Chapter 41:
With his red Susanoo activated, Itachi was slowly walking toward Sasuke, who was standing at the base of the broken wall of one of the buildings, with his back pressed to it.
Sasuke was beaten-up, and out of chakra. Even the seal Orochimaru placed on him over three years ago was destroyed by Itachi just few minutes ago, so Sasuke is helpless.
As he was standing and looking at the approaching Itachi, Sasuke's legs were shaking in fear of death.
Itachi looks even worse than Sasuke, even though he was not as beaten as Sasuke is. He can barely see, and is spiting blood from his mouth. He is covered by his Susanoo, and is stumbling toward Sasuke, muttering how Sasuke's eyes are his, while his right hand is pointed at Sasuke, sort of like he is trying to carve out Sasuke's eyes.
Just as he was able to get to Sasuke, and before he can touch him, the Susanoo roared, and then disappeared, while Itachi touched Sasuke's forehead, and then stumbled forward, while his fingers trailed down Sasuke's cheek. Itachi fell forward, his head hit the wall, and then he fell on the ground next to Sasuke… he was dead.
XXX
Some distance away from the battle, Zetsu upper half was sticking out from the ground. He was watching the battle, and saw Itachi die.
"What happened to Itachi," White Zetsu asked? "He just fell and died, while it looked like he was going to win?"
"He was already sick," Black Zetsu said. "Remember what Tobi said."
"Oh, right," White said. "I forgot. But he was so close to win. Even sick and almost completely blind, plus being relatively beaten-up by Jiraiya, Itachi nearly won against his brother."
"Yes," Black said. "Itachi was really strong. Stronger then I though. I didn't even know that his Susanoo was that developed. I shudder to think how powerful Itachi would have become if he won and had Sasuke's Mangekyo transplanted. He would have achieved EMS, and would have gotten really close to Madara in terms of skill and power. With EMS, he would have been at the same level Fourth Hokage was at the time of his death."
"What now," White asked? "Do we take them both to Tobi?"
"Yes," Zetsu replied. "That's what Tobi said to do, and that's what we will do."
The two went back under ground, and several moment later, two White Zetsu's came from the ground, took Sasuke, who has passed out, and Itachi's corpse, and took them back underground, before Jiraiya and Hinata could do anything to stop them.
XXX
Several minutes earlier.
Jiraiya and Hinata watched as Itachi fell on the ground, and died. They were very surprised by the end of the battle, as it looked like Itachi is going to win. But then, he fell and died.
"I guess Itachi was just too sick," Jiraiya sighed. "Damn, I so wanted him to kill that bastard of his brother."
"So did I," Hinata said. "Then again, with Sasuke alive, we still have a chance to kill him one day, and have revenge for what he's done to Naruto."
"You're right about that," Jiraiya said with a smile. "I better go and get Itachi's body before the Leaf ninja get to him."
"Why," Hinata asked? "He is dead. So what does it matter if the Leaf gets his body."
"It is important," Jiraiya said. "I'll tell you later why." Just as he said that, he saw two White Zetsu come out of the ground and went to pick up Sasuke and Itachi.
"We must stop them!" Jiraiya shouted and run toward the two Zetsu, with Hinata behind him. Unfortunately, they were late.
"God damn it," Jiraiya exploded in anger! "We were late."
"What where those things," Hinata asked? "I have never seen something like that?"
"I don't know," Jiraiya replied. "But since they took both Sasuke and Itachi, I have a feeling that they are with the Akatsuki, and if there really are, then I'm pretty sure that there are some more members of the organization which we didn't know about."
"But what would they want with them," Hinata asked? "Is it the same reason Leaf would want Itachi's body?"
"Yes," Jiraiya replied. "You see, when an Uchiha who has awakened Mangekyo, has a Mangekyo of another Uchiha, transplanted into them, they will awaken Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It has all the powers of the regular Mangekyo, but no weaknesses, like sight loss. The only Uchiha who ever had EMS, was Madara, and I'm sure you heard how powerful he was. Since Itachi is dead, that means that Sasuke can have Itachi's eyes transplanted into him, and awaken EMS. He will be very hard to deal with if that happens, and that's only because he isn't that skilled to begin with. Itachi on the other hand. If he survived and had Sasuke's eyes transplanted… he would be invincible."
