amount of money for the kids' upbringing until he reached adulthood, almost twice as much as he would need. Hayate and I were saving to buy a place of our own, so that drew our attention.
"But it wasn't just the money. Hayate and I also wanted to have kids of our own one day," Yugao smiled at the sleeping child in her arms upon saying this. "And thought that maybe this could be a good opportunity to practice, you know? Even if Haku-kun was almost ten. Though, we grew to love Haku as our own child. While we know we could never replace Zabuza, I hope he at least return some of that love."
This time, it was Naruto who smiled. "Trust me, he does. He wouldn't have grown to love this village as his home if it wasn't for both you and Hayate."
"That's reassuring to hear. Isn't it, Seiichi-kun? How your older brother loves his adoptive family?" Yugao bably talked her child.
"Naruto," a familiar voice said behind him.
The blond turned around, and saw Jiraiya standing in front of the door. He turned back to the purplette one last time. "Nice to speak with ya, Yugao. I'll come to visit Haku whenever I can."
"It was a pleasure. I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Yugao replied, before addresing the white haired Sannin. "Hokage-sama."
Jiraiya nodded back in return, before closing the door.
"Naruto, the ANBU told me of your arrival and the state your teammates were in," Jiraiya replied. "I came to see you as soon as I heard it."
"Well, I got lucky. As you can see, I'm not any worse for the wear," Naruto replied. Jiraiya could detect some bietterness in his voice. "Can we go somewhere more private? There's stuff I need to talk you about. Important stuff about the mission."
"You want to give me your mission report already? Sure, let's go to my office-"
"Actually, I preferred if we went somewhere else," Naruto cut him. Such request surprised the Toad Sannin. Naruto never had any trouble with his office in the past.
"Uh sure. Where do you want to go?"
…
Ten Minutes Later, Above the Hokage Monument
Jiraiya and Naruto were sitting at the top of the cliff were the Hokage Monument was carved. The whole village spread before their eyes. It was, indeed, a magnificent view of Konoha. Unfortunately, neither father nor son were able to enjoy it much.
"So, Akatsuki already has another jinchuriki in their grasp," Jiraiya said, letting out a tired sigh. "That makes five. More than half."
"Yes. But that alone isn't the worst part," Naruto said.
"I don't know if I want to hear it," Jiraiya replied.
"Too bad, because it concerns you specifically," Naruto stated, some anger seeping from his voice. Anger that was directed as Jiraiya. Something the Sannin noticed, and didn't like one bit. "The Akatsuki that fought us were a man with spiky orange hair and a woman with blue hair that had paper related jutsu. Do those descriptions ring any bells? Because the man called you 'Jiraiya-sensei'."
Jiraiya let out another sigh, the longest so far. "I was wishing for it to be just a rumor, or a misunderstanding. I've been trying to ignore it, but guess I have to face the facts."
"So, you know them, then," Naruto said, sounding midly accusatory. The Sannin nodded. "Did you know they were Akatsuki?"
"I had some reports that said that, yes. But I wanted to make sure it was really them before taking any course of action," Jiraiya admitted.
"And why didn't you tell me!?" Naruto shouted, letting more of his built-up anger seep.
"They... they are two people who were dear to me..." Jiraiya admitted, sounding hurt. "I didn't want to think that they had fallen so far..."
"What's so special about them? I thought that you had nowhere like that in your life other than mom and the Old Man Hokage," Naruto asked, throwing his hands in the air.
"Those two were children from Ame that, alongside a third one, became my very first students. I admit that the reason I decided to train them was because one of them had the Rinnegan," Jiraiya said, much to Naruto's shock. He always believed that Jiraiya only trained Naruto's biological father and his teammates. "I lived with them in Ame for two years, and taught them enough ninjutsu and necessary skills in order to survive such a harsh place like Ame.
"A few years later, during the Third War, I heard that they formed an organization with the purpose of bring peace to their homeland. Unfortunately, they drew Hanzo's attention, and not in a good way. That... that was the last time I heard of them. Until recently."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"There were rumors regarding Ame, the biggest were two that I thought could be related: one, that Hanzo had been quietly disposed and no longer ruled the village, even if that was Ame's official position. And second, that the village was secretly controlled by the Akatsuki. I sent Itachi Uchiha to check if those rumors could be true.
