Tale of the Setting Sun

Chapter 24: "Hidden Will to Fight"

It had been years since Jiraiya had last returned to Konoha, and in his absence, Naruto had grown up.

Taking a good look at him, the boy's resemblance to his father was astonishing. If it wasn't for the flaming red hair he'd so clearly inherited from his mother, Jiraiya would have thought it was his old student brought back from the dead.

"What's going on here?" Shirakumo demanded, looking back and forth.

Unfortunately, this was perhaps not the best time for a reunion between godfather and godson; the safe house Shirakumo had promised looked to have been compromised. With a single sweeping glance, Jiraiya assessed the situation:

Naruto, along with three other Leaf chūnin surrounded a bound female civilian in what could only be an interrogation. Beyond them, a young female genin comforted two civilian children cowering in the corner.

"She betrayed us," said the blonde chūnin, his nostrils flared. "We stayed here to help her and she freaking betrayed us."

An angry looking chūnin rounded on Shirakumo. "Where the hell is Mayu? Why is she not with you?"

The jōnin shook his head. "I'm sorry. She and Tazuna were both taken. We don't know where, but we decided to first regroup to reassess the situation."

Letting out a swear, the chūnin reached down and grabbed the bound woman by the scruff of her shirt. "Where is she? Where did they take her?!"

To her credit, the bound woman looked calm. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't – "

"Who are you?" Naruto broke in.

It was directed towards Jiraiya; the boy's gaze had been fixed on him from the moment they had reached the safe house. Jiraiya felt intrigue bubbling inside of him. With Naruto looking this similar physically to Minato, he had to wonder whether he took after him in other aspects as well.

Thrusting out a hand, he struck a pose for the second time that day. "Thank you for asking! I am Mount Myōboku's Monk of the Frog Spirits, also known as the Toad Sage, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya.

Naruto had heard the name before—there had been numerous records of the Sannin's legendary deeds from the Second World War. If he remembered correctly, the Hokage had once mentioned the name as well, in association with his father.

In all the legends of the Sannin, however, none had mentioned a perverted old man who peeked in the women's baths.

Naruto glanced at Shirakumo, but the jōnin's demeanor seemed unfazed around the man. Nor did he look as though he was being controlled by some sort of genjutsu. Was this man truly who he claimed to be—the great Sage, Jiraiya? Could they count this strange man as a potential ally?

It may have been a comforting thought, especially in the light of recent events. But whereas he could see Team Shirakumo's members relaxing, Naruto did not jump to the happy possibility. Instead, he maintained his distance. He would choose his own allies, he thought.

"Does 'Akatsuki' mean anything to you two?" Naruto asked.

As expected, Shirakumo shook his head—but Jiraiya looked intrigued. "Is this civilian involved in Akatsuki?"

"What is Akatsuki?" Naruto pressed.

Jiraiya stroked his chin. "They're an organization I've been tracking for years now. For all intents and purposes, they function like mercenaries, taking on all sorts of nasty, shady missions the villages don't want to be associated with. But as for their final objective…well, that's why I'm still out in the field."

"Let me say this, at least." It was Kaine, her chin jutting out stiffly. "The true reason why Gatō has been able to stay in power is because Akatsuki has been supporting him from the shadows."

"Then how could you be working for them?" Rai exploded. "I thought you wanted to help this country!"

"They made me a deal. I was to go into the Hidden Leaf, request chūnin bodyguards on a journey to Wave country, and delay their return for as long as possible. In turn, they would withdraw their support for Gatō, allowing us to overthrow him and take back the daimyō." Kaine's voice grew quiet. "And of course, they reminded me of the consequences of failure."

Naruto's thoughts flashed back to their journey across the water, on the mysterious assassination attempt on the merchant.

Sai's eyes narrowed. "You sure are speaking freely. Why is that?"

"Even if you all kill me now, I've carried out my end of the deal. This country will soon be free. Gatō will be dead, and my brother's death won't have been in vain." A mixture of both resignation and pride struggled for dominance on Kaine's face. "There's no longer any reason for me to hide the truth. As I said, do what you will with me. I'm prepared for the consequences."