Hinata was surprised and shocked to hear this. Up until that moment, she always believed that her clans Byakugan is rival to the Uchiha's Sharingan, just like her clan and the rest of the World believes, but now that she knows the true extent of the Sharingan, she feels like her clans Dōjutsu is not even close, and that Sharingan is overpowered.
"What are we going to do now?" Hinata asked. "If those things are with the Akatsuki, and they transplant Itachi's eyes into Sasuke, then they will most likely want Sasuke to join them, so even if Itachi is dead, the Akatsuki will still have an Uchiha. Then there is a fact that we don't know how many members the Akatsuki has left, nor who they are."
Jiraiya shock his head. "I have no way to track them down," he admitted, surprising Hinata. "Even with the Sage mode, I completely lost track of them the moment they entered the ground and disappeared, which means that they could be anywhere and I don't even know where to start looking for them. I don't even know if they are still here in the Rain Village, though I highly doubt, as I have already discovered that they are using this place as HQ, which means that the remaining members will probably go somewhere else."
"Well, damn." That was all Hinata could say in that situation.
XXX
Saeko was still watching the battles, and was surprised to see two White Zetsu take Sasuke and Itachi's corpse. She didn't know why they did that, or who told them to, just like Jiraiya didn't know, but what she could do, unlike Jiraiya, is that she can follow the two White Zetsu and see what they are doing.
Saeko opened Garganta, and walked through it, disappearing in a mass of blackness.
XXX
Another White Zetsu clone came out from the ground in the middle of the battle between Kisame and the Leaf ninja.
The moment everyone saw Zetsu, the battle stopped, and Kisame jumped next to him. "What happened," Kisame asked?
"Itachi is dead," Zetsu said, making everyone's eyes widen for a moment. "Another two of me have taken them to him, on HIS orders. He has plans for Sasuke."
The moment they heard this, Leaf ninja grew nervous, as they just learned that Sasuke was taken by the Akatsuki, for who knows what reason.
None was more nervous than Kakashi, as Sasuke is his favorite student, and on top of that, the last Uchiha in the Leaf village. If he loses him, there would be hell to pay once he and the others returned to the village.
"Where have you taken Sasuke," Kakashi yelled! "I want him back, right now!" He prepared his famous Chidori, and was ready to run at Zetsu and Kisame. Yamato was also prepared to continue to battle, and while Shino and Kiba didn't really care about Sasuke, they knew that they have to battle to get him back, otherwise they are screwed once they return to the Leaf Village.
"You can wish for whatever you want," Zetsu said. "But that doesn't meant that you can get it. Sasuke has won his battle against Itachi by a pure coincidence that Itachi was sick and died just before he was about to kill Sasuke. Nevertheless, Sasuke, even though he is weaker them Itachi, can have his uses, and will be a good asset to the Akatsuki now that we are left with only four members." He was referring to Tobi, Zetsu, Saeko and Kisame. He didn't include Nagato and Konan, as they are done for, and Tobi doesn't want them in the Akatsuki any more, as he plans to go after Nagato for the Rinnegan.
"Sasuke will replace Itachi and become out fifth member," Zetsu said again, "while you are left with nothing, and have failed that mission of yours. I bet Danzo will not be happy once he learns of this."
After he said his parting words, Zetsu sunk under the ground, while Kisame smirked at the Leaf ninja and disappeared in Shunshin.
"Well, fuck." Kiba exclaimed. "We are screwed."
The others had to agree with him, even If they didn't like it. Especially Kakashi, who was seething in his mind. He couldn't believe that he has lost Sasuke like that, and has no doubt that this time, Danzo will really have his head for this.
XXX
Back under the Rain Village, Zetsu just appeared in front of Tobi, with Sasuke and Itachi, who he dropped on the floor. "Are you going to personally perform the transplantation?" Black Zetsu asked.
"Yes, I will," Tobi replied. "It's not like we have someone who can do it, and I don't feel like putting some medic ninja under genjutsu to do it."
Just then, Kisame showed up walking through the hallway. He was looking beaten-up, but was mostly fine. The majority of his wounds are from Jiraiya, as the other Leaf ninja didn't do much damage. "What now," he asked? "How are we going to proceed with the plan?"
