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Old Legends
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Jiraiya was on his way to a neighbouring city with Sakura and Naruto in search of Tsunade Senju. It was the first time in over ten years that Tsunade had been seen this close to Konoha. And it was the first time in ten years that Jiraiya would see her again. It left the man at least partially worried inside. He and his former teammate had not exactly parted on good terms. Both their worlds had been falling apart back then. He was fairly certain that meeting her again would only open old wounds, in both of them. Travelling with Minato's son did not help his growing anxiety.
"Lord Jiraiya." Sakura decided to speak to him after they had walked next to each other in silence for a good while.
"Please, just call me Jiraiya," he said.
Naruto was walking with arms crossed in front of him, not deigning to even look at the old man. Jiraiya was a legend in Konoha, but that did not interest Naruto.
"You are one of the Legendary Sannin. Together with Lady Tsunade and Lord Orochimaru. Am I right?"
Jiraiya nodded, though he didn't like where this was going. The past wasn't exactly his favourite topic to talk about.
"This Lord Orochimaru, what was he like? We learned a lot about you and Tsunade, but not about him."
There were reasons for that, Jiraiya knew. Because Orochimaru was a traitor. A deserter. And most of the details concerning his betrayal were top secret, nothing he was supposed to tell a Genin about. So he gave her a vague answer. "I have not seen him in a long time. But he used to be a very strong shinobi."
Sakura was not satisfied with the answer. There was a specific question she wanted answered, but she didn't want to ask Jiraiya directly. Yet she couldn't help wondering whether that person who attacked Sasuke and Naho in the Forest of Death was one of the Sannin. They had told her that he'd introduced himself as Orochimaru. But why a former shinobi of Konoha would attack their own Genin during the Chuunin exams she didn't know. And she felt that it was one of those things she wasn't supposed to question.
"You are a civilian girl, Sakura, right?" Jiraiya decided to change the topic. "You know I was sort of the first civilian who ever graduated from the Academy."
"Really?" Sakura asked, somewhat impressed.
"You are 'sort of the first'?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. He didn't want Sakura to show interest in the old perv.
"I am the first. Some liked to claim Sakumo was the first. But that's bullshit. Bullshit I tell you. Sakumo's father was a shinobi, even if he was a shinobi first generation. And his mother belonged to the noble Senju clan. How could anyone possibly think Sakumo had a civilian background?"
The two Genin stared at him, unsure what to say or what exactly Jiraiya was talking about.
"Who's Sakumo?" Sakura asked.
Jiraiya laughed out loud. "You little kids really have no idea of life. Sakumo Hatake was -" He stopped and the boastful smirk on his face vanished. "Well, he was a good man. A good shinobi. We went to the Academy together."
"Hatake? Like Kakashi-sensei?" she wondered.
Jiraiya scratched his head, feeling he might have given away information he shouldn't have. Kakashi, just like him, was not a person fond of the past. So he ignored the girl's question. "I assume the Academy has come a long way. But back then, it was designed to mainly train clan children. And of course, clan children had all sorts of prior knowledge I lacked. I had to work thrice as hard to get to their level."
Naruto was still sulking that he'd been sent on a mission together with this man. Sarcastically he said, "We get it. You are great and all that, old perv. Ouch!"
Sakura had stepped on his foot while walking with full force. "At least try and be somewhat respectful," she snarled at him. "He is still one of the highest ranking shinobi in Konoha."
Jiraiya tried to laugh the discomfort he felt around Naruto away. "It's fine, Sakura-chan. You two don't have to act like I am your superior around me. Think of me more like a cool uncle."
Naruto only scoffed. Sakura sighed. She felt sympathetic towards Naruto's feelings. Yet she was also aware that this man was a walking archive of secret information and jutsu. And he would take them to Tsunade Senju, yet another legend and prodigy in the field of medical jutsu. Naruto could at least try and make the best out of this situation.
"So will Tsunade come back to Konoha again?" Sakura asked, trying to sound casual. Learning medical jutsu from Tsunade was the dream.
"That's the plan."
"And why did she leave in the first place?" Naruto asked, sort of wanting to participate in the conversation after all.
"Well, that's complicated. Tsunade went through a lot. We all did. And at some point, she just quit."
"Did Orochimaru leave the village too?" Sakura couldn't just not ask when the man having all the answers was right next to her.
He eyed her, raised an eyebrow. "There are reasons you don't learn that sort of stuff in the Academy, little girl. Maybe I'll tell you tonight after five beer. You are paying of course." He laughed again and increased his speed to walk in front of them, partially fleeing from all the questions that burned in the girl's eyes.
Sakura was irritated at the comment, not quite sure whether he meant it. Naruto only rolled his eyes.
They soon reached the town that Tsunade was reportedly staying at. Their next step was to locate her, find out exactly where she was, what she had been doing. But when they passed a ramen restaurant on their way to their hotel, Jiraiya remembered Komachi's words.
"Hey, are you two hungry? We've been walking for quite a while," he asked.
Naruto looked in the other direction. After hesitating for a moment, Sakura answered, "I wouldn't mind getting something to eat."