"But why?" Menma spoke up. "Why would this… Akatsuki group want to keep some random Leaf-nin here in Wave country?"

"Perhaps it wasn't so random," said Jiraiya, staring straight at Naruto.

One by one, the pieces were coming together. Judging by the glimmer of realization in Shirakumo's eyes and the puzzled looks on his teammates' faces, everyone his own age had been kept in the dark regarding Naruto. He felt a stab of irritation. Considering how the Hokage had gone out of his way to even put a seal on his memories, he'd thought the old man would have at least done a better job of keeping him a village secret. But now it seemed as though he was on the hit list of every other missing-nin out there.

"They're capturing jinchūriki," he said at last. "And they're here for me."

"The Nine-tails jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto. What do you think about him?"

Before she could stop herself, Mayu felt her eyes widen. How did this man know about Naruto? But no—she couldn't reveal that she understood his question.

"I don't know who you're talking about," she said, bracing herself for the man's reaction.

Instead, he seemed to take it in stride. "Well of course you do. He's your teammate, and current team leader."

From his similar attire and the way the man freely walked about the cave, it was clear that he was associated with the missing-nin who had captured her. However, that was the only thing he seemed to have in common with them. He didn't inspire overwhelming terror in the way those two did. He was just...weird.

As discretely as she could, Mayu scanned their vicinity—apart from the man, they were alone. She felt her heart lift; while she had been disarmed and bound with rope, she could still feel the clips in her hair.

In a voice that sounded stronger than she felt, she demanded, "What do you want from me? I'm not important enough to my village to ransom with, and no one's going to come here for me." Suddenly, with a pang, she thought of Rai. With any luck, Naruto would be able to hold him back from making any rash moves.

"Oho! So he's trash," said the man in a cheery voice.

Despite herself, Mayu frowned. "That's not what I said."

"What kind of team leader wouldn't come to rescue his team member?"

She hesitated. "The mission is more important than the individual. Naruto won't come to rescue me…" The force that had previously kept her frozen in place was gone, and she struggled up to her feet. "Because I don't need him to."

For some reason, that seemed to greatly amuse the man, who broke out into a laugh and began to spin around. "You think so? Kakuzu-san's keeping you here as bait, you know. But if they're not coming for you, why are we even keeping you here, then, hmm?"

Mayu started to try and wriggle a hand free; if she could just make the sign, she'd be able to release her bluebirds…

"Oh look!" The man was staring outside the cave's entrance, his form awash in the glow of the setting sun. "The day's almost over. You know what sounds good right about now? Some dango. Should I send you home in time for dinner?"

She couldn't believe her ears. "Home?"

"Why not?"

The man spun back around and approached Mayu with a kunai. She flinched—but in a smooth motion, he cut through her bindings. The broken rope tumbled down to her feet. Rubbing the bruises on her arms, she stared at him in disbelief.

"Why are you letting me go? And where's Tazuna-san?"

"If you're referring to that old bridge-builder, I released him a while ago."

"But why? Why capture us in the first place at all?"

"Tut tut." The man wagged his finger. "Too many questions, not enough escaping! What'll you do if Kakuzu-san comes back and you're still here?"

He had a point.

Mayu took a step towards the entrance—and paused. "Thank you, whoever you are."

The man bowed mockingly. "You can call me Tobi."

It was a scenario that Naruto had rehearsed in his head countless of times: The moment his teammates learned the truth about him. In the nights when he'd been unable to find anything else to occupy his thoughts, he'd approached it in many ways. Sometimes, he tried bringing it up on his own. Other times, he was cornered into revealing his secret. Whatever the approach, his teammates' imagined reactions always remained fairly constant: Rai erupted in anger and accused him of being a traitor, while Mayu either calmed him down or shrank back in terror.

Now, it was actually happening—but in a way that Naruto, for all the thought he'd put into it, had never predicted. The first difference was that Mayu was not present, and at the reminder of her absence, Naruto felt a pang. The second difference was Rai's reaction: Confusion. Disbelief. Realization. Shock. Horror.

A myriad of emotions twisted his teammate's face, before melting away into one single, surprising emotion—concern.

"Then this is all a trap, isn't it? To get Naruto."

Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "Their objective is still unclear, but one thing's for certain. Several other jinchūriki have already disappeared, and in all cases, there were signs of Akatsuki interference. I can personally confirm the current presence of two Akatsuki members here in this area… Hidan and Kakuzu. With Naruto here, this is no mere coincidence."

At the names of the two missing-nin, Naruto—who had been too stunned to respond—felt a jolt. That was another piece, falling into place.

"Then we must let Hokage-sama know," Shirakumo said sharply. "This isn't just a matter related to Wave country anymore, this now concerns the safety of our entire village." He motioned towards Naruto. "He needs to be returned to Konoha immediately."

Sai, who had been taking in the situation in shrewd silence, raised a hand. "Using my Super Beast Imitating technique, we can be back in Konoha before the end of the day."

"Wait, wait," Rai protested. "What about Mayu and Tazuna?"

"Before we can consider any rescue missions, Naruto's security comes first."

"What're you talking about? Trap or no trap, have you even seen him fight? He can take care of himself! Right, Naruto?"

With another jolt, Naruto realized that Rai had turned to him for backup.

Rationally speaking, it was a no-brainer. Assuming that Jiraya's intel was accurate and Akatsuki was a true threat, it would be senseless for Naruto to stay in Wave country. He had not forgotten the results of his previous confrontation with Kakuzu. Despite Rai's confidence in him, he had been powerless then, and though he hated to admit it, he would be powerless now. The best option would be to return to Konoha with the rest of his team, alert the Hokage, and if possible, send out an elite rescue force.

Although of course by then, it could be too late.

Everyone else had fallen silent, waiting for his response. Rai's ferocious expression was starting to become undone, with the beginnings of fear taking its place.

Naruto knew what was being asked of him. It had been a long time coming—ever since the day he and his teammates sat around a campfire in a dark crystal cave.

The situation was almost comical. How had a simple bodyguard mission turned out this way? The Hokage had said it was a mission to help him gain experience and if he did well, he would be considered for a position as a jōnin. A jōnin was a ninja who had the ability to make tough, split-second decisions in the face of conflict. The question was, which did he choose? The continued security of the rest of his team and the village? That was the smart, jōnin bet. Or would he gamble it all away for an unnecessarily high-risk rescue mission?

He wondered what Kakashi would have done...and shook his head. It really was a no-brainer.

Naruto cleared his throat. "We're not leaving without them."

It looked like he wouldn't be getting that promotion any time soon.

Leaving behind Shirakumo's genin team to guard the safe house, they immediately left the settlement. Luckily for the group, Jiraiya's earlier session with Zabuza's henchwomen had yielded several answers that were starting to prove more and more useful—mainly, the location of Gatō's main hideout. It was situated in the middle of the marshlands, hidden from any uninformed eyes by dense mist.

As they made their way through the forest, deftly hiding the sounds of their progress, the going was tense. The group's feelings were mixed on the matter, that much was obvious.

While Shirakumo hadn't seemed too happy about the decision, he had bent his knee once Jiraiya showed his support. His face lined with apprehension, the jōnin accompanied them now in grudging silence.

A chūnin who the others had called Sai wore a smile on his face like a mask. Jiraiya mentally marked him as one to watch.

The other chūnin with the similar sounding name—Rai, was it? Though he was the most ordinary of the lot, he seemed equally the most driven in this rescue mission. Whether his enthusiasm would serve to be a hindrance or not remained to be seen.

And finally... Naruto. Going by the reports Jiraiya had heard over the past several years, he wouldn't have expected such brashness from the boy. It seemed there was more of his mother in him than he'd thought.

Jiraiya wasn't a fool. At a minimum, what awaited them were three S-level missing-nin. While he had confidence in his own abilities, even with a jōnin of Shirakumo's caliber and three skilled chūnin by his side, he had no doubt it would turn out to be a very close fight.

However—though he would never admit this to the others—he was never one to pass up an opportunity to save a damsel in distress. Moreover, Naruto's decision on the matter intrigued him, and Jiraiya was willing to see where it took them.

"Have you tried to control the Nine-tails' chakra yet?" he asked.