"Well, since you are alive and in good condition, that means that there are currently four members in the Akatsuki," Tobi spoke. "I will have Sasuke join us after I have a talk with him, and do something for him. That will be five of us, and if my plan works, Kabuto will become sixth member. That will be enough for now, so there won't be any reason to search for more members as it would be a waste of time."
"I see the three of us here, so who is the fourth member," Kisame asked? "Is it Saeko?"
"Yes," Tobi said? "I doubt Konan and Nagato will stay after Pain's defeat by Jiraiya, so they are no longer important. Now, while I don't trust Saeko, and find her unnerving, she is powerful and I can't dispose of her until the time is right, and until I find out why she makes me so unnerved."
"Ok," Kisame said, and then looked at the cell where Kabuto and Orochimaru are. "What about Orochimaru?"
"He's done for," Tobi said. "I'm pretty sure he snapped, and like that, he is useless to us. That's why I think that Kabuto will become our newest member, as he is smart and can probably do anything that Orochimaru can. Once I confirm that, I will kill Orochimaru. After that, I will head to get my hands on the Rinnegan, and kill Nagato and Konan in the process.
"In the meantime, I plan to send you and Sasuke after the eight tails, which is why I want you to go to rest and recover, as you will need to be in good shape to catch that guy, in case Sasuke fails."
Kisame smiled widely and nodded. He was satisfied with the plan and can't wait to battle the eight tails jinchūriki, as he is the strongest of all the jinchūriki the Akatsuki has gone after.
"What do you want to do with the Leaf ninja and Jiraiya?" Black Zetsu asked.
"Let them be," Tobi said. "The Leaf ninja are unimportant, and once they return to the Leaf and report that Sasuke is in our hands, I doubt that Danzo and the villagers will be happy. I would actually pay to enjoy the show that will follow that report," Tobi smiled behind his mask… not that the other two could see that. "As for Jiraiya. He is a threat, and a big one. Unfortunately, I can't go after him right now, and the two of you can't take him on, so he will have to be let go as well. After I deal with Nagato and Konan, and I have Rinnegan, I will go after him."
Kisame and Zetsu nodded, and then Tobi used Kamui, and sucked Sasuke and Itachi with it, before he disappeared as well, to go and transplant Itachi's eyes into Sasuke, and then wait for him to awake, so that they can have a nice and long talk.
XXX
What a human, a humanoid shark and… whatever the fuck Zetsu is; didn't know, is that Saeko was hiding behind the wall, and listening everything they said. She now knows their plan, and also knows that Tobi is not a moron he makes himself to be. He is in fact the true leader of the Akatsuki.
While Saeko didn't know his true identity, she has seen a Sharingan in his eyehole, and that jutsu he used can be bothersome. On top of that, he plans to have Sasuke gain EMS, which can also prove bothersome… not for Naruto, and his allies, but for the rest of the EN.
"I better go and inform Naruto of this," She said to herself. "I hope he is no longer fucking those tramps, so that I can finally have a talk with him." She huffed, as she was angry that she still didn't have a chance to fuck with Naruto, and she so wishes to have a chance.
She did cast a look toward the cell where Orochimaru and Kabuto are, and wondered what she should do about them. She didn't care about either of them, and would gladly kill them, especially since Tobi has plans for them, and she doesn't know what they are, so it would be a risk to let them live. Then again, maybe Naruto has some plans for them as well, so if she kills them now, she would ruin those plans.
Saeko decided to ask Naruto about them as well, so, she turned around, opened the Garganta, and waked through it.
XXX
Fortunately for her, Saeko was able to get to Naruto this time, but that was only after Szayelaporro had to go and interrupt Naruto and his girls in their fuck session.
Szayelaporro was barely able to get away with his life while doing that, though, as the girls were not happy with being interrupted, but Szayelaporro said that it was urgent and that Saeko has some news, so he had to do it, as she needs to inform Naruto of something, and needs some answers.
That, managed to calm the girls a little bit, but they were still not happy, and promised to Naruto that as soon as the meeting is over, they are coming back into the room.
Naruto sighed, and wished to the goddess who sent him back here, to simply get him back and send him to oblivion.
Unfortunately for him, the goddess was rather enjoying herself while spying on Naruto, so his wish will stay unfulfilled.