"We can go to the hotel first," Naruto said, still sulking. "We'll drop off our stuff and then Sakura and I can look for a place to have dinner."
"I was thinking maybe we could…" Jiraiya pointed his thumb at the ramen restaurant down the street. "Have some ramen together."
Naruto faltered. With a big pout on his lips he murmured, "Are you paying?"
"Sure, sure," Jiraiya laughed and hurried the two into the ramen shop.
His plan seemed to be going well, and he saw a smile on Naruto's face for the first time since they left Konoha when the chef put a huge bowl of noodle soup in front of the boy. Naruto had made sure to buy the most expensive dish. But that was fine with Jiraiya. He was not a man to check prices. So he simply ordered a bottle of sake for himself and enjoyed the time with Minato's son.
"Isn't this restaurant a bit too high-end for us?" Sakura had carefully asked when looking at the menu.
Jiraiya laughed the thought away. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I only want the best for you and Naruto."
She shrugged. "Well, I guess you are a legendary shinobi. That title must come with quite a bit of money."
Eating ramen with Naruto turned out to be one of the better ideas Jiraiya had ever had. Or Komachi. And engaging in a conversation about ramen with him seemed almost genius to the old sage.
"So, what is your favourite ramen?" had been the one question that finally crashed the ice between Jiraiya and the boy. Naruto went on to excitedly tell them both all about his favourite toppings and the perfect broth, completely forgetting that he had been sulking for hours without end.
It was a successful dinner, right until the shop owner handed them the check. Jiraiya felt like he was struck by lightning while the two kids did not see anything wrong at all. He paid with part of the money the Hokage had given him for the mission. After all, this was what the money was for - buy food and drinks for the two Genin. Surely the Hokage hadn't calculated that Jiraiya would spend most of it already on the first evening, but Jiraiya was certain that it would all work out in the end. Naruto and Sakura would simply have to go without breakfast for a few days. Nothing unusual for missions. Maybe a few dinners as well.
On their way to the hotel, Jiraiya bought a bottle of the cheapest sake he could find, ready to drink it all that night. Because then he could add up both prices, and pretend that in total, the money spent on his drinks wasn't that bad anymore. It still was, but better. And if he drank a bottle of cheap sake each night, and another during the day, it would eventually even up.
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Kakashi and Sasuke had gone to a village in the mountains. It was a small holiday resort with many natural hot springs, which made it easy for the two shinobi to disguise themselves as simple tourists. Their days they spent further into the mountains at desolate training spots.
"You shouldn't strain your body too much. So let's call it a day," Kakashi said at the end of their first day. The sun had already set, yet Sasuke didn't seem to think about ending his training just yet.
He did another repetition of the exercise, and another after that. Then he stopped. "I want to get the most out of our practice before the tournament."
"Resting is an important part of training too," Kakashi insisted. "Your body needs time to adjust and become stronger."
Sasuke complied, and they started their way back to the resort village. Neither of the two was a talkative person, so they had travelled in silence, and now walked back in silence as well. Yet there was one topic Sasuke had wanted to talk about. And eventually, he decided to address it.
"There's something you aren't telling me," he noted. "Is it because of my opponent in the tournament or because of the seal on my neck?"
"There's a lot I'm not telling you," Kakashi calmly replied. "It's not like you need to know everything."
"You took me away from Konoha to train. There has to be a reason for that which involves me, my training or my safety. And that is something I have a right to know about."
Kakashi didn't answer, just kept walking as he stared ahead with his hands in his pockets.
Sasuke decided to do the same and give up on the conversation for now. There was a lot he wanted to know, but he didn't want to push. That was usually his teammate's part, but they were absent. First, Sasuke had felt proud, entitled, that he got to participate in the tournament and receive special training because of it. Then he had heard that Naruto and Sakura left on a mission with one of the Legendary Sannin, to find a second Legendary Sannin. That did bother him.
The two shared a single room, and ate their dinner without speaking. Kakashi wasn't too happy that he'd have to spend 24 hours each day with one of his students. Sleeping in the same room, sharing each meal, it all felt too personal. Yet this was a mission, not just a training trip he made for fun. And at least Sasuke was a quiet one.
"You are very eager when it comes to training," Kakashi noted.
"I have a goal I need to achieve. Of course I'm eager."
"To kill your brother?"
Sasuke was surprised at the sudden straightforwardness. Still he nodded.
Kakashi threw the empty packaging of their dinner into the trash bin before saying, "Do you know what a flee-on-sight order is?"
"Sure I do. We learned it at the Academy."
"One of those exists for your brother. So even if you do become strong enough, you are technically not even permitted to fight him."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that maybe you should find another goal in life. One that doesn't solely revolve around killing a single person. It won't leave you with much should you ever achieve it."
His words made Sasuke become defensive. This was nothing he wanted to talk about. And it was certainly nothing he would change his views on. He simply tsked at his teacher as an answer.
With that silence returned and they both prepared for bed. Kakashi threw a short "night" the boy's way, but only earned more silence in return. It didn't bother him much, so he lay down and stared at the dark ceiling. He hoped his other students were safe. He was fairly confident that Naruto and Sakura were, after all, Jiraiya was a man he could trust. It was mostly Naho he worried about. It almost felt like he had abandoned her, with her being the only one of their team left in Konoha. Maybe he should have taken her with him too, he reflected. After all, she had been attacked during the exams as well.
