Arc 1: A Nation Unbroken
Chapter 1: The Divergence
Somewhere in Grass Country…
Jiraiya continued to sink down the watery depths. The further down he got, the darker it became, the colder it became. Not that it mattered to him, he was dying anyway. He was missing an arm and puncture wounds littered his body. It was amazing he had lasted this long.
Yet, there was a smile on his face. Not a booming, laugh out loud smile that those who knew him were accustomed to seeing, nor his run of the mil pervy smiles that stretched his lips ear to ear. It was a smile of content. A smile that said he was ready to die. That there was nothing left for him to do, that he had given his all.
"The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant. Now it'll end a bit better, I hope. The final chapter. I'll call it: Frog at the bottom of the well drifts off into the great ocean. Just barely glorious, but glorious indeed. Now I suppose it's about time I put down my pen. Oh, wait. What should I name the sequel? I wonder. Let's see…
"The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki. Yes... That has a nice ring to it."
"No it does not!" a sudden voice reached him. He was more than a little surprised by the booming voice. But with the pain and the…..wait, what happened to the pain? And why did it feel like he was no longer drifting down to the bottom of a river?
Why did it feel like his back was on solid ground?
"Hello, Jiraiya, my boy," an old and ancient voice spoke above him. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into the bright blue sky, clouds roaming aimlessly. Turning his head, he found himself looking into the eyes of none other than the giant toad Gamamaru, the eldest and most respected of the Toads.
"Huh," Jiraiya grunted. "Didn't expect the afterlife to look quite like this."
"Jiraiya, my boy," the ancient toad spoke again. "Please stop playing around. We do not have much time before your wounds open back up and you really do die."
For the first time since opening his eyes, he actually took stock of his body, and realized he could actually feel his limbs. At least the ones he still had.
"But, how?" he asked the old Toad.
"I have given you a sufficient amount of my chakra to last you long enough to complete one final task before you depart," the ancient toad said. "But first, turn your head and gaze at my ball. I need you to see what I see."
Not the least bit concerned with hiding his confusion, he turned his head to the enormous crystal ball. The confused look on his face turned to shock as he was able to see something inside the ball, which he had never been able to do before. The images in the ball seemed like they were far away at first, and he could not make out who was who or what was what, but he could actually see something.
"Wha…" he began but was shushed.
"Quiet, Jiraiya, my boy," the old Toad says. "Just keep looking."
And so he looked.
After gazing into the ball for almost a minute, the images began to slowly take better form. They became clearer. Color came to the images. They also seemed to be closer to him, until finally the whole image came into full focus.
An image of Naruto, crying his eyes out as he sat alone in his room clutching one of Jiraiya's books.
An image of Konoha destroyed, debris of demolished houses and torn up trees everywhere, and the man that had just defeated him floated above in the sky.
An image of Naruto fighting Pain, his eyes that of a toad as he focused on defeating all the Paths of Pain in front of him. For a moment, Jiraiya felt a burst of pride, until the next image.
An image of Naruto, skin burning crimson red chakra and six tails whipping around him as he roared to the sky, and little Hinata laying not too far away, unmoving.
An image of Naruto, back to his human form confronting Nagato.
An image of Naruto grabbing Sakura out the way of a sword swing, none other than Sasuke holding it.
An image of the five Kage, bodies torn asunder as a man wearing red samurai gear laughed manically.
An image of Naruto being defended by his dad as he lay on the ground motionless.
An image of a giant tree, cocoons as its leaves with more than a thousand ninja inside each one, and a woman with Byakugan eyes flying around.
An image of Naruto and Sasuke on their backs with what appeared to be ruins behind them, both of them missing half an arm.
And then nothing.
Jiraiya blinked a couple of times, his mind not believing what he had just seen. The vividness of it was insane. But if that was the future, if that was what Gamamaru saw and wanted him to see, he had died…
"For nothing," Gamamaru's voice spoke sadly as he seemed to read Jiraiya's thoughts. "That is the future of the elemental countries. And you would have died for nothing."
Jiraiya shook his head. "No. No way. This can't be! It's a LIE!" he shouted. His breathe came in uneven breaths, he was so furious. "I have to stop it. I have to figure out a way to stop it," he said as he tried to push himself up. He succeeded, although he struggled. Gamamaru waited patiently as his anger subsided.
