Yo! This is mr.sleeper talking. I am having trouble doing the original chapter 5 for it has a tendency to drabble on and some inconsistencies. So to fix that I have decided to split the chapters to allow me to get things fixed and note this is not one of my better chapters. I also did some modifications to the other chapters. Oh yeah, the next two to three chapters will take longer because I need to choreograph the fight scenes with some friends and I need to fix Gai-ron's moves.
I don't own Naruto! I love it!
Chapter Five: The First wave of shinobis
It was a good day for Team 11. They were making good time on their journey to the Kazekage. They had been walking for a few days already. There was no denying that they wanted to reach the village of the Sand so that they could rest after a long day of traveling. They were in the woods close to the sand area, that was about a day's travel to Sand village.
While on the way to the Village of the Sand, everyone was silent. Even the most perverted nin Jiraiya was quiet even though several women accidentally walked in on him in a co-ed bath. This made Gai curious as to what had happened to Jiraiya.
As a nin of Konoha he was well aware of Jiraiya's reputation as a perverted nin. This was something that he found odd about the man. Like for instance they passed an all female bath he found the frog hermit bathing in the men's section and when Jiraiya was being seduced by a young and attractive woman he merely smiled at her and politely refused her offer, but things became really weird when the female wanted to make love to Jiraiya, but once again he calmly and politely refused the woman. His deep thought was interrupted by someone who spoke up.
"Let's rest here!" Jiraiya commanded as he noticed Gai in deep thought. He knew it was about the way he acted. He knew it must be weird for the man, but this was the 'NEW!' Jiraiya.
As Neiji and and Lee set of to find wood for their afternoon break and Tenten slept a bit since she was more tired than the other two having the last guard shift last night, Jiraiya sat with his back to a tree. Gai refused to look at him as he sat with his back to the sennin while facing the place where the fire for their break would be placed, but he spoke instead.
"Jiraiya sama, I know it is not my place to ask you, but I am curious." Gai said as the silver haired nin looked at him. This was the thing he was waiting for, for Gai to start asking questions. He needed to get this out of the way if either of them would focus on what needed to be done.
"Yes, What is it Gai?" He said lazily masking the attention he was giving to the question as his mind wondered what the green clad jounin would ask first.
"You seem different, Jiraiya sama. It seems after your stay in the village of the Tenshi you have gained something. Like a new lease on life." Gai said while Jiraiya frowned a bit.
"Got to think my answer thoroughly, I don't want him to discover anything he shouldn't know." Jiraiya thought as he gave Gai a safe answer.
"There are things that one finds in life that are more important than the other. Sometimes we need to give up something to earn another. Although often it is difficult, it is something that we have to do if we truly wish to change. I sacrificed my old life for a new one. The price I paid was less than what was given to me, for I earned three times more than what I bargained for." Jiraiya said as he smiled while he lowered his head as the smell of sweet rose and summer flower filled his nostrils. Gai didn't look at the Frog hermit as the younger nin asked another one as if he was trying to find out something.
"What if the price of what you pay is not worth it?" Gai asked as the green spandex nin got Jiriaya's curiosity.
"I wonder what Gai wants?" Jiraiya thought as he noticed that Gai was probing for something.
"Yes, there is that chance, but then again that risk is always there. One cannot live with out it and it will forever be in this world. All that we can do is hope for the best and then move forward. Nothing in this world has zero risk in it. In every choice that we make there is a consequence and we will never know the consequence till we try." Jiriaya said as he remembered how hard it was for him to make his decision. He remembered how heavy the choice was and how her eyes tore him from sanity and into a world of craziness that was to hard to live in, but every time he looked at her his heart jumped and leaped mountains. At first he regretted his choice, but as time went one their lives became intertwined and they live together with their little flower growing in between them. He hid the contented smile he had on his face as he recalled those he loved.