The Hokage had been quick to find a way to remove Sasuke from the threat possibly lingering for him in Konoha. But it never crossed their mind that Naho might be in danger too. Because civilian shinobi with no bloodline were hardly a target. Still Konoha as a whole could hardly be considered safe with Orochimaru showing himself during the Chuunin exams. So he had meant to ask Gai to watch after Naho for a few days, but Gai had his own problems.
Kakashi turned, took a deep breath. He had to shut up his thoughts somehow. He turned back on his back, tried thinking of the food he would eat tomorrow, counted the money again he had received and spent. It all barely helped, so he eventually grabbed Icha Icha and rose to leave the room in search of light.
He didn't want to wake Sasuke, though the boy also wasn't asleep yet. He glanced at Kakashi, but never said a word. It left the teacher wondering what kept Sasuke from falling asleep. He had to feel exhausted after their training. Yet enough things immediately popped into his mind that could all take over the boy's thoughts.
"You did good today," Kakashi said, sympathising with Sasuke's sleeplessness. He didn't think his words would help much, but maybe they were better than nothing. "It took you a while to get accustomed to a second nature transformation, but now you make quick progress."
Sasuke showed no sign of pride at his teacher's praise. Learning lightning jutsu threw him back in time to when he first learned fire jutsu. He remembered how hard it was to produce a decent fireball, and how long he had to practice. He could never understand why it took him so much more effort. His cousin, who received only a fraction of his training, produced fire with ease.
It didn't matter that he now knew the reason, his affinity for lightning instead of fire. Because it didn't matter anymore. His father was dead. So was his mother, and cousin.
"I have a lightning jutsu I want to teach you tomorrow."
Sasuke nodded. Kakashi left.
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Finding Tsunade in the town was easy. There was one street dedicated to pubs, gambling, and other sorts of adult entertainment. Naruto was excited by all the colourful lights and women offering him freebies of foods and lotions at every corner. Sakura on the other hand did not like this part of town one bit. She spent most of her time pulling Naruto away from women wearing way too little clothing, looking like they'd kidnap Naruto if she wasn't careful. Or sell him way too overpriced products that were not appropriate for a boy his age.
Jiraiya barely paid any attention to the little adventures the two Genin experienced around him. He talked to people here and there, stayed for some sake every now and then, and eavesdropped on conversations around him. Eventually, he walked into a pub and simply found her there, sitting at one of the tables with Shizune. Her cheeks wore a red blush from the beer in her hands.
Outside on the streets, Sakura was yelling at Naruto that he'd contract some deadly disease if he took that in his mouth. But Jiraiya didn't care. He let the kids do whatever they were doing and approached Tsunade's table.
"Quite early into the day for a beer," he told her despite having had sake with his breakfast.
Tsunade only shortly glanced at him. "So he really sent you next, that old man. Don't waste your time. I'm not going back."
Shizune quickly rose and politely greeted Jiraiya with a bow. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade told her to drop the courtesies at the same time. She quietly sat down again.
"Can I join? We haven't talked in quite a while." He joined their table before she could answer and told the waiter to bring him a beer too. "So, any news? What have you been up to?"
"I've lived my life," she answered shortly.
Sakura and Naruto came storming into the pub. They were fighting with each other loudly, which ended with Sakura slapping the back of Naruto's head. The waiter was about to throw them out again when Jiraiya told him that they belonged to him.
"That's… Lady Tsunade?" Sakura quietly asked when she and Naruto sat down with them.
Naruto's eyes narrowed at Tsunade's breasts. "Are you sure you are a legendary shinobi? You look more like one of those girls out on the streets."
"Naruto!" Sakura hit him again until Naruto seemed to vanish under the table in an attempt to flee. "Are you stupid? Do you even hear yourself talking? That's just offensive and wrong."
"What? I'm only making an observation here. Stop hitting me!"
"Who are these children?" Tsunade asked, unimpressed with the scene unfolding in front of her.
Jiraiya grinned. "This is Naruto Namikaze, Minato's son. And this is Sakura Haruno, his teammate."
Tsunade hummed before taking another sip of her drink. With a rather bored voice she said, "Minato's son, huh?" Naruto was about to complain that he wasn't just 'Minato's son,' he was more than that. He was his own person. But Tsunade continued, "Too bad that boy never saw his own child grow up. I guess that's what happens when you become Hokage and swear to give your life for the village. Kushina died too that day, didn't she?"
Naruto's mouth dropped open, but he couldn't find his voice to speak. It felt awkward to hear this woman talk so casually about the death of his parents in front of him, almost like he wasn't even sitting right there listening. "Kushina?" he eventually managed to say. Part of him already knew that had to be his mother's name. But he had never actually been told her name. Not until now. If anything, he was Minato's son. The Fourth Hokage's son. Anyone rarely ever mentioned his mother, and if they did, she was just that - Naruto's mother, Minato's wife.