"I have seen other scenarios play out, Jiraiya, my boy. One where little Naruto actually has a son. But even that ends in ruins. I've even seen one where the moon strikes the earth, killing all," Gamamaru spoke as sadly as Jiraiya has ever heard the toad speak.
"Is there truly nothing that can be done?" Jiraiya asked helplessly.
Gamamaru smiled his large smile then. "You can stop this from happening, Jiraiya, my boy," the ancient Toad told him. "But it will require the ultimate sacrifice."
Jiraiya smiled up at the ancient Toad, looking crazier than sane, and nodded. "Whatever it takes. Whatever the price, just tell me how!"
Gamamaru gave him a grave look. "You are healed enough, I think. Perhaps you could make it to Konoha on time to warn them. But in the end, you will die. It is inevitable. Once the sage chakra I have given you wears out, you will die. That helps no one. And you will not be able to make enough of an impact to stop the future that we saw from happening."
Jiraiya was lost. If he was going to die one way or another, and his death or anything he did before his death would not be enough to change the things to come, what could the old toad possibly have in mind?
Gamamaru sighed and looked into the sky. "I am old, Jiraiya, my boy. I know the others call me old geezer. I have been around longer than even the Sage. I know things that no being should know, I am able to do things that no being should ever be able to do." He stopped looking into the sky and stared down into Jiraiya's eyes. "I will have to sacrifice myself, for this to work Jiraiya, my boy. That is the price of a better future."
Jiraiya was at a loss for words. He stared at the giant toad in disbelief. "I don't get it. What do you dying have anything to do with saving everyone!?"
Gamamaru just smiled his big smile. "I am sending you someplace that will allow you to change the future of this world," Gamamaru said. The old Toad pointed to its large crystal ball. "Be warned. You will only have one chance, for this jutsu I can never do again." With that, the ancient toad clasped his hands into a hand sign that not even Jiraiya had ever seen, and a whirlpool of energy appeared in front of him and sucked him in…
A couple miles away from the beautiful village of Konoha stood an amazing tree. Hundreds of years old, this tree stood tall and proud amongst its brothers. The tree had stood the test of time and throughout its life, it had seen hundreds of wars and thousands of deaths. It had seen miracles and it had seen incredible phenomenon. However, today this tree would observe something it had never witnessed before.
A great light erupted followed by a loud banging noise, and out of a whirlpool of green colored energy a figure was spat out. It was a man, older going by his long spiky white hair and wrinkled face. A loud grunt escaped the man's lips as he landed on the forest ground.
"You've got to be kidding me," Jiraiya said, his deep voice portraying his annoyance. "The old Toad could have at least warned me how much that was gonna hurt." Standing with some awkwardness thanks to his missing arm and his clothes still being soaked with water, he looked around. "Now why and where did you send me, Gamamaru?" Jiraiya questioned. Frowning, the man's yellow, toad-like eyes scanned the horizon. What he saw made him gasp. "Konoha!"
In the distance Jiraiya saw his home village up in flames. Screams could be heard even from all the way out to where he was, and the sounds of jutsu being called out and performed made his heart jump in panic. Then he heard the sound of a terrifying roar that nearly made his heart erupt from his chest. "The Nine Tails!" Jiraiya yelled to no one. "Damn it! Why'd you send me all the way out here when I needed to be over there?" Setting his feet, he was getting ready to leap into the trees when suddenly the sound of thunder pierced his ears and a huge tail came crashing through the trees at him.
Diving out the way, Jiraiya just dodged the fiery red tail. To his surprise, the Nine Tailed fox stood in front of him, larger than most buildings in the world. "How the hell…" he began but could not finish as another tail descended upon him. Leaping backwards to avoid getting smothered, he succeeded in getting away but his back hit something hard that was not there seconds ago. "Ouch!" Turning, he saw that he had run into an invisible barrier. Reaching his hand out, he touched it. Knowing that it would cause some shock allowed him to ignore the pain the second time. He recognized this barrier jutsu. There was only one person he knew that could perform it, but that person was dead.
