Chapter 82

"Jiraiya," Kakashi addresses the sannin once he found him in a commercialized outdoor hot spring, the fifth one he has tried. The old man's naked body is submerged in the warm, slightly cloudy water with his eyes closed in stupor. Joining him, Kakashi similarly bare, sits down on the pool floor, with his back leaning on one of the stony walls.

Jiraiya remains unmoving, the softly drawl, "Hmn," Kakashi's only acknowledgment.

The younger nin seems to similarly enjoy the water, closing his eyes as he soaks his tight muscles. The hot spring is occupied only by them and a handful of birds perch on a nearby tree whose branches stretch towards the pool shading them from the midday sun. The place is perfect for its tranquility.

It's after a few relaxing moments that finally Kakashi utters, "I read the book."

Jiraiya still doesn't stir.

"I have seen the boy use his jutsu."

Jiraiya opens his eyes to glance at the younger man, noticing that like him the other nin is naked except for the mask that shields the lower half of his face and the forehead protector that is slanted over and covered one of his eyes—the eye that is special.

Jiraiya dips his head towards his chest, permitting Kakashi to talk further.

Kakashi mentions without preamble, "The jutsu is a blood-line limit—a Nara –bloodline limit."

Jiraiya closes his eyes once again, wriggling into a more comfortable position with his back reclining on the rough wall as the warm water laps his wide chest. The intonation on the surname isn't lost to him. Trust the copy-nin to notice that the jutsu is only gained through blood and hence cannot be copied, not even with his sharingan—his one special eye.

"The book, whatever it's about, I know the boy is in it too when he signed it," Kakashi adds, implicitly implying that he's aware that the mastermind, the author of the book, happens to be the person lounging lethargically beside him.

"What do you want, Kakashi?"

"I want in, whatever it is."

Jiraiya sits straighter as he heaves a sigh. After deciding on this remote place, he has expected to remain undisturbed. It's wistful thinking on his part as now he recognizes that he must put his much needed break temporary on hold. "We're still gathering intel. Just keep your eyes open for foreign nins, spies and mercenaries that are inquiring about the young couple or anyone associated with the Nara's."

Kakashi allows his curiosity free reign to his tongue, asking what needs to be asked. "So that means he's…"

Jiraiya nods his head.

Seeing the old man's unhesitating affirmation, Kakashi's uncovered eye becomes bigger. "He is," the masked shinobi mutters in amazement. "And since he was allowed to marry Temari that means they're not siblings—"

"These things will remain a secret until we know more about the Kazekage's plan," Jiraiya orders.

Kakashi flicks his thumb up above the water line, agreeing nonverbally. "That explains the reason for your book then. A ready-made excuse in the event that—such as what happened in the training ground this morning— the boy's jutsu is inadvertently revealed."

"Icha Icha jutsu is my most brilliant creation to date. Full of romance, action, unexpected twists and heart wrenching drama as the heroine discovers that the guy she's sleeping with is absorbing and gaining her powers. Then she—"

"Jiraiya, please I'd appreciate it if I don't hear more spoilers." Kakashi plugs his fingers inside his ears, shaking his head persistently. "I read the summary. Naming the heroine, Kamatari, is a bit obvious that you mean Temari and naming the jutsu thief as Sunamaru is again a clear indication of who you meant."

Jiraiya expels his breath, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling and appearing greatly thwarted.

Kakashi smiles. "Just wait til I finish the book."

"Uhm."

"Greatly done, thinly veiled names but still..." Kakashi tilts his head up, looking at the bright sky. The tree branches making a good work of blocking his view though. "...not everyone is gonna buy into the story."

He continues, "By the way Neji fought that boy that is why I saw his jutsu. At first you would think that Neji and Temari were playing freeze, only the surprise written on their faces indication that it was some form of attack. I had to look then for what was holding them immobilized and what I saw were thin shadow threads, unlike the one I saw Shikaku used before but still somewhat similar." The masked nin then pauses as an obvious thought occurs to him. "If I had seen that then Neji must too."

"Ah you're right, of course. If you'd seen it then the Hyuga prodigy would have too." Jiraiya sighs, his well-earned rest after rushing to finish the latest Icha Icha book and put it out into circulation is to be put on hold far longer that he initially expected. "It's time to give the Hyuga's a visit."

"So you're going to let them on into the secret?"

"As you had said, Kakashi, there are people that would swallow the myth of my book and then there are those that are a prude that won't even read it." Jiraiya grins, his eyes twinkling as he visualizes something absurd. "Can you imagine Hyuga Hiashi relaxing with my latest Icha Icha offering?" he guffaws.

"Relaxing, probably—yes." Kakashi grins back, his love for the book making him unable to see why anybody else would not like it. "Believing, definitely no."

"And there's those kind—the non-believers," Jiraiya replies. "Whether they read the book or heard it from gossip, there will always be those kinds."