"As expected, they were. Hanzo has been dead for Kami knows how long, and indeed, two Akatsuki members were the one in charge now, which people in Ame called 'God' and his 'Angel'. I could confirm that 'Angel' is indeed Konan, one of the children I trained back then."
"The other goes under the name of Pain. And he claimed to be a God," Naruto told him. "Though given the power of the Rinnegan, that claim wasn't that far off. If you could only see the jutsu he used to finish us off..."
Jiraiya nodded. He had never seen the whole extent of the Rinnegan's power, but he remembered that that boy was one of the most talented and powerful kids he had ever seen. However, his memories were interrupted when he realized that there was something about Naruto's tale that didn't add up.
"Naruto, you said that the other Akatsuki, Konan's partner, had orange spiky hair, right?" Jiraiya asked, now sounding curious.
"Yes. Is that important?" Naruto asked.
"It is. You see, the true name of that man is Yahiko," Jiraiya began. "That wasn't the kid with the Rinnegan."
Naruto's eyes opened wide. "Come again?"
"The kid with the Rinnegan was Nagato. He had pale skin and bright red hair. Just like your cousin. In fact, he could be an Uzumaki," Jiraiya pointed out.
Naruto's mind once again recalled the allegedly stolen Uzumaki Seal Barrier that Akatsuki had used to protect their lair while they extracted the One Tail from Gaara, as well as the Moon Acolyte's revelation on how an Uzumaki could awaken the Rinnegan if they had Uchiha ascendency. But what his father said... it made no sense.
"No, I'm pretty sure what I saw," Naruto insisted. "The man had orange spiky hair, and his skin was fair but not pale."
"It is possible that Nagato died and Yahiko took his Rinnegan?" Jiraiya suggested. Naruto noticed the Sannin's wording, leaving out the possibility of Yahiko killing Nagato for his doujutsu. Though it was understandable, since it would be like Naruto killing Hinata to have her Tenseigan.
"No, that can't be, unless that Yahiko was also an Uzumaki or a Senju," Naruto replied. "According to the Moon Acolytes, only somebody with Six Paths chakra can wield the Rinnegan or the Sharingan properly. Kakashi-sensei can only use his Sharingan during short intervals, and he's usually pretty winded after that. Pain had not one but two Rinnegan, and he didn't show any kind of signs of fatigue by using it."
"I was hoping that once we had information on every Akatsuki member we could answer all our questions. But it seems that now there are even more questions to answer," a frustrated Jiraiya sighed. He massaged his temples as he tried to put his thoughts in order. No, it was not time to make conjectures, there were some questions that could be answered. "Alright, we'll care about Pain's potential identity later. You saw him fight, right? Tell me what kind of powers he had so we are prepared for the next time we face him."
Naruto nodded, and told his adoptive father about Pain. How he somehow spread his conscience across six bodies, each with one ability. One that could summon multiple animals, another one that could absorb ninjutsu, another that was like a living puppet full of weaponry, and lastly, the "main" one, who used powerful gravity based attacks.
"You said there were six bodies," Jiraiya pointed out. "What about the other two?"
"We neever saw them. They stayed behind. My clones and the Kiri ANBU fought them, but other than using those black rods and basic ninjutsu, they didn't have any kind of unique or amazing ability," Naruto said.
"Or maybe they had, but they didn't show them," Jiraiya pointed out. "The fact that they decided to remain in the background makes me think two possibilities: either their abilities are oriented towards support rather than direct combat, or they're too valuable to risk in a fight. Probably both."
"I think that one of them is able to revive the other bodies," Naruto stated. "Utakata and Haku managed to kill the Pain with the gravity attacks. Hinata checked, his chakra network was down. Then, the woman, Konan took his body away, and later he was back and kicking, as if nothing happened."
"If one of the bodies can resurrect the other ones, then it makes sense that he'd try to keep that one away from danger. That may be the key to defeat Pain," Jiraiya said.
"What about the other?"
"An escort?" Jiraiya suggested, not completely sure. "I mean, that body is important, so it makes sense that he'd try to keep it guarded. Given what you told me, the other four bodies already have powerful and outstanding abilities."
"It could be, but given that all five bodies have any kind of unique ability, we should think the sixth one is no exception, right?" Naruto suggested.
Jiraya placed a hand under his chin, pensive. "I think you may be right. Besides, thinking that the sixth body is any less dangerous than the other five is not a wise thing to do."