"My, my. You didn't even tell the boy the name of his mother, Jiraiya?" She still didn't seem interested as she played with her beer bottle. It almost fell over, but she just so managed to grab it again at the last second.
Sakura could see how Naruto's body tensed. Softly she lay a hand on his thigh, showing him that he had at least her support. Somehow. How exactly she was supposed to support him she didn't quite know yet. But neither Naruto nor Jiraiya said anything, so Sakura took it upon herself to change the subject.
"Lady Tsunade, I heard that you were one of the best medical-nin Konoha has ever seen. I'm really interested in medical jutsu myself. Do you have any advice?"
"My advice would be…" She took another big sip of beer. "Change your profession. Learn something decent while you still have the chance."
"Excuse me?"
"Did you guys know that throughout your career as a shinobi, at least one of your former Genin teammates will die, statistically? That's around one third of all shinobi in Konoha. During the times of the second and third war, those numbers grew to two out of three, dead. Jiraiya here can tell you all about it." She giggled to herself and swayed her beer in his direction. "Out of his three genin, two are dead. Only one left. Oh, I hope she is still alive, or did she die too?"
Jiraiya sighed. "You really are drunk at noon, aren't you."
"What about you two, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun. Who do you think will be the one to die on your team? At least you are lucky and times are rather peaceful these days."
The two genin were both baffled, irritated by the confrontational air around Tsunade. They didn't even know her, and she didn't know them.
"We are a four-man squad," Naruto mumbled, almost like that little fact was supposed to change anything. He really was not impressed with these proclaimed legends of Konoha. Both were drunks. Both seemed to only think about his parents, not him. And neither had shown him that they were truly worthy of being considered legends.
"Oh perfect!" Tsunade exclaimed with delight. "So were we back then. So let's see. One of us died, another one went crazy and deserted. Then there is Jiraiya here who is still going strong working for Konoha, and then there is me. I simply quit. Realised that being a shinobi is not worth it. I guess we didn't do too shabby. Only one death. You think you can beat that?"
"Tsunade, please," Shizune interfered with a friendly smile on her lips. "Don't scare the children."
"Scaring them?" Tsunade exclaimed with a loud voice. "I'm telling them the truth. Someone has to do it."
"I don't understand," Naruto now started talking. "Why are you so bitter? They taught us that you are a war hero, a legend. Yet you talk like you hate Konoha. I don't understand."
She glanced at Naruto from behind her beer bottle. "Bitter, huh? Say child, have you ever killed anyone? Ever lost anyone close to you because they were ripped from you by an enemy?" She paused a moment, but when Naruto didn't immediately answer she continued. "You are not a true shinobi until you haven't experienced those two feelings. I guess you did lose your parents, but that hardly counts. You probably don't even remember that. Just wait until that cute little girl next to you has her throat slit open right in front of you."
Sakura and Naruto both looked like all the blood drained from their faces. Jiraiya took a sip from his beer, then put it back down with too much force, and a loud bang turned everyone's attention to him.
"That's enough, Tsunade. Naruto's right - you are bitter. It might be true that shinobi lead a dangerous life. But you can't just devalue the death of those who sacrificed themselves for the good of the village. They didn't just die. Their deaths prevented more death. Their deaths had a meaning."
Tsunade simply snorted and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed in front of her. With tired eyes she said, "Right, a meaning. What was the meaning of Minato's death? Or even better, of Mikoto's? Killed by her own son, I heard. Very meaningful indeed."
Jiraiya glanced at Naruto next to him. "Minato died for Konoha. You'd be a fool to call that meaningless. And Mikoto's death had nothing to do with the life of a shinobi."
"And Chiyo-"
Jiraiya rose with such an intensity that Tsunade did not even finish the name. He slammed his hands on the table, his eyes hard. With a cold voice he said, "Out of the four of us, you are the most pathetic. Orochimaru might be a traitor, but at least he betrayed Konoha for a reason. He's out there doing what he believes in, even if it's despicable. He's alive. But you, Tsunade? You are just a shell. A drunk who might as well be dead."
Jiraiya turned around and left. Sakura and Naruto uncomfortably shifted on their seats before jumping up to follow the man. Tsunade was left alone, staring at her beer.
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Sasuke was distancing himself from Kakashi, searching for some privacy to relieve himself in peace. They'd been training for days now, and they'd also been stuck together for days. Sasuke didn't mind, because he was getting stronger. But he also didn't mind having a bit of time to himself.
He was buttoning his shorts back up when he heard someone approach. Instantly his hand reached for a kunai, and he turned around to locate the source of the sounds.
He found the girl from the Chuunin exams standing in front of him, right in the open. Karin. Her red hair was glistening in the sun.
"Lord Orochimaru would like to speak to you," she said, blushing.
"Who are you?" Sasuke asked. He did glance into her eyes that were of a familiar red colour as well.
"Don't you remember me? I'm Karin, from the Chuunin exams. You saved me."
"That's not what I meant."
She seemed to understand now. "I'm sorry, but I'm not really allowed to tell you much. If you come with me, maybe my master can explain."
"I'm not interested."