XXX
Right now, Naruto, Szayelaporro, Asuma, and all the girls, except Sasame and Suzumebachi, were in Szayelaporro's office, listening to everything that Saeko said happened earlier today in the Rain Country, as well as everything that she found out, about Jiraiya, about Nagato, and about Tobi, as well as Tobi's plan.
Once she finished, she stayed quiet, just like everyone else, as they were waiting to hear what Naruto has to say.
Naruto was also quiet, and was thinking of everything he just heard, and thought about what to do and how to proceed.
He really did want to see what the Akatsuki wants with the Tailed Beasts, but he is not sure if it's worth the trouble they might cause after they get what they want. Naruto knows that they are not a threat to him, no matter what they managed to do, and for the most part, they are not a threat to those close to him, but they could be a threat to the rest of the EN, and Naruto isn't sure if it's worth letting many die, just to satisfy his curiosity.
Naruto sighed. 'When in the hell have I mellowed down so much that I actually care about others?' Naruto asked himself. He then looked at Saeko and said. "Find out what this, Tobi… wants to do. Once you do, inform me immediately. I can't decide on what to do, until I know what they actually want to do with all the tailed beasts. Also, find out why they need Orochimaru and Kabuto. I have a feeling that it's going to be bad no matter what."
Saeko nodded. "What about Jiraiya," Saeko asked? "He really seems to care about you, and is going to great lengths to avenge you. Maybe you should do something before he tries to pull some shit and ends up dead.
"Then there is Hinata Hyūga. She also seems to care about you, a lot. In fact. I'm pretty sure she loves you."
Naruto raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised you are bringing Hinata up," Naruto said. "I had a feeling that you wouldn't want me to get any more girls then I already have."
"Oh, I still don't like it, and I want to be the only one with you," Saeko said, while glaring at the other girls, who glared back at her, but then they all smirked, as they have been with Naruto already, while Saeko still didn't. Saeko apparently understood why they smirked, and growled. "But she seems like a nice girl, and she wouldn't end well if you don't do something for her. She will most likely end up dead."
Naruto smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "I know that Hinata liked me since we were kids, and she was one of the few who actually cared for me in that hellhole, so I'm not going to let anything happen to her. As for Jiraiya. I don't like the fact that he was stupid enough to believe in everything Hiruzen told him, but I also can't blame him for what happened to me, as Hiruzen was his teacher and Jiraiya trusted him to take care of me, since he couldn't. If what he told you is the truth, and he really has abandoned the Leaf Village, and plans to destroy it… then I will gladly allow him to come here."
No one was really surprised with Naruto's decision, as they knew that if there is someone out there who cares about him, he will do anything to save them. Since Jiraiya and Hinata are two of them, he will save them if necessary, and bring them to the New Whirlpool to live until the time comes for the revenge against the Leaf Village and all those who have betrayed Naruto.
"What about Nagato," Saeko asked about the newly found Uzumaki? "He is apparently an Uzumaki, and has Rinnegan. Tobi is also going to go after him and Konan, so they are in danger. Do you want to do something about him?"
Naruto thought about it for a minute, and then said. "Find out where Nagato and Konan are, and once you do, inform me, so that I can go there and talk with them. Depending on how the conversation goes, I'll decide on what to do with them.
Saeko nodded, and since the meeting was over, she was about to ask Naruto to go to his room and have some fun, but then she remembered that she has to hurry and find out what Tobi is planning, AND to find out where Nagato and Konan are, which means that she doesn't have any time to waste.
With an angry growl, Saeko turned around and walked out of the room, leaving behind a bunch of confused people, who wondered what the growl was all about.
Danzo was angry… no, fuck that, he was beyond angry, he was pissed, and was about to start spitting fire.
Right now, he was seating on his Hokage chair, behind the desk, and glaring at the ninja in front of him.
After two months of search, they were finally able to find Itachi and Kisame, and end up in battle against them. Itachi is dead, which is a good news, but Sasuke is taken by the Akatsuki, which is bad news. Very bad news.
Then, there is a fact that Jiraiya has resurfaced after three years, and has become powerful enough to take on several members of the Akatsuki, and even defeat someone with the Rinnegan. As such, Jiraiya is a threat to the Leaf Village since he hates them for what they've done to Naruto. Before, he had no power to take on the whole village by himself, but now, with the mastered Sage Mode, he can take on what's left of the Village, and come out on top.
