I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! I'm here with the next chapter. Also, I'm not sure if I said this yet or not but this story will only go to chapter 73 until Thayerblue1 either updates or abandons the original. ON TO THE STORY!
"I'll take the book next, Lady Tsunade." Hinata says meekly. Tsunade just smiles and hands the book over.
Mind games with a Snake
Kabuto stood before a large holographic display of his master, Orochimaru. "….And that's the situation, Orochimaru-sama. Uzumaki is far more powerful than I ever thought possible. I loath to admit it but he would destroy me in an open confrontation." Kabuto reported.
"Do you have any idea where he went Kabuto?" Orochimaru questioned.
"No." Answered Kabuto. "He simply said he would return soon and if I didn't hand over Jiraiya-sama's body, he would end me when he returns. He told me to stop the chakra transfers from those mindless Zetsus but seeing as he completely destroyed any way to do that with a colossal pair of jutsus, we couldn't continue with it regardless. I was beginning to believe that the attempts to jumpstart Jiraiya-sama's body were fruitless anyway. The foreign Zetsu chakra we were introducing seemed to have no effect whatsoever."
"Hey, wait a minute, when did you get here Orochimaru?!" Naruto demands. Orochimaru just gives a small smile and replies, "I got here at the end of the last chapter. You all were so engrossed with Jiraiya's pummeling that you didn't notice my arrival." (I had forgotten that I had included him last chapter and needed an excuse to include him. With everyone's attention on Jiraiya getting the shit beaten out of him via righteous feminine fury, that certainly would be the best way to have the snake slither into the story.)
Orochimaru sighed. "I had predicted as much Kabuto but it was one of the few options we had at the time."
"If I may ask; have you found anything of Lady Tsunade?" Asked Kabuto.
Orochimaru grimaced. "No. The Force user we have allied with us traced her body to 'Batch 2' and she was the only one of that group to wake up. The other clones were faulty. The scientists there said that she was fully re-educated and left on her first mission months ago. She never returned. She was supposed to kill a low-ranked Jedi and they assume she failed. Knowing her, I think that she probably struck out on her own. I have little doubt she's out there somewhere. The Force user helping us has had fleeting visions of her but nothing substantial."
"Like I would do what I'm told blindly." Tsunade says with a snort. "I'm not wrong about you striking out on your own though." Orochimaru says with a grin, getting some grumbles from Tsunade.
Kabuto then questioned. "What are your wishes regarding Uzumaki?" He asked, visibly shaken.
Orochimaru thought for a moment. He really didn't want to lose Kabuto. Good help was hard to find. "Turn Jiraiya over to him. He may have some means that we don't, given that both he and Jiraiya are Toad Sages." The snake nodded to himself. "We know Naruto-kun will protect Jiraiya's body with his life. Set the communicator up where I can talk to him directly when he arrives; I also want to talk to Anko. It wasn't until I awoke in this life that I realized how much I lost when I threw her away."
"This is certainly true." Orochimaru says with a nod of the head. Anko just makes the universal sign for 'gag me' at that. Iruka just lightly swats at Anko for that while saying to 'be nice'.
"Do you truly think she could be that useful, master?" Asked Kabuto with doubt in his voice.
Orochimaru replied. "Kabuto, I am still getting used to these Force visions, but I have foreseen she would make a very powerful ally." Orochimaru continued. "And if Uzumaki is half as powerful as you say, we do not want him as an enemy. We ninja have to stick together and reuniting the Sannin is the cornerstone of my vision -somehow, we must make up for past mistakes."
Kabuto nodded. "I will do my best Orochimaru-sama. What do you want me to do once I've turned Jiraiya-sama over to them?"
"Give them a long-range communicator that we can contact each other with news. Then get off-planet as soon as possible." Orochimaru frowned. "We can't have you making a mistake and antagonizing them, can we Kabuto-kun? You and Uzumaki have a lot of bad blood between you; do you not?"
Kabuto groused. "Yes, unfortunately that is so master."
"Well then, contact me again when they arrive. We can't risk offending our new allies. Said Orochimaru.
The hologram of Orochimaru faded out, leaving Kabuto alone with his thoughts. 'Damn. Why would he want Mitarashi Anko when he has me?' He thought with jealousy. Kabuto was seething. Anko was worthless in his eyes and the very idea that Uzumaki would ever be an ally was ludicrous. He shivered thinking of Naruto's glare. There was nothing but agony and death for Kabuto in it. "….hand Jiraiya over to me for safe keeping and you may live next time we meet, otherwise your life is forfeit." Is what Naruto had said. Kabuto remembered the naïve child named Uzumaki Naruto he fought and now 10,000 years later, he was facing a hardened shinobi that would strike him down without hesitation. He would have laughed at the irony if his life wasn't on the line. "Orochimaru-sama says the three Sannin must be reunited and I must do my part." He thought out loud to himself. "I'd best prepare the ship to leave and pray my next meeting with Naruto-kun doesn't explode into violence." He didn't know that two shadow clones were watching his every move. One of them dispelled to send the information back to Naruto.