Sasuke had already turned away from her when she hastily added, "Lord Orochimaru told me to let you know that he has worked with your brother before. After he left Konoha. He can give you information on him. He even knows where you could find him." She allowed herself to pause, seeing how Sasuke had stopped too. She certainly had his attention now, despite him being turned away from her. "But most importantly, he can teach you how to kill him."
He glanced back at her. "This Orochimaru, is he one of the Sannin?"
When the girl nodded, Sasuke decided to go with her after all. The fear, almost sheer terror, he'd felt during the Chuunin exams was gone. Instead it was replaced with curiosity. If this man was a Sannin, then he had belonged to Konoha at some point. And if he knew about Itachi, then maybe talking to him was worthwhile. This time, he didn't have to worry about Naho's life, and this time, Kakashi was close-by.
Sasuke told himself he'd not go too far away from their training spot, to stay in shouting range of his teacher. And luckily, Karin barely led him away at all.
Orochimaru was sitting not far away at the edge of a big mountain cliff. He had his back turned towards Sasuke, didn't turn around to him despite having heard them approach. His gaze was focused on the view of the valley that lay beneath them, in between two immense mountain ranges. An eagle cried and was gliding over the valley.
"What a peaceful place you two chose for your training," Orochimaru said. "And the view is magnificent. Almost poetic."
Sasuke frowned. He did not care about the view one bit. He wanted to get to the point. "Karin here said you knew my brother."
Orochimaru took his time to finally stand up and face Sasuke. He kept standing at the slope, hands folded behind his back. "Yes," he calmly said. "In fact, you could say we were teammates once."
"In Konoha?" Sasuke blurted out, surprised because he had never seen this man before. Not with his brother nor with anyone else.
"No, it was after we both left the village."
The air around the man was much different than it had been during the Chuunin exams. Back then, Sasuke could feel a readiness to kill gushing out, a dangerous unpredictability. Now he seemed composed, much less interested in Sasuke. It was like he'd been in hunting mode back in the forest, now he was not.
Sasuke was still careful around him. Just because Orochimaru didn't seem to want to hunt or kill him this time around didn't mean being near him was safe. Still he believed him that he held valuable information. After all, this was a Sannin. A shinobi who had managed to sneak into Konoha's Chuunin exams and kill a Jounin. There was no doubt he was powerful. Karin on the other hand he almost forgot existed. She was still standing close to him, her eyes switching between Sasuke and Orochimaru, her cheeks glowing in a rosy red.
"This mark on my neck, what does it do?" Sasuke asked, trying to understand just what exactly it was that Orochimaru wanted from him, why he would offer his help in killing Itachi.
A soft smile formed on the man's lips. "You are still alive. It shows that you are special. I was hoping for this outcome. Still you let them put a seal around the mark. That's too bad."
"Answer my question," Sasuke demanded, but he did feel a slight weakness crawl back into his knees. He was in no position to demand anything from this man; that he was aware of.
"That mark…" he started, but kunai flew through the air before he could finish the sentence. They hit Orochimaru in the heart and neck.
Sasuke hadn't seen them coming, and just for a second, he thought that the man had to be dead now. But then Orochimaru's skin slowly cracked and small snakes emerged to crawl out. His body dissolved into hundreds of snakes until only two dead remained that had a kunai stuck in their body.
Orochimaru reappeared next to Karin. Sasuke's heart started to beat heavily after all now that the shinobi was close to him, now that a certain tension filled the air. Kakashi appeared next to Sasuke, another kunai in hand.
"How did you find us?" Kakashi asked.
Karin moved closer to Orochimaru, hid behind him. Her hands clung to the fabric of his garments. One of his hands found her head, rested on her hair in a reassuring manner, though his eyes he kept on Sasuke.
Orochimaru only snickered. "You are underestimating me. How could I not find you with Sasuke wearing my creation? I can see you put an additional seal on it, unfortunately. Still it's good you didn't try to remove it. Messing with seals you don't understand can be quite dangerous." He smirked at Sasuke. "And we wouldn't want anything to happen to this young Uchiha."
Kakashi remained calm, despite the tension in the air. If Orochimaru's words were true and he could indeed trace Sasuke with the seal, then that was more than problematic. It meant that the boy would have been safer in Konoha after all. No one had foreseen for them to be found in this desolate mountain place. "So why are you here, exactly?" Kakashi asked, hoping that no fight would ensue. He knew that he was on the backfoot here. There was at least one other person nearby that he had already spotted, and he could not be sure just how many allies Orochimaru had brought along.
Orochimaru raised his hand in a dramatic manner. "I just wanted to have a chat with Sasuke. Is that forbidden? Now that I know he is capable of wearing my curse mark, I am sure we could become good friends."
Within less than a second, Orochimaru drew a sword and dashed towards Kakashi and Sasuke. Kakashi was quick to answer, and with an equal speed, he uncovered his sharingan and blocked the attack with his kunai.
Orochimaru grinned at the red eye, his own eyes full of fascination. Their weapons they still held pressed against each other, none of them quite backing down. "Ah, the eyes of the Uchiha. Lucky you for acquiring one for yourself. Have you ever told Sasuke the tale of how you received it? If I were him, I would want to know. After all, it would be quite scandalous if the mentor of the last Uchiha proved to be an eye thief."