That, along with Sasuke being lost to the Village, especially since he might get EMS if the Akatsuki know about it and decided to give it to him, is enough to make Danzo want to rip out the troths of all ninja in front of him, and that's with his own teeth.
"Explain to me, Kakashi," Danzo spoke. "How could you allow for something like this to happen? Not only that you and the others aren't capable to taking out even one member of the Akatsuki, even when he was weakened from his fight against Jiraiya, but you were also able to lose Sasuke, who is the last Uchiha to this village, and has great value, greater then all of you here combined. THEN, with him lost, you decided to come back here, and didn't even try to apprehend Jiraiya.
"Tell me. Are you all an incompetent imbeciles?"
"Lord Danzo, look," Kakashi spoke. "We really did everything we could. But it just wasn't enough. And the loss of Sasuke can hardly be blamed on us. He was fighting against Itachi alone, while we were fighting Kisame. We were occupied when two beings, of unknown origin, came out of the ground and took Itachi and Sasuke. We couldn't' do anything," he then looked at Hinata and said. "Hinata though, she didn't fight against Kisame, and she could have saved Sasuke, but she didn't."
Everyone in the room looked at Hinata, who was calmly standing there and not saying anything. She knew what Kakashi just did. He pretty much accused her of treason so that he can save his own ass. She knew that, her teammates and Yamato new that. Even Danzo new that.
Danzo spoke. "What do you have to say for yourself, Hyūga?"
Hinata shrugged. "I didn't fight Kisame as I knew that it wouldn't make any difference," she got raised eyebrows in return. "He was much stronger than us, even while slightly weakened by Jiraiya. As such, I knew that even if I fought, it wouldn't matter. As for not helping Sasuke. I actually ran to get to him, along with Jiraiya, but we were too late. I can't be blamed to what happened to him, since it was Sasuke's own desire to fight Itachi alone, and Kakashi decided to leave him without backup he might need, in case something happens."
Now Danzo turned his eyes at Kakashi, whose eyes widened at how Hinata turned everything back at him, and he started to sweat.
"What excuse do YOU have, Kakashi," Danzo asked.
"Sasuke wanted to fight Itachi alone, and I allowed him," Kakashi said. "I didn't send any backup, as I didn't think it was needed. Itachi was weakened by Jiraiya, and I thought that Sasuke alone would be enough to win. It didn't even cross my mind that the Akatsuki would send someone to get the two of them after the battle was over.
"As for Hinata's words about us not being able to take out Kisame even if she was to fight… while that might be truth, we would still have higher chances if she fought, and not just stand with Jiraiya all the time, and not do anything."
Hinata scoffed. "You are lucky that Saeko didn't fight at all," she said, getting raised eyebrows, since they didn't know who Saeko was. "She would have killed us all if she did."
"Who is Saeko?" Danzo asked. He suddenly had a feeling that he was not going to like the answer.
"She is a member of the Akatsuki," Hinata said. "I first saw her with my Byakugan while Jiraiya was fighting the Akatsuki. He was fighting against Kisame, Itachi, Pain and Konan. Saeko though, she was just standing there and not doing anything. When Pain was defeated, and Konan run away, most likely to where the real Pain was, Kisame and Itachi stayed behind, and Sasuke and the others faced against them. Saeko still didn't fight and didn't attack anyone. By then though, we have all lost sight of her, and she only showed up for a few moments while I was standing with Jiraiya."
"And did she say anything?" Danzo asked. "What can you tell me about her?"
Hinata thought for a moment, and was thinking if she should mention that the Uzumaki Clan is back, but then she decided against it, as she wants them to have the element of surprise once the time comes for them to level the Leaf to the ground for what they've done to Naruto.
"She didn't battle, so I can't say anything for her skills," Hinata said. "But she had a lot of chakra, that's for sure. I think that she had more chakra than anyone else there, including Jiraiya, Pain and Kisame," everyone's eyes widened at that. "She was carrying a sword, so she most likely knows how to use it. And finally, she said that her name is Saeko Uzumaki, and that she is half Uzumaki, like Naruto was."
