It Starts

The view of a sunrise from the Hokage monument was just one of those sights that never got old. It was worth waking up just that tad bit earlier if it meant getting to watch the tip of the sun come into view on the horizon. The rising sun painted the village in an ethereal orange glow, the smell of fresh dew tickled your nose, and if you waited long enough, you could even feel the sun's rays warming you as it chased away the night. It was truly a sight to behold...but Jiraiya was there for a different view. This was clearly evidenced by the overused pair of binoculars drooped around his neck and the fact that his perching spot on top of the Fourth Hokage's head conveniently had a view of the women's hot springs. Sure, it was probably a couple of miles away, but that's what binoculars were for. Can't pound a guy if he's miles out of sight. The fact that he was so effectively beating the system had him grinning in positively perverted glee. They'd never see him coming. The downside to that was the fact that he was so far away. Tough, but whenever he got anywhere near a bathhouse, he usually came out with a few bruises, so he'd keep his distance for now.

Another downside of researching the hot springs was that stupid steam vapors always made it hard to see if the focus was right on his binoculars, and that just wouldn't do at all, especially when there were so many beautiful subjects to catalog. His mind floated back to a wonderful brunette he had a date with about a week ago...well, it was a little one-sided, but still. In any case, he had done some more digging and found out she'd be at the hot springs again this morning; it was only a matter of time. In the meantime, there were still various subjects to catalog, like that stunning redhead who walked in a few moments ago. She was out of focus, but you didn't need focus to admire that bod. Beautiful, bath towel-clad, and oh so close to being the next victim of Jiraiya's researching campaign. With a perverted grin, he slowly spun the focusing ring on the binoculars to sharpen the blurry image. Sure, it was a little hazy at first, but it wasn't long before the porcelain colored skin started fading into view. Just above the towel were the soft curves of a bare shoulder and below the towel were even smoother legs. Cue the Cheshire cat grin. Beating the system indeed. When she started removing her towel, he felt a small trail of blood wet his mustache. Unfortunately for him, a dark green waistband stepped in front of his binoculars before he could see any more.

"Hey!" he yelled, dropping the binoculars to find himself face to face with Tsunade. "Oh."

"What were you doing?" she asked, her face set harder than stone.

"Uh, just a little bird watching," he replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"You're lucky we've got bigger problems to deal with right now."

"Bird watching isn't that hard to beat," he said, chuckling awkwardly.

"Stop joking for once in your life and tell me what you said to him yesterday."

With an annoyed groan, Jiraiya dropped his binoculars and crossed his arms realizing his plans for the morning had officially been derailed. "What are you talking about?" he drawled.

"I'm talking about Naruto. Kakashi said you were gonna talk to him after his little scuffle with Sasuke."

"Oh, that," Jiraiya replied, looking away into the village. "I didn't say anything."

"What do you mean you didn't say anything?" Tsunade half-yelled with both hands on her hips.

Jiraiya gave a shrug and replied, "The kid looked bad enough as it was. He needed some space."

Tsunade's hand shot up to massage her temple as she replied through gritted teeth. "Kakashi said he told you to talk to him."

"Alright, I get it, jeez. Why're you biting my head off?"

"Because of this, Jiraiya!" she said, practically shoving the notebook into his chest.

Jiraiya paused briefly before taking hold of the pale blue notebook and focusing on the handwritten letter before him. It didn't take him long to read it, but the world seemed to slow to a standstill when he did. For once, he had been left completely speechless. There was no uproar of laughter, no stream of corny jokes, just silence, and all he could do was stand motionless as the last traces of remnant heat left his body. In the absence of heat came terrible cold; the type of cold that drifts through your clothes then seeps through your skin, relentlessly continuing its course until it finally reaches your bones and leaves you numb.

The first sign of him leaving his stupor was a small squint. Turning to her, he asked, "Where did you find this?"

"I didn't," she replied. "Shikamaru found it when I sent him to get Naruto a few moments ago."

"What was Shikamaru doing getting Naruto?"

"Sasuke went rogue too."

"What?!"

Tsunade's shoulders lifted in a lifeless shrug as she answered. "Apparently, Sakura tried to stop him, but he just knocked her out and left." Her eyes lost some of their light as she continued. "Jiraiya, everything is falling apart. We don't even have any ninja to spare because the village is still reeling from Orochimaru's attack. I mean, Sasuke I could see coming, but this…" she finished, swallowing a bit as her eyes started glazing over.

As the tears started forming, Jiraiya couldn't help but tear his eyes away. How could he look at her when the tears resting in her eyes were his fault? He had one job, just the one, and he had somehow managed to screw it up. Jiraiya the Gallant, a ninja revered in his time and known as one of the Legendary Sannin, now looking more like a professional screw up than anything.

"What's Kakashi doing about this?" he finally asked, eyes never leaving the village.

"He's on a day-long mission from the Daimyo. He won't be back until tomorrow."

"So, who's leading the mission to get back Sasuke?"

"Shikamaru and a group of handpicked genin."