Sasuke's eye immediately switched to his teacher. Of course the latter had never told him anything at all.
The metal screeched as Orochimaru withdrew his sword, running its blade over the edge of the kunai in the process. He jumped back and gracefully landed next to the girl with red, messy hair again.
"Sasuke, you should leave Konoha and join my village instead. There, you'd receive the training you need. I can give you the power you desire. My mark is only a small sample. If I taught you how to use it properly, removed that stupid seal holding back its true potential, you and I could become extraordinary together." His speech became quicker, frantic almost as his eyes grew with excitement.
Kakashi wanted to stop him from spitting more nonsense. But he was still avoiding a fight. The boy next to him was carefully listening to every word, yet didn't move.
"Sasuke is no traitor like you," Kakashi carefully said. He couldn't let this man sway the young shinobi. Not even a bit. He wasn't sure whether Sasuke's loyalty to Konoha was strong enough for that yet. "You just want to make an experiment out of him. Just like you've done so many times already in the past."
Orochimaru giggled in return, and part of the atmosphere of the Chuunin exams returned around him. The atmosphere a crazy person carried with them. His voice was anything but calm when he continued, but loud and frantic. "The eyes of the Uchiha, they hold so much more power than any of you can imagine. But you don't know any of that, do you? The fact that Konoha doesn't even understand how I could possibly be interested in Konoha's last Uchiha shows just how backward your village is."
He was laughing now. He continued laughing and laughing until eventually he stopped. In a calmer manner again he said, "Join me in Otogakure, Sasuke. I won't force you to. But if you are a smart boy and you truly want power, then come to the Land of Sound." His hand he wrapped around Karin's shoulder. Her eyes were wide from worry that a fight would break out between the two parties. Yet she didn't flinch when Orochimaru pulled her closer. "Karin here would be delighted if you joined us. She is one of my many students. Still has a lot to learn, but I am sure you'll meet my other students too eventually. And maybe they will convince you that, despite the name, my mark is a blessing."
"Are you done any time soon?" Kakashi asked. He eyed Karin, wondering whether she was the weak link that would allow him to maybe get an upper hand after all. Attacking stayed risky, especially when he could still feel another stranger lingering in the forest closeby.
Orochimaru smiled. This time, it hardly made him look mad, but almost amicable. "I am," he said in a friendly tone. "I'm sorry if I bothered you with my chit-chat. We are leaving now." He let go of Karin, but offered her his hand and the girl took it without hesitation. "Though I'd like to give you a warning, Kakashi. I'm not the only one in this world who has taken an interest in the Sharingan. You better protect this boy with great care. And your own eye as well." He looked at Sasuke again. "Until we see each other again."
They did not vanish, but casually turned around to walk off. Karin threw one last, shy smile at Sasuke before turning away too. His eyes lingered on the red eyes of her. He glanced up to Kakashi, wanting to compare the two colours, but his teacher had already covered up his Sharingan again.
"You can't trust any of his words," Kakashi calmly assured him. "We can't be sure about his intentions, but he is certainly worrying about his own advantages and gain first of all."
"He is one of the Legendary Sannin."
"Yes, but that doesn't excuse the crimes he committed. He is a man without any sort of moral compass, who would do anything for his own research." Kakashi wondered how much to tell him. Sasuke had to understand that Orochimaru was no one to trust, no one he should choose as an ally in his own revenge.
"I don't exactly care what immoral acts he committed in the past. What I care about is -" Sasuke fell quiet when Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder.
The teacher felt the need to create a connection to his student, a bond that would keep him from swaying too far away. So he let his hand rest on Sasuke's shoulder when he said, "Just remember that it was Konoha who turned Orochimaru into the legend he is today."
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Jiraiya had followed Tsunade home after their first meeting. So he knew the hotel she stayed at, and he camped there together with Naruto and Sakura every day. Each morning they greeted her. Or rather, each noon they did as Tsunade was not an early bird. And each day, Tsunade would tell Jiraiya anew that she wasn't coming back.
"So what is our plan here?" Naruto eventually asked. After all, this was a mission, one that he wanted to be done with sooner rather than later.
Jiraiya hardly cared yet that Tsunade was not cooperating. He also hardly put any effort into changing it. While bringing her back to Konoha was an official mission and order from the Hokage, his other mission was to keep Naruto safe and away from Konoha during the tournament.
"I'll think of something." Jiraiya's eyes were focused on the women that were already out on the streets, doing their shopping for the day or preparing for a day of work. He was busy planning on how to spend this day, whether to visit the hot springs or the temple grounds. The mission felt more like a holiday, and he certainly wasn't going to complain about that.
"Listen, pervy sage, I'm sort of in a hurry. The tournament is this weekend and we need to be back for that."
"Why?" Jiraiya asked. They were sitting in front of Tsunade's hotel, waiting to greet her for yet another day. "It's not like you are participating."
"But our teammate is," Sakura agreed with Naruto.
"You two are free to come up with a plan if you are in such a hurry."