"Arrigato, Jiraiya sama." Gai said as the nin closed his mouth. Both of them suddenly stood up to see Neiji and Lee return with some wood for the fire. Jiraiya saw that Gai was looking at Neiji with pity. He knew what Gai wanted.
"You truly are a good teacher Gai." Jirayiya thought as he put the pieces together. Gai did not ask the questions for his own sake, but for the sake of his tudent who was known to every one to be in a bad state.
He wanted to see if there was any chance that Neiji would be healed if he stayed in the Village of the Tenshi. Gai wanted to give his student a chance to get well and get over things. His thoughts were confirmed as Gai spoke to him after the green clad jounin sat closer to him while still looking at Neiji and thinking.
"Neiji, there must be some way to help you." Gai thought. That was why he asked the frog senin in the first place. He wanted to know if there was anyway for Neiji to snap out of this state. He spoke once again to Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya sama, the only thing that could get Neiji to snap out of this state is the ghost of Naruto himself. Only he can give Neiji forgiveness that he needs and break him out of his self made prison." Gai said unaware of the thoughts of the silver haired sanin as he hid his smile.
"Oh, he'll get something else much better than that." Jiraiya thought while the rest just went on their duties and he lied down on the round. His happiness and amusement did not go unnoticed however,
"I wonder why Jiraiya sama seems so happy?" Ikegata Tenten thought as she now sat close to the fire after she had woke up. She had only gotten a glimpse of the smile the Frog sanin had managed to hide, but when she noticed that only he was smiling, she immediately became worried.
"If Gai sensei said something which he seemed serious about then something in that sentence made Jiraiya sama seem amused. Perhaps Gai sensei mentioned something about Tsunade sama? I'll find out later." Tenten thought as she went to her duties while the Frog sanin in turn looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He knew what she was thinking and that she was planning to ask him about what he and Gai had talked about.
"You wanted to know what your sensei said to me right?" Jiraiya asked as Tenten came close to him and stopped when he spoke. She could only nod, but Jiraiya denied her the answer she sought.
"When Gai thinks he should share the answer with you he will share it with you. For now however, let us leave it at that." Jiraiya said as he continued to rest leaving a curious Tenten. Somewhere else a certain group of nins were receiving their orders from their team leader.
"Our duty is to deal with the Tenshi ambassador to the Sand and his escorts. A group of Leaf nins called Team Gai." The commander replied as he let the wind brush his silver hair aside while he moved to the sand at high speed with his squad. His subordinates wanted to clear out and outline the mission so that they would know what to do, but it was not out of bravery did they do this.
"Is 'he' going to be there Kabuto sama?" a sound nin asked with fear evident in his voice. The team leader did not answer until they landed on the branch of a tree.
"Your cowardice, despite our two squads, is not needed tonight for 'he' is not going to be there. He will stay in his village as we conduct this mission." Kabuto said freeing his subordinates of their fear of the one that had decimated the Sound. He was the only person that could drive fear into any Sound shinobi excluding Orochimaru. Kabuto could not deny that he too was afraid. Imagine someone who could barely do a basic Bunshin no jutsu before could now do a full blown Katon Karyu Endan with very little effort which wiped out a large number of sound nins. Ever since then no other Sound nin dared to enter the Tenshi territory. They only did dare go against them because they too feared Orochimaru's wrath.
"I wonder who will be escorting him to the Suna?" Kabuto wondered as he continued with his mission, while unsuccessfully trying to make the memory of his squad's death disappear. Even he felt the fear that the man's presence gives of every time he stands in front of them.
Some where else a group of nins were making their way into Earth country via a shortcut through Wind country and then head towards the Grass village after entering Earth country. Their jounin leader sighed as he watched the scene in front of him. They were looking at a couple of Konoha merchants traversing the path to the Suna.
"Why didn't go with Gai's team?" Kiba wondered knowing that there was a fast path through Wind country to Earth country. For a day or so now they were traversing almost the same path that Gai and his team went on. He wondered why they had to take different paths instead of going together.