"Yeah. Though next time I face them, I'll keep an eye on that one," Naruto said. "Though... with Kurenai-sensei pregnant and Hinata-hime and Haku out of comission, I'm the only member of the Assault Squad. Which isn't much of an squad," Naruto dejectedly said.
Jiraiya smiled at his son in a reasuring manner. "Don't worry, you won't be teamless for long. For the time being, just go train and get ready for the next time Akatsuki shows up, okay?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We aren't the only ones who have been doing research. The Akatsuki knew about my Sage Mode and how to stop me from achieving it."
Jiraya's eyes widened in shock for a second. "That's... rather troubling."
"They gathered intel from all my fights. They know that I send two clones away to gather nature energy. Pain had two of his bodies kill my clones before they could do anything," Naruto explained. "I need to find a way to enter Sage Mode without relying on clones. Or diguise clones while they gather energy. Maybe I could have them Transform as rocks or stumps or something like that?"
Jiraiya shook his head." In order to gather nature energy, you need to be perfectly still. That means that you can't be performing any kind of jutsu either, even one just as easy as simple as the transformation."
"Dammit," the blond cursed, as he lightly punched the ground besides him. "Then what kind of options do I have?"
"Sage Mode is indeed powerful, but in my opinion you had become far too dependant on it," Jiraiya pointed out.
"Sage Mode gives me a huge advantage over my opponents, why I shouldn't use it?" Naruto asked the Sannin. "In the war against Akatsuki, the stakes are too high not to use everything I have."
"Again, that's true, but you shouldn't rely on one thing too much," Jiraiya rebutted. "Until recently, I never mastered Sage Mode completely, that's why I saved it as a last resort in case everything else failed. Why don't you try to improve on your other areas in case you have something to rely on? When was the last time you developed a new elemental jutsu? Or a seal?"
Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out of it. He tried to recall the last time he devised a new jutsu but that was... far longer than he remembered. The blond had learned quite a few elemental ninjutsu of all five basic elements during the past years, but those were mostly direct blasts, used to counter whatever element the opponent used. Nothing too fancy.
Naruto reflected on his fighting style: mostly wind jutsu for ranged attacks –maybe add another element if the situation calls for it–, his trusty Wind Blade for melee combat, lots of clones, and his trump card, the Rasenshuriken. All of them powered by up Sage Mode.
However, as the fight against Pain showed, the Rasenshuriken was out of the equation if Sage Mode is unavailable, depriving Naruto of his most powerful jutsu. Not to say that Naruto was defenseless without it, not even close. But against foes of Akatsuki's caliber, maybe he needed more jutsu that have the same potency and destructive power.
And not just that. He needed more jutsu that were more than just lemental blasts or barriers. Something that could be used in a nonconventional way, something that could give him some sort of tactical advantage, like flying. Hinata and Fu were able to fly, and so was that Akatsuki woman, Konan. Flight give battles a whole new dimension. But if flight was so easy, somebody would have created a jutsu decades ago, right?
"No, that's quitter talk," Naruto inwardly said. "I'm sure that there's a way I can make it work."
"So, if my intelligence is correct, besides Fu and you, the other jinchuriki left are the Raikage's brother, and one of Iwa's two jinchuriki," Jiraiya stated. "If we look back at Akatsuki's operations, they will take some time to strike again until they find out where the jinchuriki are."
"I'm pretty sure they do know Fu and I are in Konoha," Naruto dryly said.
"Yes, but in order to capture you, they'd have to launch an invasion on the village," Jiraiya replied. Naruto opened his mouth, but Jiraiya beat him to the punch. "And before you bring Taki up, remember that Taki was a minor village with a low number of ninjas that rely on hidden passageways to keep their enemies out of their gates. If Hidan and Kakuzu had tried that crap against us, their so called army wouldn't have gotten past the main gate."
"You seem to be confident in the village's defenses. That's good, I guess," Naruto observed.
"Hey, after the Nine Tails attack, the Uchiha Insurrection and Orochimaru's invasion... you know they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If Akatsuki will come for us, we will be ready," Jiraiya stated, sure of himself. "But I don't think they'll go for either you or Fu right now."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"The other jinchuriki of Kumo, Killer B, pretty much disappeared from the face of the Earth after news of Yugito's capture arrived Kumo," Jiraiya revealed. "My guess is that the Raikage sent his brother to some sort of ultra safe and secret underground bunker until Akatsuki is dealt with. That leaves the other jinchuriki, the one from Iwa, as the more logical Akatsuki will target next. Regardless if it's either Han or Roshi, they both left their villages, so they will be the most vulnerable to capture."