The entrance door of the hotel opened. Tsunade and Shizune stepped outside. Tsunade ignored the friendly 'good morning' the two genin threw her way, but Shizune reciprocated the greeting before hurrying after her mentor.
"So you are just gonna let them leave again?" Naruto asked, arms crossed behind his head.
Jiraiya spotted an exceptionally pretty woman carrying a bag that, in his eyes, was all too heavy for her. So he only nodded at Naruto and told the two that their job for the day was to shadow Tsunade, find out more about her. Before they could question the task, Jiraiya was already next to the woman, offering his help.
Naruto and Sakura hurried up to not lose sight of Tsunade and Shizune. They did what they learned at the Academy, split up, hid in crowds, became one with the natural flow of the town. They observed how the two women visited house after house. They went inside, and came out again after around half an hour each time. What exactly it was they were doing they hadn't found out yet.
Eventually Naruto decided to peek through the window. He saw Tsunade with a half naked man. Her hand was on his bare chest. Naruto had no idea what was going on. So when Sakura called him back to ask what was going on, he said, "I'm not sure. There was a naked man and she touched him."
"She touched him?"
Naruto nodded. "Maybe it was a massage or something?"
Sakura blushed. Her voice was almost a whisper when she asked, "And he was naked?"
The door to the house opened and Tsunade and Shizune stepped outside again. Naruto and Sakura were still out in the open. The woman spotted them before they could hide again.
"Are you two done spying after me any time soon?" she called in their direction.
"You knew?!" Naruto yelled back at her. "I thought we were doing so well."
"Lady Tsunade," Sakura started, her voice full of doubt. "What you are doing today… I mean, all those people you visited…"
"Those were my clients," she casually answered. When she saw that her reply almost had Sakura faint she added, "I have to make money somehow."
Sakura's head became even redder. "Y-you are doing this for money?" she stammered.
Tsunade only shrugged. "It's what I'm good at."
Naruto, too naive to have the same imagination Sakura had, couldn't quite understand why his teammate covered her ears and shook her head in disbelief.
Jiraiya happened to walk past them just when Sakura yelled at Tsunade, "This is wrong! You are a princess! You are the granddaughter of the First Hokage and a legendary Sannin. Someone like you shouldn't be making money this way!"
Tsunade frowned at her. "What are you talking about, girl? I'm offering healthcare services to them. Wasn't that what you were interested in? Want me to go and rob people instead?"
"Huh? Healthcare?" All the red colour vanished from Sakura's face until she was all white. She hid behind Naruto, waving through the air around her. She laughed while saying, "Nevermind, nevermind. Just forget I said anything." She then pinched both of Naruto's cheeks from behind him. In a low voice she mumbled, "You could have told me that she was seeing patients."
"How was I supposed to know?" Naruto complained.
"Well, only one more to go. Tonight's a card tournament at a nice club here. I hope we gathered enough money for it. What are you staring at, Jiraiya? Do you want to come too? I'll be happy to take your money out of your pockets."
Jiraiya finally came closer and stopped next to the two Genin. "You know, instead of cowering here and drowning yourself in alcohol and gambling, you could come back to Konoha. You could become Hokage - actually have an impact. You could work towards a better future."
Tsunade snorted. "Is the old man so desperate that he has to beg me to become Hokage?"
Naruto's eyes widened. "Hokage? What are you two talking about?"
"The old geezer will have to step down eventually," Jiraiya casually explained. "Someone will have to take the job."
"I will! I'll take it!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya both laughed.
"What's so funny?" Naruto protested. "At least I'm not a drunk. And I, you know, actually live in Konoha and fight for it. The old grandpa Hokage would never make someone like you the next Hokage!" He looked at Jiraiya expectantly, waiting for him to agree.
The man stayed quiet.
"Lady Tsunade," Sakura spoke instead. She had almost gotten over her embarrassment again. "You are still a medic, right? After all, you were seeing all these patients today. You are a healer. And a good friend of us is actually lying in hospital right now, and I am sure a medic-nin like you could help him. You save people. And I want to save people too. If you came back to Konoha with us…"
Tsunade sighed. "Ah, you two brats are annoying." She looked at Naruto, then Sakura. "So you want to be the next Hokage and you want to become a medic-nin, huh? Two stupid brats with stupid dreams." She continued to walk down the street. "Come with me."
Together they walked to the other end of town. Shizune was next to Tsunade, then Naruto and Sakura followed together, and Jiraiya was dragging his feet after them. He was not too interested in whatever it was Tsunade wanted to show them. She hadn't looked at him anyway when telling them to follow, and he was pretty sure she wouldn't care if he vanished in some back alley. Still he was curious where she'd take them too.
They ended up in the poor quarters. Here the houses all looked like they'd been built before the town even came to be, and were never repaired or freshly painted since. Some of them didn't even have doors or windows anymore. The streets were filled with rubbish that no one cared to remove and the smell had Sakura gag. It reminded her of a public toilet that had not been cleaned in years.
Tsunade stopped in front of a house. "A patient of mine," she shortly explained. "Used to be a shinobi too."