"Worthless?! I'll show him worthless when I use his intestines to strangle him!" Anko growled out. "Damn, that glare is scary." Tenten says with a small shiver, getting nods from everyone except Naruto.
Naruto had returned to the Misfire yesterday. He was overjoyed to have Ero-Sennin back in his life but his main focus was the bigger picture. He also had to make sure Jiraiya stayed away when he and Hinata were having 'private time'. If he found out the old lecher was peeking on them, Naruto would pulverize him! As it turned out though; Jiraiya was behaving for now. He was a spymaster after all. Everyone was sitting down with him and telling what had happened to them since they awakened. Naruto wanted Jiraiya informed on everything. Naruto also asked his old master to teach him advanced fuuinjutsu and Jiraiya was delighted he'd taken an interest.
"That's the Uzumaki blood at work sochi." Kushina says with a bright smile. Naruto just blushes. "Don't worry sochi, kaa-chan will teach you everything there is to know about fuuinjutsu better than this old pervert." Jiraiya just grumbles about 'no respect'.
Anko, Iruka, and Shikamaru hadn't been idle while the others were on their trip to Mount Myoboku either. They recovered two cloning cylinders and the monitoring equipment to go with them. They also found the real treasure trove: Genetic samples from all over the Elemental Nations. Of course; neither the researchers nor themselves could identify who these ninjas were but the point was they existed. They might be able to repopulate somewhere in the future. Now they were sitting around the dinner table discussing what to do with the samples. Shikamaru said. "Assuming they're all intact, there are close to 500 samples there. With the right facilities, we could raise an entire army within a few years. We can't let anyone know about these. They need to be hidden."
"That's a disturbing thought Shika-kun." Temari says with a shudder. Shikamaru just mutters a 'troublesome' but nods in agreement.
Jiraiya spoke up. "I agree but the question is where. The organizations funding this whole cloning project invested a lot of money in it." He continued. "They're going to come back for the samples if they think there's any chance, they might be intact. It's the way the world; er, galaxy works." He finished.
"But where do we hide them?" Asked Anko.
Naruto stated. "The former homes of the summons would be ideal but it's also the first place Orochimaru would look. We can't take that kind of risk. God knows what that snake would do if he found them."
"What about Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools?" Jiraiya thought aloud. "If the ruins still exist then it would be an ideal place to hide things. Remember, it is protected by seals, not living things. Some of the traps there may still be intact." He suggested.
"My mother's homeland…." Said Naruto morosely.
"Where is this place Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"It's an island off the east coast of Fire Country Hinata-chan." Replied Naruto. "I never got to go there because it's virtually inaccessible. It's surrounded by whirlpools."
"If this place is intact, it sounds ideal." Said Iruka.
"Once we deal with Kabuto, we should check it out." Said Ino. "Speaking of; do you think he'll cooperate with us Naruto?"
Naruto jolted a bit, receiving the information from one of his planted shadow clones that dispelled. "I know he will Ino. My shadow clones' memories just returned to me." Naruto related what his shadow clone had seen.
"This is better than I'd hoped!" Said Anko. "Once Kabuto's out of here, we can take our time and hide the DNA samples without having to worry."
"Right Anko." Naruto said. He turned to Doc. "Are all three of those beacons ready?"
"Yep; the last one finished charging this morning." Said Doc.
"Doc, you're a genius!" Naruto praised as he created a group of shadow clones and handed out the beacons. "You know what to do boys." The shadow clones departed quickly. Naruto turned to the others. "Once we get the signal that a beacon is in place, we'll go pay Kabuto a visit. In the meantime, we should cook up something that will throw Kabuto and Orochimaru off balance."
Naruto just smiles evilly while rubbing his hands like an evil villain. The others who recognize the look just shiver in fear at the return of the Prank Master from Hell.
Jiraiya grinned. "I've got the perfect idea gaki."
