AN: Chapter title: Promotions and Celebrations Part 2
Hiruzen Sarutobi removed the hat he wore for the upcoming ceremony, little more than a short speech required of him before he could dismiss those gathered for the rest of the day, could focus more on his seemingly never-ending workload as the Hokage.
Already, he had a sudden meeting with the Fire Daimyo after the ceremony, already had to deal with the issues his unexpected arrival had caused so far. He would need to check in on the Shinobi he knew should be returning from missions, check to see which hadn't returned and for what reason, would need to look over the border patrol reports forwarded to him, and eventually decide on a message to send to the Hidden Sand and who to send it. Before that, he would need to discover which of their Honored Siblings would be involved in the discussion, Chiyo and Ebizo would work towards the same goal but in almost radically different ways.
And that was without the host of problems he would need to handle internally because of Naruto.
But these were all things to deal with in the future.
For now, he set the white and red hat on the desk in front of him and looked to the visitor he had been surprised took so long to appear.
"Hello Anko." The Tokubetsu Jonin was still masked, concealed her transformed body in this rare time when she was out and about in the village. "You seem better than before."
"I don't feel much better." She removed her mask, set it on top of the desk. "I'm thankful I can move but…looking like this is going to take some getting used to." She dropped her clawed hands into the pockets of her coat. "I know Jiraiya-dono's done a lot in helping me but…is there nothing else I can do? I know we still have some of his research on his experiments, on the Cursed Seals when he was still developing them. Maybe I can look at autopsy reports, look over what Ibiki's managed to drag out of a few of the prisoners. Anything but be stuck around doing nothing."
Hiruzen considered such suggestions but shook his head.
"That is sadly not possible." Hiruzen held up a hand to preemptively stop any of her protests. "Allow me to explain my reasoning." He lowered his hand. "Your situation is frankly unheard of Anko. Jiraiya himself has begun to question if what caused this is one of Orochimaru's Cursed Seals or if this serves as the results of another of his experiments in Ninjutsu. Until we know for sure what's been done to you in the past, what caused this transformation after so many years of dormancy, we will need to keep you under observation."
"If that's the problem I'm willing to have a personal cell. I can spend my time going over the reports there." Anko wasn't aware of her claws tearing through the fabric of the coat she wore, of the powerful dark Chakra still not fully under her control as it began to rise around her. "I can't just spend all my time doing nothing. Not when the village needs everyone on hand after the attack. The Shinobi Corps is already overworked. I can go back to Torture and Interrogation at least, help deal with the prisoners Ibiki's been overloaded with ever since the attack. Nobody but him has to see me like this. I'll even bunk in a cell if I have to. Anything to do something."
"Our Shinobi Corps is not as overworked as you believe Anko." Hiruzen considered, for a moment at least, if Anko was ready for the assignment he had in mind. She was unstable, was still coming to grips with her changed appearance, coming to terms with what had happened to her during the invasion. "Torture and Interrogation has seen an increased workload but not even Ibiki is working as hard as you believe. The only stressful task I can think of at the moment would be a new round of negotiations concerning a prisoner exchange but that is all."
"There has to be something for me to do Hokage-sama. I can't do nothing anymore." Anko would have raked her clawed hands over the desk if she was closer.
"There is one task I believe you to be suited for." Hiruzen noticed how she perked up at the possibility of an assignment. "It concerns Naruto Uzumaki of course but I believe it is something you would excel in."
"At this point, I'm willing to go and spy on the brat." Anko sighed in relief. "When do I start?"
"This assignment isn't exactly spying. It does pertain to intelligence but in a more direct method." Hiruzen reached into his sleeve, his Chakra cloaked finger tapping the seal there to silently release a scroll. "With your assignment to it, it'll be seen as a joint mission between Black Ops and Torture and Interrogation." He handed it over without hesitation to an eager Anko, the seal broken by a clawed finger and the scroll carefully held in her hands.
He watched as her expression changed, as a mix of disbelief and horror came to her eyes.
"This is…this is what I asked for." Her voice was strained. Her claws pierced through the scroll, tore it into shredded strips she didn't see falling to the ground. "This is exactly what I asked for. I said I'll do anything for the village." She tore the scroll apart as it crumbled to ash, a simple technique taught to destroy documents. "I'll stand by what I said."
"This assignment is entirely voluntary despite its status. On all records, it is and will remain unlisted." Hiruzen rose from his seat, laid a hand on her shoulder. "I understand this is something difficult for you, deeply personal as well, but I would not ask you to do this if I thought there was another way. If this becomes too much, if you feel it is costing you more than we will gain, you are free to abandon this assignment.