Jiraiya exhaled. "That's not good."

"We don't have a choice."

There was a noticeable pause after those words and the only sound to break the silence was the whistle of a soft breeze as it passed through the monument rocks. Both Sannin stood motionless, basking in the glow of the rising sun. Despite the nagging quiet, they knew each other's thoughts intimately. They had been in some crazy situations, fought some tough battles, and come out on top over some impossible odds, but this was still a big one.

Jiraiya broke the silence as he handed the notebook back. "I'm gonna track Naruto."

Tsunade's eyes never met his. They were too taken by the endless world she saw looming in the distance. Silently, she said, "We don't even know which way he went or how long he's been gone."

Jiraiya was quick to respond. "He was here yesterday, so he can't have gone far. I'll track him with the toads, and if that doesn't pan out, I've always got my spy network. He's just a kid, he has to have left some type of trail."

"I hope you're right…"

"I'll bring him back." Jiraiya said firmly.

Tsunade nodded in response, but the way she solemnly looked towards the horizon showed that she had her doubts; doubts he knew would keep her up at night. She'd let them consume her and gnaw away at her soul until there was nothing left. They'd destroy her…from the inside. He knew this for a very simple reason – it was the same thing that would happen to him. So that was his mission. Bring back the kid...for both their sakes.

Not long after that, he turned away rubbing the bridge of his nose and burying a small sniffle of his own. It would probably be best if he got to work now. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day. As he turned to leave, he heard Tsunade call his name once more. His response was a slight glance over his shoulder.

"Move quickly," she said. "There's some guy who's been staying in the village for quite some time and it seems like he has history with the elders."

"What, you think he's gonna be a problem?"

"I'm not sure, but he was in the room when I found out about Sasuke's departure and I'm pretty sure he's not gonna keep it to himself for very long."

"Does he know about Naruto?"

"Well, he was there when Shikamaru brought the letter back, so he knows something's up. I can't say how much he knows though."

Jiraiya paused, squinting as he mulled over the information. Today was the day that just kept on giving, wasn't it... "Alright," he said. "What's his name?"

"Danzō Shimura."

"Danzō?!"

"Yeah," Tsunade replied, giving a wary glance. "You know him?"

Jiraiya's reply was an annoyed groan and an even more annoyed sigh. "How long has he been here?"

"Well, he showed up right after Orochimaru's invasion claiming he was here for Hiruzen's funeral. Problem is he hasn't left since."

"Yeah, I'll bet he hasn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Danzo used to be a trusted member of the council."

"What?"

"Yeah, problem was his methods were…extreme. He used to try to go against Hiruzen's orders all the time. Sometimes he even got the elders to back him up. Hiruzen tolerated it…until the Uchiha massacre."

"That was him?" Tsunade asked, eyes widening at the realization.

"Yeah. Hiruzen kicked him off the council right after. Him being back now can only mean trouble. Now that Hiruzen's dead, he's probably trying to crawl his way back into his position."

"That weasel…"

"Yeah, I know," Jiraiya said, one hand rubbing his chin as he continued. "I'm gonna need you to buy me as much time as you can."

"I figured," Tsunade replied. "I'll do what I can."

Jiraiya nodded and turned away. Both nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, letting the cool air invade his being. One last whiff of Konoha. It smelled like spring. Fresh, light, airy. There was no telling when he'd get to smell it again so he did his best to memorize the smell and hoped it would stick with him. Eventually, he exhaled. With that, he jumped off the monument, deftly hopping from rock to rock as he made his way towards the outskirts of the village.

Tsunade watched his leaping form until he disappeared down the side of the Hokage monument. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she whispered into the cold morning air. "Bring him home…"

Steeling herself, she turned on her heel to begin her descent down the mountain. She hadn't taken two steps when she spotted Shizune bounding up the monument steps, skipping a few steps here and there. By the time she finally arrived at the top, she was breathless.

"Lady Tsunade," she said, bowing forward slightly and catching her breath.

"What's wrong?"

"The council has called a meeting."

Tsunade looked down into the village as her eyes narrowed. So it starts…

-l-l-l-

As Jiraiya jumped off of the last set of rocks on his way down, he bit into his thumb to draw the blood necessary before slamming his hand into the ground. Thin black markings shot outwards as the summon activated, bringing a small band of tracker toads to his feet in a puff of smoke. The toads were a distinct orange color and had green markings lining their skin. The one at the forefront was slightly bigger than the others and the obvious leader of the army. All of them looked at Jiraiya expectantly, their round eyes blinking in random intervals.

"Alright," he began. "We've got a situation."

"What is it, Boss?" the older toad asked.

"Naruto left the village."

The statement was enough to start a small commotion among the frogs as a mix of questions and disgruntled croaks started traveling through the group.

"What happened?" the eldest toad finally asked.

"I don't really have time to explain," Jiraiya replied. "But as you all can see, I'm gonna need your help."

"Yeah, you got it, boss."

"Now, we don't know where he's headed so the first thing I'm gonna need you all to do is pick up on his trail. I know covering every direction away from the village is a lot to ask, but do you think you guys can do it in a timely manner?"