The clones found Kabuto's ship fairly easily. The fighter sized ship was parked in a sinkhole directly behind the Ryuchi Cave. It was a simple matter for them to sneak down and attach a pair of beacons in different locations. The rest of the clones withdrew with the third beacon for later use. One of them dispelled to send the signal to Naruto and quickly concealed themselves to wait for the Misfire to arrive. The next morning, the Misfire landed at the base of the paths that led to the Ryuchi Cave. Since they knew the path now, they made good time. Jiraiya was with them, keeping himself concealed in plain sight. He was acting as one of Naruto's shadow clones. The ninjas made a point to set off Kabuto's perimeter alarm at the cave entrance. Naruto flared his chakra to nearly blinding levels to announce their arrival. He knew Kabuto's orders but figured he might as well scare the hell out of him if he could.
"Sadistic. Nice one gaki." Anko says with a grin. Naruto's evil grin just widens to the point that even Orochimaru starts to shiver.
Kabuto was sweating. 'He used that just to signal me? How strong is he?!' Thought the wide-eyed snake follower. He quickly contacted Orochimaru to ward off possible destruction. Naruto marched in icy-eyed with four shadow clones (one of them Jiraiya) flanking him. The others stayed back in case a fight broke out. Kabuto composed himself. "Welcome back Naruto-kun." He said, playing the perfect host.
Naruto didn't slow his pace until he was face to face with Kabuto on the dais. "I trust you have an answer I want to hear?" Naruto said in an imperious tone. "You do remember what I said, don't you Kabuto?" Naruto knew he held all the cards. He knew Kabuto had to agree and follow his wishes. That didn't mean he wasn't going to enjoy every second of it though.
Kabuto let out a strained smile. "Of course, Naruto-kun. Master Orochimaru feels it's in the best interest of all of us to turn Jiraiya over to your care. As a matter of fact; he wanted to address you all via holographic image since he regretfully couldn't be here in person. After all, he does want us to be friends and allies. Let me activate the communicator."
Kabuto quickly activated the holographic projector and Orochimaru came into view. The Konoha ninja gaped for a second at how young he looked. "I'm so glad you've arrived Naruto-kun. Kabuto informed me you wish to take Jiraiya into your care. As his apprentice, I'm sure you feel responsible for your master, which I completely understand." He said in a silky voice. "Let this be a first step in mending the broken bridges between us."
"Don't you mean burned bridges Orochimaru?" Asked Naruto skeptically. "It seems to me that in your many efforts to destroy Konoha, you're a little less than trustworthy." He continued.
Orochimaru smiled sadly. "I've made many, many mistakes in my previous life Naruto-kun. I see a vision of the future with my lost teammates that I want to be reunited with. I want to find Tsunade and bring her back to Edo to revive my old friend Jiraiya. I believe the three of us can bring the scattered ninjas back together as a team. Does this not appeal to you?" Asked Orochimaru in a plaintive voice.
Naruto got a signal from his shadow clones standing by the cloning cylinder that Jiraiya was awake. "Why? I can awaken Jiraiya myself." Said Naruto.
"We've tried many methods and none of them seemed successful. I'm a trained medic and scientist." Said Kabuto indignantly.
"And I'm a Toad Sage in touch with the Force." Retorted Naruto. He turned to the shadow clones as he walked over to the 'soulless' Jiraiya. "Do it." He said to his clones. The shadow clones infused natural energy into Jiraiya, dispelling one by one.
"We've already attempted natural energy Naruto-kun; that's why we brought him to the Ryuchi Cave to begin with." Said Orochimaru.
Jiraiya suddenly 'woke up' from his eternal slumber. He sat up. "So, Naruto, you've arrived."
Both Kabuto and Orochimaru were totally gob smacked. "Impossible." Whispered Kabuto.
"I find your lack of faith, disturbing." Said Naruto in a smug tone.
*Cue Darth Vader's theme song*
"Is it really you Jiraiya?" Asked an incredulous Orochimaru.
"Yes, it's me and I've been awakened by my apprentice in the Ryuchi Cave just as I foresaw." Jiraiya lied smoothly.
"But howe aren't you disoriented?" Asked a confused Kabuto.
Jiraiya stated. "I trust in my visions. We Toad Summoners were always closer to nature than you. Help me up Naruto."
Jiraiya got situated in a sitting position with Naruto's help. "Well, I trust you are here only as a projection for no reason Orochimaru. Have you got something on your mind?"
For a moment, Orochimaru had to compose himself. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you alive old friend." He said with genuine joy in his voice. "Your apprentice Naruto-kun revived you where we failed."
"Of course he did. Did death change you that much? Last I remember, we were enemies." Said Jiraiya.
"We have a second chance at life Jiraiya! We have an entire galaxy waiting for us. My first goal is to reunite the Sannin and then we can set other plans in motion." Orochimaru seemed almost like a kid again.
Jiraiya wanted to laugh but kept his deadpan expression like Naruto was wearing. "What are these 'other plans' Orochimaru? Are you still obsessed with jutsu or have you finally outgrown that faze?"