"No." Anko shook her head. "No, I asked for this. I wanted something to do and now I have something." She forced herself to calm down, to shove her irrational indignation deep down inside, swallowed down the bitter taste of betrayal. It was her imagination, nothing but her mind playing tricks on her. The Hokage wouldn't betray her. He wouldn't do such a thing. "This is my assignment and I accept it."
Hiruzen had no more to say to her, the Tokubetsu Jonin giving a respectful bow to the Hokage before she turned and left the office.
The wall behind Hiruzen changed once the door was shut. A seal briefly spread over the door and across the walls, was a security measure so a private discussion would remain exactly that. Jiraiya shook his head at the scene he had just witnessed, at how desperate they were becoming.
"When exactly do you expect her to make contact with those two?" Jiraiya asked the only question he could think of.
"I believe in a few hours." Hiruzen returned to his seat. He took out his pipe from his drawer, a spare he had realized was better kept in his office. It was already packed with fresh tobacco, a minor application of Fire Release lighting it. "When do you intend to go off and find Tsunade?"
"Depending on if I can pull off a miracle or not, I've got it tentatively planned for tomorrow morning. Can't waste the chance so I'll be gone before the sun's up." Jiraiya let out a tired sigh, a fair number of sleepless nights in recent weeks devoted to reading up on any hints of his wayward teammate to try and find her. So far, her infamous luck had proven to be in her favor. "I've got agents hopping all over but I've only gotten rumors, sightings of her here and there that don't amount to much. Half the time, it's an imposter running a scam using her name and the other half is nothing but gossip and rumors getting out of hand. Even trying to chart a basic trail is being more difficult than it should be." He almost wanted to laugh. "I haven't had a challenge like this in too many years to count. I feel like I've gotten rusty. Little less than ten, fifteen, years ago and I would've found her by now."
"I can assure you neither your skills or those of your agents have decayed. Tsunade's skills have simply grown greater and greater over the years since she's left, hers and those of her apprentice." Hiruzen brought the smoking pipe to his lips. "I believe our best chance to find her is coming up in the coming weeks. Despite herself, she has habits that bring her into the Land of Fire from time to time."
"You're talking about the festival at Tanzaku Quarters?" Jiraiya knew what Hiruzen was talking about. It was hard not to and it was equally as likely to believe it was going to be that easy. "She's going to show up not only in the Land of Fire after all these years but be that close to the village? I don't believe it."
"Believe it or not, that will be the best place to start your search." Hiruzen set aside his pipe for a moment, breathed out a cloud of smoke. "Regardless of where you find her, the offer I want you to present to her remains the same. If necessary, present it as an ultimatum. I dislike the necessity of it, but the Hidden Leaf must appear strong and I have allowed her to grieve long enough."
"I would have to disagree: You never have enough time for even half of what she did. She hasn't been dealing with it the best but she's been trying in her own way." Jiraiya considered the information Hiruzen had provided as he spoke. He didn't acknowledge the look of near pity his old teacher gave him. "Concerning the mission, I wanted to give it a week or two more so I could keep an eye on Anko but with that mission you gave her, I'll have to go with my Plan B." He thought for a moment. "Ma and Pa won't like me spilling the beans like I'm going to have to but hopefully they'll understand by the time I get back. Right now, I'm not exactly certain what I could even do if I stayed around. For as much as people like to brag about me being the Toad Sage, I'm still little more than an amateur compared to them."
"If Enma or any of his subjects were as well versed in such matters as the Toads, I would offer my assistance. Sadly, this is an area I have little knowledge in beyond the basics." He shook his head. "It still amazes me you succeeded, even if only partially, where so many before you have failed."
"My secret was sheer stubbornness." Jiraiya could find some amusement in the past, in the memories of his many, many, many failures as he learned under Ma and Pa. "I think there's a spot on the mountain where my head made a permanent imprint with how many times I ended up falling there. Next time I drink with 'Bunta, I'll be sure to ask about it." Jiraiya glanced outside the window.
Hiruzen didn't need to look outside to know where Jiraiya was looking. Naruto's tower was already a thing visible across the village, was gradually growing where it could likely be seen from far beyond the walls.
"Before you go speak with Naruto, I have something to give you." The aged Hokage reached into his sleeve once more, an old scroll falling into his hand. "I believe it is beyond the time to tell Naruto more about his parentage."
