31. Back after an eventful NaNoWriMo, though I only hit 40k, getting back my Naruto writing groove slowly.
Dear Evanelle (Guest),
I'm glad that you liked the dialogues with Shibi. Though we won't see him this chapter, I will do my best to give the same attention to all side characters that we touch, I hope you'll look upon them as favourably.
Dear guenaelle (Guest),
Here's another chapter for you, and don't worry about it, I'm really happy to see that even though English may not be your first language Chains is something you can read. That said, I've never met a French person before, it's nice to meet you!
"I met Tsunade in a bar today, kid. We'll be meeting again tomorrow in the nearby castle since she ran after seeing her debt collectors."
Naruto looks up at him, frowning, "Debt collectors?"
Jiraiya guesses that such a picture doesn't fit the child's idea of a Hokage.
"She has a bit of a gambling problem, I'm afraid."
Still, the child takes it lightly, "Well I'm sure we have money right? It sounds like it'll be a requirement for us to deal with if we want her to come back to be our Hokage."
He waves his hands in denial, "Kid we'll go bankrupt if we pay off all her loans that she's defaulted on. We're recovering from an invasion, you know? No, the thing is, if she becomes Hokage then the loan sharks won't dare to come after her anymore."
Naruto stands abruptly.
"That's wrong ero-sennin. She has to settle all the money that she owes to people. If not, how can someone like that become the Hokage? Someone who gambles, who takes out loans she can't repay, someone like that is untrustworthy. Someone like that can't take over from old man Hokage. She can't. Does Jiji know of her debts when he sent us after her? He can't have known her debts are as big as you think, if not the Jiji I know would never do that."
The blond's palms press firmly onto the table, Jiraiya shifts his foot to step on the table leg so the table piled with rubber balls doesn't flip over.
Of course he can see where the kid is coming from, but maybe his closeness to his teammate has made him overlook this flaw.
"Wait, kid, I'm just saying. I don't even know how much debt she has."
The kid frowns deeply.
"She needs to settle the debt somehow. I'm going to find her and talk to her."
With that, Minato's son heads off towards the town without even asking for further directions.
He lets his outstretched arm fall down slowly, musing as he nurses his mug of beer.
"He turned out to be a well-principled, good kid after all."
Though it's not much, the child's mini-speech is enough to make him think – because before the child said it like that, he had been willing to use the debts and paying them off using village funds as a negotiating card.
He had thought Tsunade would take off the moment she caught a whiff of him but his former teammate was oddly forthcoming, even suggesting a place to meet before fleeing.
Draining the mug, raising his hand, his next order forming in his head as the pretty bartender sashays over.
"Sorry miss, would you happen to have caught the direction that the kid with me ran in?"
Somehow he feels oddly compelled to go after his responsibility rather than run like he always seems to have.
The lady pouts a little before pointing towards the town, "He asked for directions to the gambling dens."
His hand goes to his back pocket and he lets out a sigh.
"He didn't take my wallet. What sort of trick is he trying to pull?"
Handing the lady a couple of bills, hauling himself out of the chair, waving her off with, "Keep the change."
Usually he's stingy with tips but in this case, they should be staying a while more.
He considers the lady an investment.
"Wait, Miss, your name?"
She blushes, replying, "Aika!" and running back into the darker room where the actual bar is.
Shoving the wallet into his back pocket he cracks a self-assured smirk – huh I'm not too out of touch.
The town is awfully busy suddenly, the population has increased by at least a couple hundred occupants.
Jiraiya is startled to find that the man who bumped into him has a Henge on.
He squeezes through the crowd and finds that another lady too, is wearing a henge.
As he nears the gambling areas, more and more people he knocks shoulders with are all wearing henges.
It then hits him that the signatures are all the same, so he pulls aside one of those henged figures.
A foxy grin spreads across the face of a middle-aged lady, "You came, ero-sennin? Boss is raking in the money, he has Tsunade-baa with him."
The child attaches herself to his arm with an even more startling amount of acting experience.
The middle-aged lady's face smooths out and her waist slims.
"Why don't you come in?"
Jiraiya allows himself to be led, the clone whispering, "Not bad, right? This is the face of one of the ladies I saw back in Konoha."