Orochimaru regained control of his enthusiasm. "I don't know what all you've foreseen in your visions Jiraiya, but several corporations in the Galactic Republic are trying to create an army of ninjas through cloning us back to life. Small pockets of ninjas or 'chakra users' as they've labeled us are being brainwashed into fighting against 'Force users', that is, people who can harness natural energy otherwise known as the Force nowadays. I want to unite the ninja under the Sannin and break away from this. We are not pawns to be used but individuals! You know as well as I do that those who signed the Great Summoning Contracts are capable of becoming sages. We can harness the Force and lead our people wisely." Said Orochimaru with passion in his voice. "Perhaps there are others in our ranks that can use the Force but never had the opportunity. I want to train my apprentice Anko to use the Force if she can find it in her heart to forgive me. Please consider this Jiraiya; I need your help!"
"Death can bring clarity to one's life." Minato says with a sagely nod of the head. Others, who have died, nod in agreement.
Jiraiya was a bit stunned. Orochimaru sounded truly genuine but the friend he once was had evolved into a monster. Would history repeat itself? Jiraiya spoke. "I'm going to have to spend some time getting my body back into shape while I consider your words. Can you send me confirmation of this information you have about these corporations? Also, I see Naruto has a few friends with him. How many followers do you have?"
Kabuto was about to speak out against sharing such information but Orochimaru silenced him with a glare. "I have 61 ninjas with me all from the original lab there on Edo. In addition, there are two Force users; myself and Kabuto." "I see, how many are stealth specialists?" Jiraiya asked. "Spying is what I'm best at." He added.
Orochimaru nodded. "I will transmit their dossiers to you as soon as I am able. Kabuto, give Jiraiya the communicator."
Kabuto moved towards Jiraiya but was stopped by Naruto. "You will give it to me." Naruto said in a tone that would brook no arguments. Kabuto handed over the communicator. "It's perfectly harmless." Kabuto said. "I'll decide that before I give it to Jiraiya." Said Naruto.
"My, it seems there is some friction between our apprentices Jiraiya." Orochimaru said as he turned to Kabuto. "Kabuto; I will finish this conversation. Why don't you bid your farewells and get to your ship. We have a schedule to keep after all."
Kabuto smiled gratefully to his master. "Of course, farewell Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-kun; may fortune favor you until we meet again." Jiraiya dismissed him with a nod. Naruto didn't acknowledge him at all. "I will take my leave then." Kabuto finished lamely. As Kabuto walked down the passage to his ship, the last thing he heard was Orochimaru's voice. "Is Anko-chan there?" Kabuto growled in anger and frustration. He stood no chance against Naruto at this point and was restrained by Orochimaru from taking any offensive actions. Orochimaru was obsessed with his fellow Sannins and was releasing far too much information to a potential enemy. How could such a great man as Orochimaru be so naïve and trusting? Worst of all, his master was hell-bent on replacing him with Mitarashi Anko. Orochimaru himself said she had far more potential in the Force than Kabuto and wanted Kabuto himself to help train her! In a rage, he boarded his ship and left Edo as quickly as possible, not noticing the discretely placed beacons activating when he exited the atmosphere….
"Rage and anger can blind people to the point that they lose focus and end up getting killed." Iruka says in a lecturing tone, getting groans from his former students. A tick mark appears on Iruka's forehead before he uses the patented Teacher Style: Big-Head no jutsu/Demon-Head no jutsu to shout at them.
A few minutes earlier: "Is Anko-chan there?" Asked Orochimaru. "I would like to speak to her if only to apologize, if she'll let me."
Anko slowly came forward to face Orochimaru. She had discussed it in detail the night before with her Iruka-kun and decided it would be best to face him now rather than in person. Even if she just cursed the snake out, it would be worth it to get it over with and out of her system. So, here she was facing the man who had cursed her in a past life. "What do you want Orochimaru?" She asked, trying to keep the venom out of her voice.
Orochimaru sighed. "I want to tell you how sorry I am Anko-chan. I swear to you that somehow, I'll earn your forgiveness."
"And how do you intend to do that?" She growled.
The snake said sadly. "Anko, I realized the moment I woke up in this new life what a terrible wrong I did to you -in our past lives, you were my pride and joy but then I fell into darkness and that led me to madness. I thought you were a failure and used you in a cruel experiment that put your very life at risk. I now realize what potential you had and that it was I who failed you as a master. I have had visions of what you can accomplish through the Force. You far outstrip Kabuto. I ask you to let me make it up to you by training you in the sage arts."