"I see. I presume you have people looking for him?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya frowned a little. "Do you really need to ask? I know this is a life of death situation, and not just for the jinchuriki."
"Good to hear that. Let's hope that what happened to Utakata won't repeat again," Naruto said, getting up. "Man, the journey back left me exhausted. I think I'm heading back home."
"I think I'll join you. Today has been a slow day in the office, and I doubt anybody will complain if I decide to leave a little earlier," Jiraiya added.
…
Senju Residence, later that night
"When was the last time we did this?" Tsunade asked.
It was late in the night, probably midnight. Naruto, Hagane and Kaida were already asleep in their bedrooms –or so both Sannin hoped–. Jiraiya and Tsunade were sitting in the living room's couch, holding each a cup of sake. There was a tray with a couple bottles of sake and more cups sitting on the coffee table in front of them.
"I don't know, but I need it," Jiraiya said, as he downed his cup of sake in one go, before pouring himself another one.
"I think we only do this when there's some serious shit going on," Tsunade stated. "And since nothing too bad seems to be going on on my end... I'm guessing you want to share with me something that's troubling you?"
"You always read me so easily," Jiraiya replied.
Tsunade snorted, and rolled her eyes. "Because you're an open book."
"I think we already had a conversation like this before, hadn't we?" Jiraiya asked, as he took a sip from his cup. "Or it's the alcohol?"
"Eh, it may be both," Tsunade said, as she pured herself more sake. "Now come on, spit it. What's eating you on the inside? Are those kids from Ame?"
Jiraiya chuckled sadly. "Once again, you nailed it. I got confirmation from both Naruto and Itachi that at least two of those kids are still alive, and they aren't just part of the Akatsuki, but everything seems to point out that they're the fucking leaders," Jiraiya said, as he angrily downed the rest of his cup. "Such a great sensei I am, right? It's a miracle our kids came out as normal as they did with me as their dad."
Tsunade's face formed a scowl, and angrily punched her husand in the shoulder –thankfully, it wasn't a chakra-enhanced puch–. "Don't say that! You're a great father and teacher! If you were such an awful person, I would have never married you!"
"But Hime..." Jiraiya tried to protest.
"No buts!" she cut him. "What happened to those kids is tragic, but it's not your fault, you hear me?"
"Whose fault it is, then?" Jiraiya retorted.
"I don't know. But not yours. You did your best to help those kids. You're the last person that should be guilty of what happened to them," Tsunade insisted.
"I know what I did. I don't regret helping them or teaching them ninjutsu," Jiraiya replied, before sighing a little. "It's just... now I felt I could have done more for them."
"I know how you feel," Tsunade replied, as her face softened a little. "When Dan and Nawaki died... I hated myself. I thought it was my fault."
"Because of that necklace?" Jiraiya asked, incredulous. "Come on, that had to be a-"
"At first it was for the necklace, yes," Tsunade interrupted him, scowling at Jiraiya's jumping to conclusion. "But Naruto showed to me that it was just an incredible, and tragic, coincidence."
"Then why? Nawaki died instantly, and you tried your best to help Dan's life. You did all what you could," Jiraiya stated.
It had been a while since the last time Tsunade remembered the deaths of his little brother and fiance. Strangely, doing so caused her far less pain than it did in the past. Maybe because, over the years she spent in Konoha, she had moved on and filled the void they left in her heart with a husband and children.
However, it also left her with a feeling not of dread, but of unease, of thinking what would she do if something happened to them. The ninja world was dangerous after all.
Pushing those negative thoughts aside, Tsunade replied: "Precisely. I was there, yet I was unable to do anything. If I was a better ninja, a better medic, I used to tell myself that I could have saved them."
"So then why..." Jiraiya was about to ask, when a realization dawned upon him. "Oh, I see. That's how I'm feeling right now, yet I should know the guilt is undeserved. Cheeky woman."
Tsunade couldn't help but smile a little at the compliment., before continuing. "When Naruto told me that he was going out of the village for his first C-Rank mission, I was terrified," Tsunade confessed. "I thought 'that's it, there he goes, and I'll never see him again. Just like Dan and Nawaki'. But in the end, I knew I couldn't keep Naruto locked in the village forever. I had to trust in both him, his teammates and his sensei."