"Really?" Jiraiya accepted the scroll, ran a curious gaze over the tie keeping it closed. The vibrant red of it, the seal carefully inked across the fabric, matched only one woman he had ever known. "I would ask what this is but if it's for the kid, I'll keep my curiosity in check. If he wants me to know, he'll tell me."
"I will have to insist that the truth of his father remain hidden from him." Hiruzen turned hard eyes to Jiraiya. "You may speak on his mother as much as you wish but his father is another matter."
"…Sure." Jiraiya put the scroll away for now, would deliver it once he had the chance.
It didn't take a genius to know Jiraiya disagreed with the Hokage, a man not only blind but deaf as well could likely tell the Shinobi didn't agree with him.
The old man sighed.
"What reasoning could you have to tell him the truth now of all times?" Hiruzen set aside his pipe, gave his student his full and undivided attention. "Need I remind you, I've already given you a substantial amount of leeway concerning your interactions with Naruto."
"I'm well aware of being on thin ice. I stand by my decision to teach him the Rasengan, teach him how to use the beast's power. I felt those were skills he needed and I managed to get a little insight on him while we were working together. Insight I'm sure you lack." Jiraiya at least stood his ground, didn't buckle as many other Shinobi would under the weight of Hiruzen's stare.
The Hokage merely rose an eyebrow, bid the Sannin to continue without words.
"The Rasengan is a tricky technique to learn, even harder to master. In all my years since learning it, I've broken it down into the absolute basics and from there I created three exercises. The first one is designed to assist in teaching someone how to apply rotation to their Chakra through the use of a water balloon. The second is designed to teach someone how to apply enough power to the technique by giving them a rubber ball to destroy. And the third is a combination of the first two, the creation of a powerful rotating mass of Chakra with a balloon. All three should be accomplished in sequence, each building on the other."
"Naruto refused to learn it my way. Through sheer stubbornness, he managed to get a grip on the technique in less than two weeks, less than ten days really."
"That may not mean a lot to you but there's more to it. The Rasengan is extremely frustrating to learn without proper training, almost impossible if you don't just have a knack for out there Ninjutsu. To commit yourself to what Naruto did, actually pull it off, told me a few things I think you've been ignoring.
Jiraiya held up one finger. "The first is easy: He actually did it. He's stubborn like a couple old men I know. There was no real reason to reject my offer to teach him the right way to do it so the second thing that tells me is that he's prideful, almost too prideful. That's something I'm expecting him to not grow out of, not after a combination of pride and stubbornness got him the results he wanted. The third thing I learned from teaching him the Rasengan was more of his mindset than I think you know: The kid sees things very simple. He declared the Rasengan the perfect technique. Compared to his Kinjutsu, it's child play. That lets me know he has just as much of an idea on how his army happened as we do which is only a lot of guesswork. For all the kid's boasting, he doesn't know nearly as much as you think."
"The invasion." Hiruzen continued to stare at the Sannin.
"We all suspected something might happen." Jiraiya continued on, didn't let the Hokage's words change his mind on the matter. "What am trying to say is that we may be jumping on this too early, casting doubt where there's not any doubt to cast. He's not a great kid, he's definitely got some problems, but he's not some traitor in the making. He's still Naruto Uzumaki."
"'He's still Naruto Uzumaki.'. How lucky for us." Hiruzen felt like laughing at what he was seeing. "If you had been around a month ago, talked to me when this had all began, I would believe you. If you had come to me even several days ago, before the attack, before my eyes were finally opened, I would believe you."
"We don't have to treat the kid like an enemy." Jiraiya made his case.
"I wish I had that luxury."
It was becoming more and more clear the two would not agree on this, on the topic of Naruto Uzumaki.
"I truly, truly do wish I could have the same faith in the boy I've known for so long as you. But I cannot. I will not let the past blind me anymore than it already has. It brings me no joy to do this, to issue these orders that deprive Naruto of what he rightfully deserves to know, but I cannot allow emotions to influence my decisions any further. But, knowing you and your stubbornness, I am willing to relent on some matters, allow you to teach him while he accompanies you on this mission."
"I wish you'd see things my way." Jiraiya sighed but he nodded. "Do you at least get where I'm coming from?" He could understand the Hokage's own fears, had been unnerved by the Genin when he had been observing him, seen how over the top everything he did was.
Declaring himself a Caesar, whatever that meant to him.
His entire relationship with the Uchiha, the insanity they seemed to share.