"You're a bit dense aren't you Kiba? You don't let an emissary go with a group like this. It would conflict with your duties." Shikamaru pointed out. He reasoned that the caravan was also part of their mission. If they were to combine the two team's mission they would be torn between protecting their VIP and doing their duties for the sake of their people. They didn't like either one of them being left behind to suffer just for the other.
"He is right Kiba kun." Hinata said as the dog boy shut up. He didn't want to risk loosing her affection. He just went on to check his chuunin vest unlike earlier. All of them were wearing their standard uniforms except for Shino who wore a white jacket and a pair of shades. As Shino looked at Hinata he noticed something peculiar.
The young Hyuuga heiress had changed over the years. She wore a chuunin uniform resembling the one that Kiba's sister wore. She wore the one with cuts on the leg to reveal her thighs and a chuunin vest of hers. She now was more confident about herself, it seemed Naruto's death had inspired her to become herself and do what she wanted to do rather be something that others wanted her to do. Around her there was a mixture of sadness and regret in the air. Regret that she never fought for the one that she loved and sadness at no longer being able to see him or hear him ever again. Shino always wondered what the world would be like if Naruto suddenly disappeared and now he knew the answer. It was silence complete and utter silence that was deafening to their ears. Who knew that one person could change the lives of so many? Shino wondered as he looked at Hinata who was having her own inner turmoil.
"Naruto kun, I promise you that I will be true to myself and others. I will not try to hide anything from them." She promised to herself as they walked towards their destination unaware of what was going on else where.
"Gai ron sama, we are coming close to the Village of Stone. Should we try to restock while we're there?" the Tenshi nin asked as they their way into Earth Country. The entire rescue team was in a hurry to get to the sand before any one from the remaining Sound came assaulted their ambassador's group that was traversing the Village of the Sand. They knew that they would be outnumbered by the Sound if they were to engage them, but one entire team was all that could be spared since their nin numbers were too small to send more than one team out into the field.
"Yes. When we reach Earth country then we will take a day to restock and rest. The rest of the days we will start running and heading towards the village of the Sand at the fastest speed that we can muster." Gai ron said while the other nins understood and said nothing, but a nod of understanding stating that there was going to be no argument from them. They knew that Gai ron was no fool in the terms of war. A force unready was just as bad as a force so little.
"They will likely send multiple teams against us, probably two or so." Gai ron thought knowing that they would be in for a fight with some number of unknown shinobi. He smiled at the challenge. He tried to hide the smile, but his 2nd in command noticed it.
"Oh shit! I know that smile! Gai ron sama smiles like that only when we're about to wipe another enemy unit and noot just a normal set of enemies, most likely we're going to be outnumbered." The nin leader thought as he imagined the type of fight they would be in for. He looked at his men who finally saw the smile and sighed.
"Yep, it's definitely going to be a day's work for him and a rather long day for us." The Tenshi Anbu thought as he trailed behind their commanding officer. He didn't notice the now serious expression on Gai-ron's face.
"Yukito, wait for me boy!" Gai-ron thought as he sped up he didn't want anyone to reach him before he did. In the Village of the Sand an entire jounin squad was outside and on he roofs of one of the Sand's houses. They were annoyed.
For the past hour they were watching over someone on orders from the Kazekage, but why he did not know. However they knew to that to disobey the Kazekage meant extreme punishment from their Kazekage. Preferring to keep quiet the jounin team watched at a safe distance as their subject came out with his golden blond hair visible from where they were. Despite their doubts they were going to protect the boy with all their lives for an order was an order.
End Notes
Well here is the fifth chapter. I know it's not that good, but I'll try to redeem myself later. On a later note this Christmas break will give me sometime to fix the next chapter. Oh yeah, the next two to three chapters will take longer because I need to choreograph the fight scenes with some friends and I need to help fix Gai-ron's moves. On another note I will try to fix the webpage that I was making so that it will host all of my Fics and some of the pictures related to them. So enjoy until I get things done.