"Yeah," agrees the younger nin.

It's after a moment of disquiet that Kakashi inquires, the seriousness of the matter lacing his voice, "That boy, what do you know about him?"

"Not much really." Jiraiya cups the water before letting it fall back to the hot spring. "But whatever I know, it's enough."

"Can we actually trust him? He's still a Suna nin."

A smile twists the older man's lips. "Back when we were searching for Tsunade to tempt her with my kage position, Naruto ran into Kamaru who was also looking for her, for answers."

Jiraiya, unable to contain himself, suddenly breaks into a hoot. "Would you believe they end up fighting over Tsunade's picture?"

Yes, Kakashi can believe it and definitely no perverted reasoning is involved. Both Naruto and that Kamaru probably didn't know how the female sannin looked like. "Go on," he mutters under his breath.

Jiraiya continues to laugh. "It was fun teasing Tsunade about two young boys coming to blows with each other because of her photograph. In our days, Tsuna—"

"Jiraiya," complains Kakashi. The sixth Hokage already looks a lot younger and too well endowed…He definitely doesn't need the old pervert reminiscing and describing her in that way or he won't be able to meet the Hokage's eyes next time they meet.

The old sannin clears his throat, adopting a much serious tone of voice as he speaks, "In that fight, Kamaru had succeeded in snatching the picture from Naruto—then Naruto lost control of the Kyubi. And there he was about to blast that boy I noticed looked a lot like young Shikaku to kingdom come. Even without Tsunade's appalled cry, I knew what I had to do. I sealed the Kyubi back in Naruto and then we both passed out cold."

Jiraiya gives a significant pause, making sure he has Kakashi's attention before he continues, "I was told that apparently after I sealed back the Kyubi in Naruto, Kamaru crouched down beside that defenseless squirt and took out a kunai—"

Kakashi's indrawn breathe wheezes in loudly. Naruto afterall is his former student.

"I was thrown quite faraway and remained unconscious. Notice this scar?" Jiraiya points to the huge star-shaped scar on his naked trunk. "Yep, while Tsunade was beside me, patching this hole Naruto created on my chest, Kamaru was brandishing a kunai. Because of the distance, both Tsunade and Ganbunta knew they'd be too late to react on time to save Naruto from that kunai."

"What happened? Naruto's okay."

Jiraiya pats Kakashi's nearest shoulder while saying with his brow that he's getting there. "According to Tsunade, the boy actually planned to save the not-breathing Naruto with that kunai by poking a hole on his throat for air to pass through. Good thing the boy changed his mind and admitted he only knew the cricothyrotomy in theory and haven't practiced it on anyone before. He then asked Tsunade to heal Naruto. But knowing that Kamaru is a Suna shinobi, when he did ask Tsunade that, it was tantamount to begging and we all know that a Suna nin would never beg to save the life of the nin who is trying to kill him."

"I see." Kakashi, deep in thought, as he remembers the fight he witnessed this morning. Tenten had said to Neji, "Look both of you was just protecting Temari."

Putting himself in the foreign shinobi's shoes, it is not hard to see what Kamaru must had thought at the time. His pregnant wife was sparring with some fearsome nin who had stop being 'nice' to her. Understandably, the Suna nin then used his jutsu to immobilize Neji then Temari, to stop the former from attacking and to protect the later.

Kakashi stands up, the water droplets creating glistening trails down his naked body. About to leave, he states, "I'll keep what you said in mind. I'll also order the others to make the boundary patrols even tighter without unduly raising alarming."

"You do that."

After hoisting his body up from the pool and noticing that his companion hasn't made any similar movements, Kakashi prods, "Aren't you going somewhere?" Afterall, Neji must have arrived home by now and chances are reporting things to the clan head.

"Five more minutes of this lovely water."

"I doubt you have time—"

"Knowing Hiashi, he would meet the Hokage first. I have sufficient time to get to Tsunade's office."

"How about Asuma?" Kakashi asks belatedly; removing the excess moisture from his body by passing his hands over the planes of his chest and over the muscular bulges on his shoulders and upper arms as he stands on the ledge off the pool.

"What about him?"

"I heard from him that he's calling himself the boy's babysitter."

Jiraiya shrugs. "It's Kamaru's decision if he wants to tell Asuma. He'll probably will anyway if he wants to become stronger. Afterall, with proper training, Choji, Ino and Kamaru will become a powerful team."

"Another Ino-Shika-Cho," mutters Kakashi, "like their fathers."

"Precisely."

"Too bad Kamaru wasn't named like a traditional Nara."

Jiraiya laughs, his face suffused with unconstrained mirth as he shakes his head. "Kamaru is short for Shikamaru," he reveals in between chuckles.

The day is sure full of unexpected surprises.

"I'll be damned," Kakashi utters.

—o0o—

~12 29 12, 1 3, 10 29 13AF P11 1 13~

A/N: Well?