"Minato," Jiraiya said quietly in deep thought. "But that's impossible. There's no way he could still be…" Jiraiya gasped in shock, suddenly remembering what the Great Toad Sage said to him just before he arrived to this spot.
"I am sending you someplace that will allow you to change the future of this world. Be warned. You will only have one chance, for this jutsu I can never do again."
"So it's not quite where you sent me Gamamaru, it's when," Jiraiya said in understanding. Looking up at the fearsome beast that was the nine tails, he tried to think how best to subdue the great monster but did not get far before huge golden chains of charka wrapped around the beast. He immediately recognized it. "Kushina!" he yelled in surprise.
With a burst of speed aided by the Sage chakra in his body, he quickly got around the Nine Tails and saw to his astonishment that he was right. There, alive if not all together well, was Kushina and Minato, and a crying Naruto being cradled by his mother. They both looked exactly like the last time he saw them. Minato with his quirky yellow spiked hair and Kushina with her ridiculous long red hair. Jiraiya's heart sang for joy at seeing them for the first time in so long.
But happy greetings could not be held at that moment. He knew exactly what he had to do. The only question was how. From what he was able to gather after the Nine Tails attack, Minato had used the Dead Demon Consuming seal to call on the power of the Shinigami to seal the nine tails into Naruto. It was the most powerful seal that Jiraiya knew of, and the only full proof way to insure success in sealing the beast. The only problem was getting Minato out of there before Minato performed the jutsu, and then having the time to perform the hand signs to complete the jutsu before the Kyubi got free of the chains. Only having one arm put him at a disadvantage, as performing jutsu one handed required twice the amount of concentration and twice the amount of time.
Before any coherent plan could be complete, however, Jiraiya saw Minato begin to go through hand signs. Knowing exactly what they were for, Jiraiya did not hesitate. Years of doing the replacement technique and the Sage chakra flowing through him allowed him to do a quick switch with Minato before he could finish the seals for the technique. Jiraiya appeared next to a kneeling Kushina, facing the monstrosity that was the Nine Tails.
Kushina's eyes were wide open in shock. "Jiraiya!" she screamed in astonishment.
"Hehe!" Jiraiya giggled. "Hey there, Kushina. Long time no see."
She scanned him up and down quickly, no doubt noticing all the changes he must have went through in the last sixteen years. Not that she knew that it had been that long. The pure white hair he once had when he was younger now had shades of grey, his once young face were full of wrinkles, and most noticeable of all was his missing arm. "I don't understand," she began. "What…" she stopped short as a spasm of pain shot through her and she barely suppressed a scream.
"Kushina!" Jiraiya heard Minato yell from where he once stood a moment ago. From the corner of his eye he saw Minato about to sprint towards them. Jiraiya was quicker though. Stomping his foot down, a dome of rock emerged and trapped Minato inside. Then he saw the claw of the nine tails descending on Kushina. Not hesitating, he jumped in front of Kushina and hardened his body using sage chakra.
The pain that shot through him was like nothing he ever felt before. Grasping out blood, he looked down to see the claw of the nine tails sticking out his stomach. Gathering some of his chakra, he spat on the ground next to himself and did a hand sign. Suddenly sharp rocks began spitting out of the ground growing larger and larger as they pierced the arm of the nine tails until they reached the beast's shoulder. The howl of pain from the nine tails was like music to his ears.
"There," Jiraiya said with a bloody smirk that hid all the pain that he was feeling. "That should help pin the beast down until we're done," he said as he looked back to Kushina. He could see her eyes fixated on his stomach, her mouth open in shock and incomprehension. She had never liked the violence of the world of ninja, had always tried her best to avoid bloodshed rather than shed it. It was why she had mastered the chakra chains in the first place.
"Kushina," he spoke quietly getting her undivided attention. "I don't have much time. There's so much I wish I could say. It was nice seeing you and Minato one last time before I die. Don't let my crazy apprentice get in over his head. Take care of yourselves and be happy." He paused before looking at the little baby gazing at him wide-eyed. "Take care of little Naruto," he finished before steeling himself. Focusing, he began going through the hand signs needed for the Reaper Death Seal.
"Jiraiya!" Kushina said in a panic. "What are you doing?!"