The near already broken nature of Team 7 as a squad, the clear division between two sides.
But he had seen more since then, had the chance to see Naruto when he wasn't being whatever this Caesar title was making him act as, had seen him fail and succeed as he worked to master the Rasengan, had seen him prove to have a fire inside him when he could so freely call upon the power of the Kyubi.
That, if nothing else, showed him Naruto Uzumaki was different from the rest, was someone who couldn't be all bad.
One couldn't triumph over a creature like the Kyubi, prove a master of its immense power, if they harbored this demonic personality most of the village's elders seemed to think Naruto had. Hatred couldn't surpass hatred, rage couldn't overcome rage. No Jinchuriki had ever mastered their Tailed Beast using the emotions the beast themselves harbored, had long nurtured over an ageless lifetime.
It just wasn't possible, would create a feedback loop that only resulted in death and destruction.
However Naruto had done it, however he had succeeded at such an impossible task, he had done it.
"He's been an orphan since he was born. If he knows who his mother and father are, knew what they gave up not only for him but for the village, then maybe he'll snap out of whatever phase all of this really is. You know just as well as I do how much grief can change someone, what it does to you when you feel you lost someone for no reason, what it's like to lose the people you care about. Naruto never even had the chance to have them before he lost them. The least we can do is tell him who they are, share are memories of the two of them with him. We can tell him what they were like, how excited Kushina was to be a mother, how terrified Minato was of being a father. We don't have to tell them about the kind of Shinobi they were, about him being the Hokage, but we can let him have something of his parents."
"I wish things were so simple, that I could call him into my office tonight, share a drink with him, and tell him all I know of the wonderful people his parents were. Believe me, I wish such a thing could happen with all of this old heart of mine." Hiruzen collected his pipe from his desk once more, brought it to his lips. The tobacco within did nothing for him at this point, had been smoking the past few months more than he had in years. It was merely habit. "I understand how much one can come to care for Naruto, how easy it is to see him as something close to a son." He breathed out a cloud of smoke, closed his eyes. "I wish I didn't have to do this but I have no choice. Until we know more of Naruto, why he's done this, how he's done this, we can't allow him to know everything about that night. If we told him of his father, of Minato, we would tell him things he shouldn't know. Things that we barely know ourselves."
"Like why his father died." Jiraiya nodded, didn't like it but couldn't deny his old teacher was right. "We still don't know why he chose the Reaper Death Seal of all things, why both he and Kushina ended up dead that night, what happened to the ANBU, why Biwako died with that drawing."
"Yes." Hiruzen's mind returned to that dark night, to the bodies he had been one of the first to discover. To the message his dead wife had left him, a strange circle drawn in her own blood. It was to his shame that, to this very day, he still had no idea what she meant to tell him in her final moments. "Until we know more ourselves, we can't tell him. Beyond the security of the village, beyond our own feelings, something strange happened that night and the only ones who could explain it are all dead. Beyond the situation of Naruto and his army, beyond the danger many believe he represents to the village, it would be wrong to involve him in this now. In a few years we can return to this topic and my answer can change, your own thoughts on the matter might change, but it is done for today."
"…I understand. I don't like it for a second but I understand." Jiraiya nodded. "I'll speak with Naruto once you're done with him today." He looked out the window. "I don't think we'll be longer than a few months at most, if I can't find her by then with the lead you've given me, I won't be able to find her at all. I'll be back here and ready to work, whatever you'll need me to do, I'll get it done."
At that moment, a knock came from the door. Neither of the Shinobi in the room bothered with jumping at the noise. Jiraiya gave his old teacher a silent questioning look. Hiruzen could offer no answers so once more the wall behind Hiruzen shifted before it stilled, an illusion settled around the hidden Shinobi in the blink of an eye. Hiruzen released the seal on the door with a near unnoticeable surge of Chakra, he had trained with it until most sensors would be blind to it.
The door in front of the two opened.
Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara stepped into the room, the blonde closing the door behind him.
"Forgive the intrusion Hokage-sama but I felt it best if I spoke with you as soon as I was free." Inoichi approached the desk, Shikaku wasting no time in setting his gaze on the wall.
"What is the problem?" Hiruzen took up a pen, readied himself to note down yet another problem for him to deal with as the village recovered, was already mentally organizing the list he kept in his head.
"It concerns Mitarashi's transformation. I believe it is time to release the Memory Seal."
Hiruzen set the pen in his hand down.
"Explain your reasoning. Now."