Danzo and Kakashi paled. They knew that if Saeko is an Uzumaki, and she uses sword, she will be troublesome to deal with, as Uzumaki Kenjutsu, was unbeatable. Then there is a question of, how she feels about their village because of what happened to Naruto. Uzumaki have always put their family first, and then everything else, so she was most likely not happy with what happened to him. But will she do anything about it, and will she go for a revenge?
"She didn't say anything else except that she didn't fight because she didn't feel like it," Hinata said again, interrupting Danzo's and Kakashi's thoughts. "Jiraiya did say that Pain's real name, is most likely, Nagato, and that he is also Uzumaki. The only one who has ever awakened Rinnegan, which makes him very powerful, and if he is the leader of the Akatsuki, it would explain why Saeko can just chose not to battle, as they are from the same clan, so she is under his protection." Hinata knew that that's not the case, because of what Saeko said, but Danzo and the others don't have to know about that.
Danzo was pissed, and, even though he won't admit it, scared. He had a hand in the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan, as he found them to be uncontrollable, and a threat to the Leaf Village. He wanted the Leaf to be the strongest in the EN, as such, he has betrayed the Land of Whirlpools and the Uzumaki clan, along with Hiruzen, Homura and Koharu. The four of them have decided to sell out the Uzumaki Clan and let Kiri, Kumo and Iwa take them out, while no one actually knew that the Leaf was betraying the Uzumaki Clan. In fact, even the other three villages didn't know who was helping them. It was a perfect plan, which turned out exactly how Danzo and the others planed.
They knew that the Uzumaki Clan and the Uzushiogakure were very powerful, and that they won't go down easily. They knew that the Uzumaki Clan will fall in the end, but not before they take out the majority of the forces sent after them, thus, weakening the other three villages. The plan was that after the fall of the Uzumaki Clan, allies to the Leaf Village, then the Leaf will declare war against the other countries, who didn't know that the Leaf was behind it all. Of course, since so many of the forces sent after the Uzumaki Clan have been killed by the said clan, the Leaf would have a huge advantage in the amount of force against the other three nations, and they wouldn't have a problem to win.
In the end, the Leaf did win the second shinobi war, and it took a while for Iwa, Kiri and Kumo to recover themselves, before the third war started.
All these years, Danzo thought that there are barely any members of the Uzumaki left, outside of Kushina Uzumaki who was brought to the Leaf before Uzu fell, so that she can become the second Kyūbi Jinchūriki. As such, he didn't see them as a threat anymore, and thought that those who survived, will not be a problem, and will stay hidden, as they are very valuable to the other nations who would hunt them down for their knowledge in the Fuinjutsu, and their bloodlines.
But now, it turns out that there are two Uzumaki Clan members, who have achieved great powers, and are both members of the Akatsuki, and thus, the enemies of the Leaf Village. There is also a fact that the Leaf has decided to kill Naruto, the only Uzumaki left, which means that they no longer have any Uzumaki, thus, no one who can be used to seal Kyūbi into, as only Uzumaki Clan member, even half blood, can hold Kyūbi inside of them. Anyone else, would die, as their chakra coils and bodies would explode.
Danzo doesn't know how Nagato and Saeko feel about Naruto. They are members of the Akatsuki, and were after the tailed beasts, including the Kyūbi, who was sealed inside Naruto, which might indicate that they don't care about Naruto, as he would have died if he was captured by them, and had Kyūbi extracted. But then, they are also Uzumaki Clan members, and they always put family before anything else, and Danzo is not sure that Nagato and Konan even planned to extract the Kyūbi from Naruto. For all he knew, they could have only planned to bring him to the Akatsuki and have him become one of its members. That way, Naruto would be alive, and with his family, while at the same time, the Akatsuki will have Kyūbi's power at their disposal.
Danzo looked at the ninja who were standing in front of him, and growled at them. He so wished that he can just kill them all, especially Kakashi, who has been failing missions left and right for a while now, but he knows that he can't do it, as they are all talented and skilled ninja, two of which are clan heirs, with Hinata being former clan heir, who was stripped of her title. Kakashi was one of the most skilled ninja in the village, and can be currently considered to be the third most powerful, with Danzo and Guy being the only ones more powerful. As for Yamato, he was not as powerful as Kakashi, and not a member of a clan, nor clan heir, but he has Wood Style bloodline, which makes him a valuable asset.