Finishing the seals and feeling his life drain, he answered. "Being gallant! Reaper Death Seal, Complete!" he yelled as a flash of yellow hair appeared beside Kushina. Jiraiya saw Minato's blue eyes scan everything before they jumped to Jiraiya's own and he felt his heart skip a beat. The last time he saw those eyes were so long ago, and they haunted him in his sleep every day. So much like the ocean blue of Naruto's, but still so different. Darker, like electricity.
"Hey over-achiever," he said to Minato, his voice subdued and worn as he felt and saw the hand of the Shinigami he called forth with his Jutsu go through his stomach and reach out to the Nine Tails body. He coughed before he continued, noticing Minato's eyes as wide as saucers. "It's about time you got over here. I need to say goodbye before I'm taken away."
Minato's eyes lingered for a second on his before going down to little Naruto, who in the midst of all this had stopped crying and was giggling his head off as Jiraiya drew the Death Reaper Concealment Seal on little Naruto's belly. Defying what should be possible, Minato's eyes widened even further as he realized Jiraiya was finishing a seal that he should not have known of.
"Jiraiya-san," Minato said questioningly. "How…"
"Eh?" Jiraiya interrupted, his voice becoming ever increasingly slurred. "What's wit' all the formalities? Now be quiet, I need to concentrate." Looking down at little Naruto, he smiled. "Sorry kiddo, but this part is gonna hurt." With that, there was a great surge of chakra and the nine tails began to howl louder the before as it felt its chakra being condensed and forced into Naruto.
"Jiraiya-san!" both Minato and Kushina exclaimed as Jiraiya nearly slumped over in fatigue. Minato reached out to him and grasped his shoulder as Kushina looked down helplessly at little Naruto as he began to cry frantically. The great surge of chakra ended almost as abruptly as it began and with a sudden flash that blinded all of them, the nine tails was gone.
Jiraiya stood with a gaping hole in his stomach, but with a smile on his face and peaceful eyes. Minato's hand began to feel uncomfortably warm and he snatched it away as Jiraiya began to glow in a dark green light and his body began to dissolve in specks of chakra that quickly faded into the night sky. Minato stood looking between his mentor's disappearing body and his index finger as it continued to glow of chakra. Jiraiya chuckled at the look on both their faces.
"I'm glad," Jiraiya said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm glad I could see you one last time. Take care of Naruto. He's a good kid. He'll be even better with you two around to show him the way…I love you…" he finished before finally dissolving away.
Elsewhere in Hot Springs Country…
Jiraiya woke with a start, sweat pouring down his face. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. He never dreamt like that. He had never dreamed so vividly before in his entire life. Jumping out of bed, not even looking as drowsy as he perhaps should after a whole night of drinking, he performed a quick set of hand signs. A puff of smoke appeared and when it quickly disappeared in its place was a toad.
"Fukasaku!" Jiraiya exclaimed, "I need….." He stopped speaking however, as it was not the old toad that he summoned. Instead it was another toad, a messenger toad going by its look. The feeling in his gut that something was wrong intensified.
"Jiraiya-san," the toad said somberly. "I'm sorry it was me that came, but Fukasaku-sama is very distraught."
Jiraiya stared at the toad afraid to ask. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What happened?"
The messenger toad looked down, tears flowing from its eyes which freaked Jiraiya out even more. "It's…It's Elder Gamamaru," the messenger toad struggled to say. "He…He…He is no longer with us. There was a large Chakra pulse, and then he was gone," the messenger toad finished quietly.
"What?" Jiraiya said lamely, his eyes bulging out of his sockets. "That's not possible."
The messenger toad looked up at him but chose not to correct him. There was one more message that he needed to deliver. "Fukasaku-sama is trying to figure out what happened, but he's doing it without Gamabunta-sama, so…"
"Wait…Why isn't Gamabunta there helping?" Jiraiya snapped back into focus interrupting the messenger toad. In turn, the toad looked distinctively uncomfortable.
"Ah…Um, I guess you haven't heard?" the messenger toad started, looking nervous. "He's helping the young Minato-san. Konoha's been attacked!"
"Whhhaaaaattttt!?" Jiraiya yelled, his mind close to breaking.