Bags of bricks are stacked next to his apprentice who focusses on the poker match in front of him.
His opponent calls for the game to end, and he watches as Naruto's face scrunches up in anticipation.
"Call. Full house, triple Queen and double Jack."
Tsunade reacts first, before Naruto even lays down his hand, letting out a loud whoop.
Naruto sets down his five, announcing, "Four a kind, King and Jack. Ah, here I was, fretting that you were hoarding all the Aces."
He stretches in the couch chair.
The crowd closing in on them pressures the opponent to pay up what he promised.
Jiraiya is sure the crowd is at least fifty percent Naruto clones, meant to hold the man accountable to prevent him from backing out.
Blue eyes found his and the child puffed up with unabashed pride, "This should be enough, right?"
In the hubbub of the win, his accompanying clone must have dispersed, allowing Naruto to know of his arrival.
The loser despondently drags his feet out of the casino and people break away from the crowd, clones and actual people all in good measure.
"You'll give me a headache someday, kid."
He waves him off.
"I'm worth the trouble, ero-sennin."
Naruto then turns serious, "Baa-chan. You have to now call and pay back all of your debtors. Like we agreed, I succeeded."
Dan's niece, nods furiously beside her Shishou, echoing the sentiment.
"Tsunade-sama, you promised, so you have to keep it."
It's not like the Sannin has a choice, since the debt collectors file into the casino, eyeing the pile of cash like vultures.
Jiraiya doesn't miss the expression that crosses his teammate's face.
It's soft.
Something he hasn't associated with Tsunade since the day Dan died.
"Yeah. Shizune, get ready. Tomorrow evening, we'll leave for Konoha."
She makes her way over to him, but he keeps his eye on Shizune who checks every debt collector for legitimate receipts.
Naruto assists in handing out his winnings.
The first plastic bag is depleted, they move onto the next.
And the next.
"He's quite something, isn't he."
The next.
"Of course. You know whose child he is."
The next.
"Full of the same stupid love for Konoha."
The golf bag that Shizune drags over. Naruto hurries over to help her as the little pig squeals at being dropped.
"The same love you have, that pulls you back home, Tsunade?"
Sheepish laughter as the child reveals gold ingots and apologises to the creditors, as if gold is inadequate somehow.
"The love enough to not want to know his parents for the sake of Konoha."
Shizune scares off a fake creditor with a glowing blue palm.
Tsunade chuckles.
"I told him if he paid my debt I would tell him whose his parents were. He didn't want to know. He told me to become the Hokage instead."
With another sack of jewellery to settle the smaller debts, they're almost ready to wrap up.
Jiraiya is silent because he doesn't understand why Naruto would want Tsunade to become the Hokage after everything he's said.
"I didn't want to become the Hokage."
"Do you now?"
She laughs.
"I don't want to become the Hokage, but I'm going to do it anyway because that child tells me I have to fix Konoha so no one ever feels the pain I felt ever again."
He tugs at her elbow, trying to gently guide her out of the casino but Tsunade is fully lucid, not even partially drunk.
"I'm done running, Jiraiya. If I am going to become Hokage, I have one final requirement. There is another person I will bring back to Konoha with us."
Though taken aback he bobs his head, understanding, "Dan's niece is very welcome back, along with her pet pig, there's no problem."
Tsunade smiles, a small smile, almost like a secret revenge and she points at the child zipping up a briefcase with the leftover cash.
"He suggested it, we met up with his friend's friend and so now it's agreed. Don't be shocked, 'raiya. Oro is coming home."
Jiraiya takes a step back, the fond address like a warm blanket and those words like a dream, casting a spell over his consciousness.
"No way…"
Her face has lit up, a beaming face paired with bright brown eyes and he shakes his head in denial.
"Are you crying, Jiraiya-baka?" the voice smooth and snarky like always.
"No way, just something in my eye you idiot!" his reply natural as he once did – Tsunade's laughter breaks the tension.
"Enjoy your reunion, ero-sennin. I'm gonna go recycle these plastic bags."
While he and his teammates laugh, Jiraiya appreciates that Naruto is an unpredictable person.