The Leaf Village has fallen very low in the last three years, as much as it pains Danzo to admit it. The lack of allies, and the loss of the last two of the Sanin, as well as the loss of the Jinchūriki, along with the war, have weakened the village to the point that they are barely above Suna and Kiri, and that's only because Suna is in the middle of the desert, and have problem with getting jobs, as for Kiri, they are still recovering from the bloodline war, and are currently the weakest of the five great nations. But, if the Leaf continues to fall this quickly, then they will soon be overrun by Suna and Kiri, and will be the weakest of the great five. That is something Danzo can't allow to happen, and thus, as much as he wants to, he can't kill any of his ninja, even if they deserve to be killed.
"You are so lucky that we are in this hard situation with this war, otherwise, I would have you all killed right now," Danzo growled. The ninja wanted to sigh in relief, since they are going to stay alive.
Danzo looked at Kakashi, and narrowed his eyes, making Kakashi sweat. "You are to go and find Sasuke," Danzo said. "I don't care how long it takes, or how you're going to find him, but I want him back here. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," Kakashi said.
"Yamato will come with you, as you are incapable to facing anyone in the Akatsuki by yourself," Danzo said. "As for the rest of you. You are going to stay here in the village and do other missions." They all nodded.
"Now get out of my sight," Danzo said. "And Kakashi. You fail to bring Sasuke… and that will be the last thing you will ever do. Am I clear?" Kakashi gulped and nodded, before he and the others left the room, leaving seething Danzo behind.
"Fu, Torune," Danzo called, and immediately, two man appeared in front of his deck and went on one knee. "I want you to take two squads of my ROOT ANBU, and then go and find Jiraya. If you can't catch him alive, then kill him. But I want him alive if possible. And be careful with his Sage Mode. If he enters that, it will be much harder to catch him. Is that understood?"
The two of his ANBU nodded, and left the room.
Danzo sighed, and leaned back in his chair. 'How could I have made a mistake like that,' he asked himself in his head? 'I never thought that killing the jinchūriki would bring this much trouble on the village. Who would have thought that in his short career he has made friends with the leaders of the countries and the villages, who would be willing to break the alliances just for him? It just doesn't make sense.'
Danzo continued to think about the mistakes he made three years ago, and how they came back to bite him in the ass in the end.
XXX
Jiraiya stood in front of the Great Toad Sage, along with the two toad sages, Fukasaku and Shima.
He has just finished explaining to them about what happened in the Rain Village with the Akatsuki, about the appearance of the Leaf ninja, about Saeko, and how she said that the Uzumaki Clan is back.
After he finished with his story, there was silence, while the toad sages and the elder toad, thought about it all, and what could it mean for everyone in the EN, now that the Uzumaki Clan is apparently back.
After a while, the elder toad spoke. "For a while now, I have been having strange visions. Visions of a man whose power is so high, that it has never been seen before. Visions of a man surrounded by blood and destruction, and followed by many. Man who is even followed by Dragons." As soon as he said that, the two toad sages and Jiraiya gasped. They knew that the Uzumaki Clan's personal summons were the dragons, and if what the elder toad is saying is true, that means that the Uzumaki Clan truly is back, and they are out for blood.
"T-Then that means that what Saeko s-said is the t-truth," Jiraiya stuttered with wide eyes. "The Uzumaki Clan truly is back, and not only are they back, but they have also found the Dragon Summoning contract which was lost during the destruction of the Uzushiogakure."
"It would seem so," the elder said, with clarity in his eyes, which is something that hasn't been seen in a long time. It just proves how big this news is.
"Who is this man you are seeing in your vision," Shima asked?
"He is a very powerful man," the elder said. "But I don't know who he really is. I can't see his full appearance, only his glowing blue eyes, and blonde hair. But considering that he is followed by Dragons, which means that he must be Uzumaki, as they wouldn't be following anyone else. Especially, the Great Red, the most powerful being in the world.
Jiraiya frowned at this information, while Fukasaku and Shima sweated. "Who is the Great Red?" Jiraiya asked.
"He is the boss summon of the Dragon Clan," Fukasaku said with fear in his voice. "He is one of the Dragon Gods, and is considered to be one of the most powerful beings to ever walk this Earth."