Naruto's expression didn't change. "Once."

He left it at that.

The boy didn't trust Jiraiya. He couldn't blame him—in all his years of absence, he was a complete stranger to Naruto. Of course, Jiraiya had his reasons: He'd been away under the Third's orders, tracking down and gathering information regarding Akatsuki. Nonetheless, it was an undeniable truth that he had neglected his duty as godfather.

Perhaps, Jiraiya thought to himself, after all this was done and settled with, it was time that he trained the boy.

The journey by ship had taken the better part of three days, but running at top speed across the water surface, Kakashi covered the same distance in a matter of hours. As soon as the mist began to fade and the coastline appeared in the horizon, he began his retrieval strategy:

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"

A black seal appeared momentarily on the water's surface, and in a cloud of smoke, his ninken pack appeared by his side. Kakashi held out the only thing he had been able to find on the ship—a cloak that Naruto's shadow clone had presumably been wearing.

"I'll need you guys to get to work right away."

Once his hounds had the scent, they ran off ahead of Kakashi towards the main island.

Reaching the shore, he immediately noticed the difference since he had last left it several days before. In the place of the once crowded, worn-down settlement, there was now a muted emptiness. Buildings appeared to have been smashed to pieces. What had been destitute before had been replaced by complete and utter abandonment. The only sign of activity was smoke, rising in the distance from the forest.

Had there been an attack in the city? Where had everyone gone?

Kakashi picked his way through the settlement, noting several strewn bodies in the rubble. Thankfully, none of them wore the Leaf hitai-ate.

At the edges of the settlement, one of his hounds returned to him.

"Did you get anything?" asked Kakashi.

"There's a fresh trail that leads from the city and through the forest," said Pakkun. "But I also found someone wandering around, with whiffs of the scent."

Pakkun led him deeper into the forest, and soon, Kakashi spotted an older bespectacled man leaning against a tree trunk for support. After a moment, he recognized him as Tazuna, the man Naruto and the rest of his team had been staying with.

"I'm not your enemy," Kakashi said, stopping before him.

Letting out a surprised yelp, Tazuna fell backwards and began scrabbling on the ground. "Who are you?! Are you here to finish me off?!"

"I'm a ninja from Konoha, and I'm looking for Naruto and his team. Can you tell me what's happened and where they are?"

The older man hesitated, his eyes squinting suspiciously at Kakashi's masked face. "They...let me go, but they kept the girl. They told me to tell Naruto and the others. I have to find them now..."

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat. "'They'? Could you tell me where they are?"

It was more difficult than Mayu had expected, getting through the marshlands. The joy she had felt when she had first left the cave had since dissipated into a rising sense of trepidation as the elements took a turn for the worse. The fog grew thick and heavy, and the air turned freezing.

Continuing onwards, Mayu carried herself on thoughts of how her teammates would react when she reached the safe house. Rai would be the first to react; he'd be grinning widely, punching her on the shoulder for making him worry. Naruto would be standing to the side, not saying much as usual, but with a relieved look in his eyes and one less burden weighing him down.

Once they were back in Konoha, she thought, she would have to buy them bowls of ramen to make up for it. Kakashi-sensei would be there too, and Rai would be complaining about Sai. Naruto would be...would be...

The mist was thick. Too thick.

Mayu's heart began pounding.

She remembered this fog; it was not natural. It was a ninjutsu. It had been how her captors had first gotten away...

It all happened in the blink of an eye. One moment, she was alone in the fog with her thoughts. The next, she was flanked on both sides. An unnatural gust of wind blew away some of the nearby mist, revealing two dark figures, one tall and one short.

Mayu felt hot bile rising in her throat, but she pushed it back. In a flash, she made the appropriate signs with her hands and an instant later, her bluebirds were unfurling themselves from her hair.

Naruto. Rai. Please find them.

Drawing back in a defensive position, Mayu took in a deep breath. She wasn't completely defenseless; though she didn't have any of her weapons, she still had her genjutsu. She could buy some time with that.

Her birds would dissipate the moment she died, but if it was the last thing she did, she would warn her team.

A/N: Thanks for returning to my story, and as always, leave commentary/suggestions in your review.