"Do you feel the same way now?" Anko asks while looking at Orochimaru. He just nods with a small sad smile on his face.
Anko stared with hard eyes. "It will take a lot more than pretty words to make up for ruining my life with that damned cursed seal you put on me…." She said in a cold tone.
Orochimaru had a pained look on his face. "I understand Anko-chan but please don't let your potential go to waste like I did. Seek out training from Jiraiya or even Naruto-kun. You have every right to be angry…." Anko turned and walked away before he could see the angry tears in her eyes…. "Jiraiya, I know it's a lot to ask but please look after Anko-chan for me. I fear she's lost to me forever."
"Consider it done Orochimaru." Replied the toad sage.
"Thank you. I will be in touch." Said the snake. With that, the transmission ended.
Naruto stood there for a moment. Orochimaru seemed genuinely regretful of his past actions; but the man had proven himself to be a true monster as far as Naruto was concerned. As much as he wished it was possible, he truly doubted they would ever trust the man. He supposed Jiraiya knew Orochimaru best but even so, they had to be careful. He himself had been a total fool chasing after Sasuke in his previous life. Sure, everyone had come together in the end but that was only because they face extinction. He truly hoped that no Uchihas would ever come back to haunt him….Then there was Kabuto. Naruto planned to kill him slowly and painfully if he had his way. He would never accept that traitorous spay as an ally. Dwelling on these thoughts, he helped the now young (and out of shape) Jiraiya back to the Misfire. He'd sent a shadow clone ahead with the communicator Kabuto gave him. He wanted Doc to examine it to make sure it wasn't dangerous. The other day he found out Doc had been an unexploded ordinance expert during The Great Hyperspace War. Doc claimed he could disarm just about anything so Naruto figured Doc should take care of it. On further reflection, he realized none of them could pilot the ship or do much of the tech work. He was going to rectify that and get them some training so they could take some of the workload off of the faithful old droid.
Everyone, except Lee, starts to groan at the beginnings of Slave Driver Naruto making an appearance. Naruto just glares at everyone with a huff.
By the time they made it back to the ship, it was starting to get dark. They crew was glad they gained so much information but a bit shocked at what they learned. Could Orochimaru actually be trusted? The game was changing way too fast. "Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Hinata asked.
"I'm sorry Hinata-chan; I was lost in thought." Said Naruto.
"Well, there's a lot to think about. I feel sorry for Anko. I know she's a tough kunoichi but this has to be tearing her apart. I'm glad she has Iruka-sensei to take care of her." She said.
Naruto replied. "I am too Hinata-chan. There's so much going on that it's hard to keep up. We got Ero-Sennin back safe and sound and he's crashed out on a bunk in the center section. Doc checked the communicator and it's safe. The beacons on Kabuto's ship are working fine as well. Once we hide those gene samples, I think we should leave Edo for the time being. It's so lifeless it just depresses me." They settled in for the night and held each other close as they slept.
As if an unsaid order was given, everyone slept in the next day. Jiraiya was the first up and started doing exercises to work himself back into fighting shape. He estimated it would be four to six months before he was ready….and then there was sage mode. It galled him that his student would be teaching him. He also wanted to start Naruto's fuuinjutsu training. Everyone finally crawled out of bed by noon (even Shikamaru).
"I hate to say it but Edo is the best place to train." Commented Iruka over lunch. Everyone groaned. Iruka continued. "Look, we have Master Jiraiya here to help us learn new techniques and we need him back at full strength before we can risk taking him out in the galaxy. There's also plenty of Zetsus to practice our skills on. As much as I hate to say it, they are pretty much mindless zombies so killing off a few won't exactly wipe them out." No one was thrilled with the idea of spending six months on a dead world but they had more than enough supplies and it was probably the only place they could practice their most powerful Jutsus without anyone noticing.
"It certainly makes sense, as much as I hate to admit it." Iruka says with a grimace. The others grimace as well but had to nod in agreement.
Naruto threw himself into studying seals like a man possessed. He also started learning basic repairs and piloting from Doc. It was hard but he convinced everyone that they needed some form of technical training. He also decided it was time to open up that holocron. It was time to open his eyes to the Force….
"That's the end of the chapter. Who would like to read next?" Hinata asked.
Whelp, here is the next chapter. Now, I need to know, should I bring Mikoto, Itachi, Shisui, Haku, Mei, Shizune, Shion, Konohamaru, Hanabi, Neji, Hiashi, Shino, Kiba, Asuma, Kakashi, Gai, Gaara, Hana, Tsume, Samui, Karui, and Omoi, when they appear in the story or not? Let me know in either reviews or a p.m. please.
Scheffinator out! May the Force be with you all!