Hesitantly the two Genin followed her inside. She didn't knock, just entered the house and announced her visit verbally into the dark rooms. In the bedroom, a man lay on dirty linen sheets. Both his legs were missing, and only short stumps remained. A foul smell lay in the air. Both Naruto and Sakura had to cover their noses when approaching the bed. Jiraiya waited in the doorway.
The man mumbled a short greeting. Tsunade carefully turned him to his side to show the two children the wounds on his shoulders and elbows.
"Are you going to heal him?" Sakura asked, hopeful.
"There isn't much I can do for him."
"Can't you at least heal the wounds with medical jutsu?"
"I can't give him his legs back, so these wounds would return eventually. It's not worth it. Medical jutsu would drain both my and his chakra to speed up the cells' healing process. In this case, it might only make things worse, cause the cells to malfunction." She filled a bowl with water using jutsu. Then offered a bandage, towels and an ointment to Sakura. "You help him."
"Me? But I don't know how."
"He's dying anyways. It's not like you can do anything wrong."
Naruto and Sakura were both baffled at how she could be so straight in front of the patient, how she could be so hopeless. But before Naruto could voice his disagreement, the patient chuckled.
"She's right, girl," he said in a low and horse tone. Each word seemed to be a great struggle to produce and brought more pain. "Not much you can mess up here. I'm already messed up."
"What happened to you?" Naruto asked.
"Can't really tell you that boy," he gasped. "My life might be pretty much over, but I'd like to go in peace."
"He's not from here. But he did step on explosives here," Tsunade said. "That's all you need to know."
Now that Tsunade mentioned it, both Sakura and Naruto could see that the man looked rather foreign, with dark skin and bright hair.
"Couldn't really make it back home without legs." He chuckled again. Cold sweat formed on his forehead. "And I guess I wasn't important enough for my village to bring me back."
"They abandoned you?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade again pointed out to Sakura that she'd have to clean the wounds on the man's shoulders, back and tailbone.
The man's legs had never properly healed either, and the part where the rest of his limbs had been torn off and the skin was sewed back together was still sore. Sakura carefully did as she was told though. Why she didn't know. The task scared and repulsed her at the same time. And Tsunade was not her teacher. She could not make her do things she didn't want like Kakashi had made her kill an animal.
Still she was Tsunade Senju.
From this one she never took any money.
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A day before the tournament, Naho camped at Konoha's gates, waiting for either Sasuke or Naruto and Sakura to return. Or both. She didn't want to be sitting there like a lost puppy, so she brought a book and sat down in the shade of a tree, pretending that she was simply enjoying a sunny day outside. Hours passed, but there was no sign of her teammates.
Instead of her teammates, it was someone else coming to Konoha. First rows of samurai came marching in step. The one leading them was sitting on a horse, carrying the flag of the Land of Wind. They lined up in a circle, stood there in shining armour and waited for the daimyo and Kazekage to enter. The Kazekage was wearing white robes similar to those Naho knew from their Hokage. The daimyo wore a layered kimono with golden embroidery and a headdress that looked like a fan.
Naho had barely paid attention to her book before, but now she put it away and got up to have a better look at the two leaders and their entourage. More villagers gathered around the gate to watch. The Hokage came to welcome them, so did Gaara with his siblings.
The place filled up so quickly that Naho had to climb on a nearby wall to see. Neither Gaara nor the Kazekage seemed too excited to meet each other again. It was strange to watch for Naho, how they stood in front of each other with a good amount of distance between them, not hugging, not even shaking hands. It wasn't how family was supposed to look like to her, though she knew that public figures had to behave differently with half the village around them. Still, she could feel that these two were distant, more than that. She could see it in their faces. There was no love in either of their eyes.
Naho glanced around the crowd, searching for someone she was close to. But with her team gone and Tenten spending most of her days in Lee's hospital room, there were not many people left who met that criteria.
She found the woman she met at her parent's farm, standing a bit farther off from the general crowd with her son. She looked much more unremarkable than the last time, wearing a simple yukata with her hair tied up in a bun. Still Naho recognised them. She wanted to go over to them, talk to them, but they were strangers, and she had no business with them. So she simply watched them from afar, watched how the woman's eyes never left Gaara.
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A/N:
Heyho :)
New chapter again after a looong time! In case anyone hasn't noticed yet, I finished "reworking" this fic. Some of the earlier chapters changed a bit, and chapter 11 ("To Kill") is completely new. The story is still pretty much the same, so no need really to reread it all, but I just wanted to put it out there. If you are a new reader, just ignore this :)
I think I've hinted at it, but never really stated it: Jiraiya's team in this AU used to be Minato, Mikoto and Komachi. Jiraiya and Minato plus two girls seems like a fun combo. I really didn't intend for Komachi to have a big role when I added her, just wanted someone who'd protect Naruto. But she's really grown onto me, especially now that I decided to have her be Jiraiya's last student and Minato's friend. So I hope you guys like her too!
Also I have quite a few plans for Orochimaru. Him and Karin have a pretty close relationship here as you might have seen. I'm picturing him as a half crazy caregiver/father figure of orphans. Karin's a bit his favourite in this one.