"Though your fears weren't that unjustified," Jiraiya interjected. "Who would have guessed that our son would end up fighting fucking Orochimaru of all people during his first C-Rank mission."
"Don't remind me," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes. "The same thing went with Hagane and Kaida when they were kidnapped. With their secret out of the bag, they would always live with a target painted on their backs. But again, we couldn't keep them in a cage out of fear of something that could happen to them."
"Actually, that's what I did with the Ame kids," Jiraiya felt the need to point out. "Maybe I should have taken them with me to Konoha."
"But you didn't because Konoha wasn't their home. Ame was," Tsunade pointed out, as she took a sip from her sake cup. "And you couldn't stay with them forever. You did the right thing."
"In light of recent news, I don't feel I did the right thing," Jiraiya told her, lowering his head a little.
"Of course you don't. Some guilt is unavoidable. I'm not going to pretend you can bury those feelings in hopes of getting rid of them. But don't wallow in them either. Don't run possible scenarios of what could have been in your head. What is done is done. All we can do now is try to fix the mistakes we made in the past, and learn from those we can't."
Jiraiya chuckled upon hearing Tsunade's words. Tsunade frowned again, and leaned towards Jiraiya.
"What? Do you find anything I said funny?" the Slug Princess asked, unamused.
"Oh no, quite the contrary. Those were quite the inspiring words," Jiraiya praised his wife. "It's just that I have a hard time picturing them coming out of your mouth, even if they just did."
In another time, Tsunade would have rewarded such jest with a punch, maybe with some chakra on it, but the Senju Matrairch merely smiled at her husband. "It's called growing up, Jiraiya. Try it when you're ready."
"Aren't we too old to still be growing up?" the white haired man asked.
His wife shook his head. "That's why I thought at first," Tsunade said. "Before coming to Konoha, I thought that my life had reach its final point. I thought that I'd spend the rest of my days gambling and running away from creditors, waiting for a strike of luck that would never came, until I died of alcohol poisoning on some alleway."
"Geez, that's bleak," Jiraiya noted, grimacing. He emptied his sake cup, and pouring himself another one.
"And you weren't much better than me, should I remind you," Tsunade replied. His face softened again, as her lips curved into a sweet smile. "What I say is, don't let past mistakes consume you, like we used to do before returning to Konoha. Now what we should ask ourselves is 'what are we going to do regarding those kids?'"
"I don't know if they're too far gone to be saved," Jiraiya admitted. "I like to think that it's not too late, but I can't let personal feelings get in the way. I'm the Hokage after all."
"And who's going to deal with them?" Tsunade asked, and scowled before Jiraiya could answer. "And please don't tell me you're thinking in dealing with them yourself!"
"I would have done that in another circumstances," Jiraiya confessed. "But like I said before, I'm the Hokage now, I can't rush into things. Naruto and Fu are jinchuriki, meaning that either them or the other Akatsuki will go after them. So the best thing I can do is to make sure they're strong enough to deal with this threat. Given what Naruto said, it was luck that he didn't end as bad as his teammates, or even as bad as Utakata."
"Speaking of Naruto, what about his teammates?" Tsunade asked. "Hinata and Haku will be out of commission for a few weeks, and there's still a couple months until Kurenai gives birth."
"I've been thinking about that as well," Jiraiya told Tsunade with a nod. "But in the light of how the latest mission went, I'm afraid that traditional four man squads won't do against Akatsuki."
"Do you plan to send bigger teams to deal with them?" Tsunade asked, rasining an eyebrow. "Can we afford it?"
"Don't worry, it won't stop the village from taking as many missions as usual," Jiraiya reassured her. "And even if it did, I think this takes priority than some cash money."
"I see," Tsunade said, as she downed her sake cup. She grabbed the bottle to pour herself another, but much to her annoyance, the bottle was now empty. "Dammit."
"Eh, maybe that's a sign that we should stop drinking and go to bed," Jiraiya told her.
"You said that because you drank more than me," Tsunade protested.
…
Akatsuki Hideout, Undisclosed Location, a few days later
Utakata's body was floating mid air, held by a chakra forcefield that came from the Demonic Statue's mouth. Wisps of red chakra came from the jinchuriki's mouth and eyes, each time smaller and less noticeable, until there were none. The statue's mouth clamped shut, dispelling the forcefield and dropping the now dead jinchuriki onto the ground. A fifth eye opened on the Statue's grotesque visage before it sank to the ground.