"Sure thing." the toad replied. "We'll pick up the trail in no time."

"Good," Jiraiya said. "When you do, meet me back at this spot."

"I hear ya."

"Hey!" he rasped towards all of the toads behind him. "Let's move out!"

A multitude of wide toad heads bounced up and down in agreement then, one by one, they were hopping off in a different direction.


So far, Naruto was really enjoying this rogue thing. In all honesty, he had never felt more alive. The farther away he got from the village, the more he could feel the raw adrenaline coursing through his veins. There was this overwhelming thrill that came from facing the unknown. Of course, there was a bit of apprehension there too, but he found that it was almost completely overridden by his adventurous drive. He had nowhere to go…but everywhere! It was exhilarating and a tad bit frightening at the same time. It was a kind of mystery that he was still trying to make sense of, but he decided not to linger on it for too long. Thinking wasn't his forte after all; much easier to just focus on the thrill of his new situation. Heck, with the high he was feeling at the moment, he felt like he could take on anything. Now, that wasn't to say that going rogue didn't have its downsides. Traveling all night meant his jumpsuit was currently drenched in sweat, which felt gross even by his standards, and the scenery hadn't helped any either. At night, everything was painted in dim grays and whites, and in the day the rays of sunshine struggled to even get past the leaves of the trees overhead. The result was him having to look at nothing but dull greens and browns so far. Everywhere he looked, there were simply trees. Big trees, small trees, dead trees, tree stumps – boring. The smell didn't change much either. Whiffs of damp earth and dry shrubs seemed to be all the forest had to offer...he was not impressed. As far as sounds went, birds seemed to be the spice of life. They were actually getting quite annoying now that he thought about it. How many times did you have to sing the same song before it got old?! They weren't even cool birds like eagles or hawks or falcons; they were just your average, everyday forest variety bird. If Shikamaru were here, he would say they were a drag. Naruto smiled a bit at the thought and found his mind wandering back to his former home for a while. There were many things to think about when it came to Konoha, but he didn't allow his mind to stay there long enough to go down that path. Instead, he shook his head violently and tried to keep his mind focused elsewhere. The forest was, of course, the only other thing he could easily turn his attention to, so he once again considered criticizing the living daylights out of it. It was an appealing thought, but in the end, he decided against it. He really shouldn't be complaining too much. Brooding was more Sasuke's thing and beggars can't be choosers, after all. Maybe this was just a part of being a rogue he'd have to get used to.

"Alright," the fox said. "Stop here."

"What for?" Naruto asked as he perched on the branch he had stopped on.

"You've been going since the middle of the night; you need to stay hydrated. There's a stream nearby."

"A stream?" Naruto asked. "How do you know?"

"First lesson," the fox replied. "Always pay attention to what your senses are telling you."

"My senses…" Naruto whispered as he tried to make sense of the statement.

"Your ears in particular." the fox said, throwing him a bone.

Naruto squinted then let his eyes fall shut as he listened. What he was listening for, he did not know, but there were more sounds than he noticed at first. Besides the obvious bird songs he couldn't seem to get out of his head, there were other things: tree leaves swaying in the wind, wind currents passing through rocks, an animal rustling the leaves in a brush, the gentle trickle of a nearby stream… Naruto's eyes shot open at the realization. "I hear it," he whispered, turning to look in the direction that the faint sound was coming from. "It's barely there, but I hear it."

"Yeah," the fox replied. "You'll be surprised what you hear when you stop to listen. Now try this."

Naruto squinted but before he could say anything, familiar red chakra started bubbling out of every pore of his skin. In an instant, the trickle of the stream sounded as if it were right next to him.

"Whoaaa…" he breathed. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, and useful." the fox replied as the cloak started retreating from Naruto's body. The red bubbles were halfway gone when they stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Do you feel that?" the fox asked, his voice conveying an urgency that Naruto didn't understand.

"Feel what?"

"Powerful chakras." the fox replied. "To the west."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he turned towards the east trying to sense what the fox was sensing. It took him a couple of seconds and a bit of focus, but he sensed them. Five distinct chakra signatures. Each one ominous in its own chill-inducing way. One of them was familiar, but they were too far away for him to place.

After looking off in their direction for a while longer, he silently asked, "They're not coming for me, are they?"

The fox's reply was equally silent. "I don't know."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Fox."

The fox remained silent and Naruto felt like time had come to a standstill. They couldn't be after him, could they? He had been gone for all of two seconds, there was no way someone was already that close to him. If anything, they should just now be finding out he's gone.

"Well, they're not moving towards us," the fox said. "Maybe they have their own destination."

"So, what do we do?"

"We stop here." the fox replied. "If they keep going, we know we're in the clear. If not, get ready for a fight."

Naruto stared in their direction for a while before whispering to himself, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

"Just try not to think about it." the fox said. "Head to the stream. We'll camp there for a bit."

"Yeah," Naruto replied tentatively. "Sounds like a plan..."


Author's Note

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