Because he is unpredictable and oddly enough devoted to his causes, be it recycling or protecting people, it allowed for this to happen.
Sakura sees them into the room where the ailing Lord Hokage lays.
Though only the Sandaime and her know it, his time is limited so exactly.
"Tomorrow is his last day," she provides that diagnosis and the famed medic of the Sannin concurs.
Only she and the Sandaime knows that the Shinigami will be coming exactly at that time, tomorrow.
Despite that, the Lord Hokage is in high spirits, happy to spend his last few hours with his most precious people.
The Sandaime is bed bound, incapable of communicating to the outside world without Sakura's or Senpai's express permission for fear of chakra tainting.
Because of that, they can be honest with him.
Tsunade doesn't mince words, she definitely doesn't lie and she says it out loud.
"Sensei. I'm bringing Orochimaru home."
The wizened old man coughs at that declaration grasping at her hand, "Tsunade you know what he's done. You know all those experiments and all those children… all those children Tsunade…"
She looks out the non-existent window, "To be frank, no one ever investigated those. Who gave him the children, why was he experimenting, what happened to the results? Important things all swept under the rug. I am going to find out. I am going to launch an investigation and when I find those answers, I will bring Orochimaru home."
Jiraiya speaks up from the corner, in support of his teammates.
"Hime is right, sensei. There's more to those experiments. You should know what Oro was like. He wouldn't have meant to hurt Konoha."
"You two are seriously going to defend him and say what did was excusable? When I saw his experiments in his lab I knew I had done wrong."
His heart monitor spikes with each word he says, Sakura extends a chain to supply calming healing chakra.
"Please do not agitate the patient," she asks emptily because she really couldn't care less.
She follows with, "Naruto-chan still wants to speak to his Jiji, Tsunade-sama. So you must leave him in a state to do that."
Whether the Professor takes her at face value, as a utilitarian child looking out for her friend's emotional needs, or if she as a manipulative child who is trying to calm down their Hokage-to-be is not known but does not matter.
Jiraiya says it low and dangerous and Sakura watches the Sandaime flounder, "Danzo is still running Root, sensei. If you thought I didn't know, then you were mistaken. Weeds must be dug out, root and all. If Danzo was involved all those years ago, it becomes a mitigating factor that will exonerate Orochimaru."
Even if it doesn't, we'll make it that way.
The Sannin see themselves out, ruffling the hair of Naruto as he barges in to have his session with his grandfather.
"Jiji! I came back with your student! After this imma go finally learn who my parents are!"
Hands so full of life grasping the thin, weak one and his grandfather figure smiles at him warmly.
"You've worked hard, Naruto. That's good. It's good. No matter what, remember that your parents are very proud of you."
They chatter – rather Naruto chatters about his training with the Toad Sage.
When it's time to leave, the Hokage entrusts Naruto with the message to call his son and grandson, a duty left to his grandson in everything but blood.
If Naruto was hurt that his old man was sending him to call for other people, he didn't show it.
Once Naruto and Sakura leave the room, the boy's smile falls a little.
The door clicks, separating the elderly Hokage away from the rest of the world under special seals.
The elderly man's modes of communication are only two, the emergency call button and Sakura or her Senpai coming for quarter-day visits.
"I understand that Shiore-san is their friend, but if Jiji is so against it that he can become upset on his deathbed, must they push it?"
Sakura shrugs, "You've read the textbook, Naruto-chan. They question if the textbook is correct."
"You heard Jiji like I heard from the clone pen you brought in. He saw all the terrible things that Shiore-san did."
She logs his condition into the clipboard that can only be checked out by the Hospital Director, Senpai and her.
The Director doesn't bother because senpai is too good, so there's no worry there.
"It's like as if you, me and Sasuke-chan were in that position. No matter what happens, we'll always believe in the best of each other and repeatedly try to save each other."
Naruto is quiet for a while, before he goes, "Well."
"Well if that's the case, I understand then. Because no matter what Sakura-chan does I'll always believe its for an important reason. So Sakura-chan, tell me, how did you know that Shiore-san would approach Tsunade-baa-chan? And why would you think of suggesting coming back?"