"With the Six Tails sealed, five out of the nine Tailed Beasts are under our control," Pain said in a congratulatory manner. "Our task is more than halfway done."
"Unfortunately, the few jinchuriki left out there know about us and will hide themselves better," Obito reminded both Pain and everybody else.
"It won't matter, in the end they will also fall to us again," Pain omniously declared.
"Besides, don't we know that two of them are already in Konoha, hn?" Deidara pointed out. "We should go after those next."
"No," Pain shut down the blond's suggestion, much to his annoyance. "We will leave those two for last right now. For the time being, let's focus on the other jinchuriki. Zetsu, what have you found about them?"
"I still know nothing about the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails," White Zetsu stated. "After Obito and Kisame captured the Two Tails, the Raikage send his brother out of the village to one of the many safe houses they have across the Land of Lightning. Finding him won't be easy."
"Maybe we should create a threat that forces them to send the jinchuriki to fight us," Kisame suggesed. "It worked the first time after all."
"Which is why it won't work a second time," Konan rebutted. "The first time it worked because they didn't know we had the Nine Tails, and the possibility of Konoha being behind the attack was real. However, the next time they know of the Nine Tails attacking, they'll know it's us and they will be prepared."
"How, may I ask?" Orochimaru asked, amused. "Dealing with a Tailed Beast isn't exaclty an easy task."
"Kumo has a lot of experience in that regard, due how many times the Eigh Tails escaped its container and went on a rampage," Pain told the Snake Sannin. "Plus I can guarantee you that they will be expecting us to do the same move. No, even if it will cost us more time and effort, we need to find out where the jinchuriki is. In order to keep his location a secret, his escorts will be few in numbers."
"Very well then," Obito agreed. "What about the other?"
"According to our intel, the other jinchuriki is a former Iwa nin that's walking the world, and never stays in the same place for long," White Zetsu replied. "Kinda like Utakata."
"Which means that capturing him will be much easier," Black Zetsu added. "At least, if we manage to find him first."
"Don't worry about that. My spies will have his location in no time," the Uchiha ssured.
"Good. Once those two jinchuriki are within our power, we can focus all our attention to the ones staying in Konoha," Pain decided. "Now, if nobody has anything else to add, let's conclude this reunion."
As those words left Pain's mouth, the spectral projections of the Akatsuki started to vanish one by one until there was no one left.
…
Amegakure
Pain and Konan opened their eyes, finding themselves once again inside the safe room a top the highest tower of Amegakure, which they use for whenever they need to meet with the rest of the Akatsuki members via astral projection. Without saying anything, they got on their feet and got out of the room. The ninja guarding the door stood to attention, and remained silent as they saw their God and his Angel walking away.
"Five Tailed Beasts already in our possession, and we only lost three members so far," Pain started to speak. "Though thankfully we've been able to fill one spot with an even more powerful member."
"What about Hidan and Kakuzu's spots? Are there any plans to fill them as well?" Konan asked, shooting Pain an inquisitive stare. "From now onwards things are going to be even more difficult. It would be benefitial to have all our spots covered."
"Unfortunately, we were unable to recover Hidan and Kakuzu's rings," Pain told her. "They must be in Konoha's possession. Even if Konoha is unaware of their significance."
"Guess eight members will have to do then," Konan said in resignation.
"Eight members, plus all the assets each of us possess. We command an entire village, and so does Orochimaru. The others also have their own minions that serve our cause," Pain confidently said.
"So, I guess that once we're done with the Four and Eight Tails, we will focus our attention to Konoha," Konan guessed.
"That is correct."
"Where... he is the reigning Hokage," Konan said, narrowing his eyes at Pain.
Pain shot Konan a cold stare. "Is that a problem?"
"Are we ready to face him?" Konan asked her partner. "After all what he did for us? Will we be able to fight him?"
"I certainly am," Pain replied, his voice lacking uncertainty. "And so should you. Experience should have taught you already that nothing goes before our mission. Whatever our personal feelings for Jiraya-sensei were, they don't matter anymore."
"Speaking of which," Konan replied, her tone changing. "I don't think you should have told Naruto about our relationship with Jiraiya-sensei. Konoha will know about us."
"At this point, such knowledge is irrelevant," Pain declared. "We wouldn't even need the Tailed Beasts to crush any of the Great Villages, Konoha included. If anything, it will make Jiraiya-sensei more prone to make a mistake."