"Yes," the elder said. "He is so powerful that even Kaguya was no match for him. But this man, who I'm seeing in my visions… he actually is more powerful than the Great Red, which should be impossible for any human to reach that level of power."
"Okay, stop," Jiraiya suddenly said, interrupting the elder toad. "Who is Kaguya," Jiraiya asked? "How come I have never heard of the Great Red or the Dragon Gods? In fact, I doubt anyone has ever heard of them in all the EN."
"You have never heard of him because the Uzumaki Clan have NEVER summoned any of the Dragon Gods or the boss summon of the Dragons," elder toad said. "As for Kaguya. I'm talking about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. She was the progenitor of chakra in this world. The first being who used chakra. She was also the mother of the Sage of the Six Paths." Jiraiya's eyes bulged out of his head.
"She was so powerful that she has nearly brought this world to ruin," the elder toad continued. "And she would have succeeded, if not for her two sons, who battled her and managed to defeat her, but even then, they were only able to seal her away, and not kill her.
"Until recently, I would have said that Kaguya was the second most powerful being on this world along with several Dragon Gods, and with the Great Red being the strongest, but now, with the appearance of this new man, HE is the most powerful, Great Red is second, and Kaguya shares the third spot with few other Dragon Gods."
"You said that it's impossible for a human to achieve the level of power this guy has," Jiraiya said, and the elder toad nodded. "So does that mean that he is not human, and if he isn't, then what is he?"
"I don't know," elder toad said. "That is something I can't say just from the visions, though he does look like a completely normal human, unlike Kaguya and her sons, who had horns. Kaguya was not human to begin with, so her sons were only half human. If I have to guess, I'd say that this man, is also half human, though what the other half is… I have no idea."
"What was Kaguya if she wasn't human?" Jiraiya was really interested in this.
"She was a celestial being," elder toad said. "The entire Ōtsutsuki Clan are celestial beings, who travel from one plant to another and gather power. They've done then forever, but except Kaguya, I don't know if any other Ōtsutsuki have come as well."
In all his life, Jiraiya has seen and heard a lot, but what he has learned in the last few minutes, makes him think that he doesn't know anything, and that what he know, or thought he knew, is bullshit.
Finally, Jiraiya sighed, and asked. "What do you suggest I do? I may not like the Leaf Village and want to destroy them, but if the Uzumaki Clan is after all the EN, then it would be bloodbath. Something must be done to stop them."
"There would be no stopping them, Jiraiya," elder toad said. "If this guy decides to destroy it all, then he will, and that's that. No one can stop him."
"Then what," Jiraiya yelled? "Should I just sit back and let them destroy everything?"
"The only thing you can do, is to find out who he is," the elder said. "Find who he is, and what he wants, and maybe, you can convince him not to destroy everything. But I don't think that you will succeed if he decides to destroy the EN."
"Where do I even start?" Jiraiya wondered out loud.
"You can start in the Uzumaki Clan homeland," Fukasaku suggested. "That's the best place to start."
"But that place was destroyed," Jiraiya said. "Even if this guy went there, and found something, he would have left by now as the Land of Whirlpools is destroyed. Who knows where he would have gone after that."
"That's true," Fukasaku said. "But you might find something as well. Something which might help you in searching for him, as well as find out who he is."
Jiraiya sighed. "Well, I might as well try," he said. "Though, I doubt I'll find anything in that place."
After that, he turned around to leave, and reverse summon himself back to the Land of Fire, when he heard elder toads voice. "Be careful, Jiraiya," elder said, getting Jiraiya's attention, as he turned and looked at the old sage. "This person who is apparently leading the new Uzumaki Clan is dangerous and powerful beyond your comprehension. Do not try anything stupid, and whatever you do, do not antagonize him… because that would be the last thing you ever do."
Jiraiya gulped, but nodded, and then left.
"Will he be alright?" Shima asked the elder.
"I don't know," the elder said. "It all depends on him, I guess."
Shima and Fukasaku sighed, before they left the elder toad's chambers, and went to do their own business.
After the two small toads left, the elder thought out loud. "I hope you can made amends with the chosen one, Jiraiya… because if you fail, you are doomed, as he will not show you any mercy… even if he is your godson."