"The second one first. Because from the description you gave me of the fight between Shiore-san and Hokage-sama, Shiore-san wasn't trying to kill him. Therefore, I believed that he wanted to come back. The first one. Because Tsunade-sama would have been convenient and the one likely person who could heal his arms. Why would Tsunade-sama do such a thing? Because she can keep Shiore-san with her and watch over him to re-evaluate things again. Above everything, Naruto-chan, Tsunade-sama is someone who has lost many things. The moment you offer her something back, she will take it."
Maybe it's the way that his teammate has taken apart the lady who will become their next leader that gives him pause.
He trusts Sakura, but he doesn't know why he trusts her so much so the pink-haired girl laughs.
"It's good to have some suspicion, Naruto-chan."
"No! I trust Sakura-chan, I do, but I don't know why I do but I know I'm going to keep trusting you."
Her smile is easy, even as she sighs.
"I will never willingly hurt you, Naruto-chan. You know this the same way Tsunade-sama knows it. That's why…"
With the same hands he used to kill bandits who tried to kill Sakura, he hugs her.
Those same hands stained with blood, he used to protect his village. He will use to protect his village.
Naruto understands well.
"Everyone has two sides. Strangely, the closest people usually don't see the other side of the person. Whether because that person uses both sides to protect the closest people, or because they are too blinded by one side… Who knows?"
"We're not perfect people, Naruto-chan," her hands came up to hug him too, "but is protecting what is precious to us bad? It depends on what you call bad, Naruto-chan, but know that I will never fault you for something you do with good intentions."
They break the hug as Naruto mumbles that he's headed to the Sarutobi Compound.
He shoves his hands into his pockets in reply, only looking at her once more to try to decipher what she means and does not mean.
"See you later, Sakura-chan."
"Tomorrow," she corrects, "I'm sure he'll want you there."
Like that, at the one-month mark of the failed invasion, the Lord Hokage expired.
In the end, the man was alone.
"I have come to collect my due."
Sakura writes it out carefully, speaking aloud.
"Time of death, 10.04 a.m. Cause of death, respiratory failure linked to lung cancer."
The Hokage gave her a solemn nod then the Shinigami left.
With a long beep, the ECG machine confirms what she already knows.
Gathering up the scrolls the Sandaime signed just before his passing, she steps out and gestures for Senpai to enter.
They'll have to strip the room as the family prepares for the funeral rites, to keep the secret room secret and all.
Council is called there and then by the ANBU and Jonin Commander, bypassing all formal niceties.
Without introduction Lady Tsunade takes her Senju seat, without permission being applied for Lord Jiraiya reclines in the corner of the Council Room, without needing the death told to his face, Sarutobi Asuma takes his Clan's seat.
Reading out the few scrolls regarding but not limited to; his appointment of Lady Senju Tsunade as the incumbent Godaime Hokage; his cession of his Council seat to incumbent Sarutobi Head; his wish that his remaining assets be passed on to his son; his wish that the council broach the topic of the Sannin Orochimaru once more; his last words that Konoha would continue to flourish and more.
Little whisperings of betrayal and hatred and fear mingle with the atmosphere of unease.
Lady Senju's appointment, like the new Lord Sarutobi's, is merely cosmetic since the Council has heard of the decisions a month ago.
Sakura leans forward, "Given that Sandaime-sama has passed, I would like to have some elaboration on the topic of the Sannin, Orochimaru-san. What could Sandaime-sama want the Council to discuss, considering he is – ah was Sandaime-sama's student?"
She throws the topic out, knowing that both other Sannin present will argue to death for exactly what the will wants.
Even as Shikaku-sama reads out the list of crimes attributed to Orochimaru-san and points out those the Sandaime wanted to contest, the rest of the room is watching Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama for their moves.
Assembling a contemplative face then drifting off.
If Shikaku-sama – as she guesses, looks well enough the handwriting of the wills are all in her hand.
She worded the crimes mildly, carefully, insinuating, knowing that the Hokage was hurting inside at the betrayal of his conscience yet clinging to the incrimination of another party to save his student.