"If you're confident it won't be a problem, then I'll believe you," Konan stated, though she didn't sound entirely convinced. "Since it was thanks to both your power and guidance that we were able to come this far."
"Good to hear that, Konan," Pain replied. "It wouldn't do us any good for you or any of our members to wager now that we're so close to victory."
"Of course not, Pain," Konan agreed. "Though speaking of members, I think we should also keep an eye on some of them."
"Obito?" Pain asked.
"That's the most obvious," Konan replied. "But I also meant Orochimaru and specially Toneri. I believe that they're only using Akatsuki as means to their own ends."
"A possibility, yes," Pain admitted. "But as long as they keep working for us, whatever hidden agenda they may have it's irrelevant. Now come on, there's much to do. We need to plan our next steps."
…
Orochimaru's Lab, Undisclosed Location
Just like Pain and Konan, Orochimaru also had a designated safe room that he used whenever he was called into a meeting with the rest of his esteemed colleagues. Exiting the room, he removed the Akatsuki cloak and handed it to one of the two Oto ninja that were guarding said room. Said ninja nodded, and went to store the cloak somwhere else, with his partner trailing behind.
"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto's voice said, ans just like the Snake Sannin expected, he saw his silver haired minion walking towards him. "How did the meeting go?"
"Boring as usual," Orochimaru replied with some disgust on his voice. "After literal days sealing the Six Tails, we spend several hours babbling about how little do we know about the rest of the jinchuriki."
"Don't we know for sure that two of them are in Konoha?" Kabuto asked.
"Yes, but they want to leave them for last," Orochimaru replied. "On the flipside, that means that we'll be able to invade Konoha again. I hate to leave a job halfway done, you know."
"With the rest of the Akatsuki backing us up, the result will be different this time around," Kabuto optimistically replied. "Also, I'm sure this piece of news will brighten your mood: The Sound Five have just returned from their mission, and they're successful."
"Those are good news, indeed," Orochimaru said, as a creepy smile formed in his face. "Were they seen?"
"They left no witnesses alive, per your orders, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto informed him.
"Good, good," Orochimaru nodded. "I'm pleased to see that this incarnation of the Sound Five is far more efficient then the original."
"Your children are quite the force to be reckoned with on their own, and as a part of a unit lead by Kimimaro-kun, nothing stands in their way," Kabuto said.
"This success will bring my main project one step closer to its completion."
"Indeed," Kabuto nodded. "Maybe once your project is complete, we'll be able to use Impure World Resurrection without any kind of drawbacks this time around."
Orochimaru nodded. "It always ate me on the inside having such a powerful jutsu at my disposal, yet not being able to use it. With it, I wouldn't even need Akatsuki to realize my ambitions."
"Though for the time being, it would be wise not to deviate too much from the organization's goals," Kabuto advised. "Obito already watches you with keen eyes."
"Obito-kun doesn't worry me," Orochimaru replied, chuckling a little. "Deep down, he's still a child, one that plays a game far more dangerous that he realizes. But even in this case, it would be unwise to underestimate an enemy, so we'll do as you say."
"One last thing," Kabuto asked. "Did you make any progress in replicating the Rinnegan?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "Sadly, all the experiments have been a failure. Neither of the other two Uchiha that we kidnapped from Konoha were receptive to the procedures, and didn't survive. I still have their bodies, but their use is very limited now."
"Pity. I was sure we'd be able to, given that we have both Uchiha and Hashirama's DNA at our disposal," Kabuto replied. "So, back to the original plan?"
"Yes," Orochimaru said, as his lips formed a sadistic smile. "I'll have to take the Rinnegan from Pain's eye sockets myself."
Author's Note: A more calm chapter following all the action and intensity of the previous one. Yep, Utakata is now officially dead, and Naruto is officially teamless. But don't worry, the latter situation won't last for much longer.
Other than his guilt over his teammates' current condition and his talk with Jiraiya, there was very littlw Naruto in this chapter, with most of the focus being on Jiraiya, Tsunade and the Akatsuki. Man, I need to use Tsunade more often, given that I'm billing her as a main character. Maybe I should have stuck to canon and made her Hokage instead...
Not much to say here. Next chapter, Naruto will address the beatdown he got from Pain by seeking additional training under other teachers.
Thanks a lot to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.
That's all folks, see you in two weeks! In the meantime, leave a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!