"…requests that the next Hokage look into this series of egregious crimes to determine if a third party was indeed, as suspected, to have instigated Sannin Orochimaru's crimes. If that is the case, the Sannin should be considered an accessory to murder, not wilful slaughter. Bearing in mind that the loyalty of the Sannin was manipulated and framed as betrayal, asks that the Sannin be exonerated and invited to rejoin Konoha."
Tsunade slams her fist on the table, "And I will. I swear on my mandate. If there is such a rotten maggot in Konoha, I will dig him out and crush him."
Making eye contact with Hatake-sama and Aburame-sama in turn, she closes her eyes meaningfully, smiling, I've closed my eyes, it is now your turn.
The funeral is held concurrent with the inauguration, saving cost and time, both enjoying the light shower from the skies.
Restrained applause meets the Lady Hokage wearing the Hokage hat, even as she delivers the closing eulogy on how wonderful a teacher the Sandaime had been to her.
Knowing that that time is the best time to target people's emotions, while they are saddened by the Hokage's death, trying to celebrate the new chapter of Konoha's story, she hits them with a truck for maximum impact.
"Finally to end this, I would like to share my sensei's dying wish."
There were numerous, but the most important one that affects Konoha's future is that one only.
"It may shock some of you, but all these years, Sensei has been holding the weight of a huge secret that has burdened him. On his deathbed, Sensei confided in Jiraiya-sama and I that he has had some suspicions with regard to our teammate, the Sannin Orochimaru's defection."
The crowd recoils in disgust, no doubt remembering the huge reveals of labs with dissected children.
Team Seven hangs about near the side, to the left of the podium.
Naruto bumps shoulders with Sakura and Sasuke turns to look at his two teammates in cahoots without him.
Kakashi-sensei comes from behind, bending down and hooking his arms around their necks to pull them close.
"Do you think Shiore-san will come back?" Sasuke asks when neither of the two is forthcoming, Naruto struggles to keep his lips from twitching.
Kakashi-sensei immediately tenses and Sakura sighs, "The Sannin are not idiots. Of course, precautions have been taken, sensei. Shiore-san isn't so easy to catch."
"I killed Shiore-san that day, Sakura-kun. Now do tell, why are my cute genin liaising with missing-nin?"
"As far as we are concerned, sensei, Shiore-san is the one who shared breakfast with us, ran from leeches with us and completed the Chunin Exam's Second Exam with us. He protected Kabuto-san in the Forest of Death, so he can't be all terrible."
Sakura only keeps her face even, not reacting even as Lady Tsunade announces the creation of a special division with the duty of rooting out the true traitors.
Sasuke claps politely when the speech ends and Naruto squeezes through the crowd towards Konohamaru.
His wooden poles gone, the scarecrow straightens from his slouch and lays a hand on his last student's shoulder.
Not just to support him but to prevent her from disappearing.
"What now?"
She turns away even as his grip tightens the slightest.
"Humans are unpredictable, Hatake-sama. We can only ensure things up to a certain point. Making Tsunade-sama want to bring Orochimaru-san back was my end-game. I take my hands off now. Who knows what you and Aburame-sama will do? I daren't make any guesses."
Pink-haired head melding into a sea of black and Kakashi sighs, keeping his one eye on her till he finally loses his visual.
He's going to meet Shibi tomorrow, just like Sakura set them up to.
As a final attempt to not be so predictable, he toys with the idea of being a day or so late.
Yeah, that's what I'll do.
He sent Pakkun off to alert Shibi-sama of the change in plans.
Ah, suddenly writing Naruto machinations makes me feel rusty.
Well, I'm not sure if I'll manage another in time for Christmas since I'll be overseas next week, then busy the week after, but here's a chapter for now.
I hope it's not going too slowly, I'm getting back my groove into writing layered characters where everyone is trying to pull other people's strings.
I've said it before, Sakura is not a good person but I guess that depends on what is 'good'. No one is contesting the fact that Orochimaru experimented on humans and children at that – I'm a fan of litigation dramas and schematics and all of it.
Hoping to express this as a back forth tussle next chapter, I hope you won't find it dry because I want… I really want to express the world in the eyes of a morally grey character who sees the ends as justifying the means even though our current world doesn't like it.
As always, do review, I love hearing from you all,
Kayo.
