Koharu struck the training post and grit her teeth when she felt the tender skin around her knuckles split open. Again. Days of abuse had left her hands black, blue, and swollen. Now she could add bloody to the list of reasons.
Groaning to herself, Koharu wondered if Mito-sama would take pity on her and heal her hands with jutsu.
Across the field, she could see Homura, Hiruzen, and Danzo engaged in a three-way spar. Clouds of dust kicked up every now and then along with the occasional pop from Kawarimi.
Bitterness filled every inch of her. They were supposed to be a team. They were supposed to include her when they practiced: they never did. Koharu found it difficult to contain the resentment she felt when the excluded her.
Launching herself into the air, Koharu tried to forget. Each twist evaded an illusionary target. Each punch was intended for her sexist teammates. Each time she threw a senbon, the chakra infused projectiles disappeared into the target's entirely.
A fist smashed the air hatefully: she did not have the raw strength that her teammates had. Koharu flashed through a series of hand signs: she did not have chakra reserves that rivalled her comrades. She was not a man; she was just as good as they were.
A ball of fire raced from her mouth to engulf a glade of trees. Burning leaves fell to the ground only to fade away in curled, darkened wisps. She stared in bitter satisfaction as red embers floated through the air carrying the scent of scorched bark. The fireball itself had been of acceptable size and certainly nothing to scoff at, but it was nothing compared to her genjutsu.
Few had the knack for genjutsu that Koharu possessed. Hiruzen liked to joke that Koharu was so good because she had such an active imagination, but her chakra control and precision helped a lot in those areas. Coupled with her exceptional ability with senbon, Koharu's kill count exceeded the majority of her friends.
Still, no one ever asked her to spar. Not ever. It was a rather bitter pill to swallow.
"When my brother, Hashirama, spoke of the will of fire, I highly doubt this is what he had in mind." The unmistakeable, flat tone of her sensei distilled her thoughts and left Koharu open-mouthed and horrified.
"Sensei!" She squeaked like a frightened little mouse, her posture altering so that she was staring at her soot covered toes peeking out of her scuffed, abused sandals. "My emotions got the best of me! I'm so sorry!"
"Emotions are not without value, Koharu."
The statement shocked her so, that she straightened just as a geyser of water exploded from her Sensei's poised hands to smother the last of the flames before they could spread elsewhere. She had seen it dozens of times, but it was still a feat of magic to see water form from the air itself at the Senju's command.
"I thought you said emotions would get us killed." Koharu stated, looking up at the frowning man.
"I said emotions had no place on the battlefield." Tobirama looked down at her thoughtfully and Koharu felt it was the first time the man had truly paused to inspect her to carefully. Under that hard gaze, Koharu straightened up. "Because they hinder one's abilities to make logical, detached decisions. In battle, emotional outbursts will get yourself and your allies killed, which is why I said what I did. But emotions themselves are relevant to who you are. It's simply a balance in understanding when it's appropriate to allow yourself to feel."
Koharu's head hung in shame and her entire body quivered.
"May I safely assume the cause of your disruption is envy?" The Nidaime prompted with narrow precision.
"It's not-" She protested, pausing only when she realized she really was. "I just want them to value me. They never seem to consider what I have to offer."
"The flaw in this situation is that you allow your jealousy to control your emotional state instead of channeling those feelings to your advantage."
"What advantage?" Koharu knew she sounded churlish, but she was just so far beyond exasperation at this point that she was having difficulty with basic comprehension.
Instead of senseless riddles, Senju Tobirama cut to the heart of the matter and pinned her with a harsh stare. "Prove them wrong. Cultivate your own strengths until no one can match you in your chosen field. There is value in increasing your taijutsu, but you and I but know you are built for speed and not a battle of strength. Do not fight your abilities, but rather build upon your foundation until you surpass others in what you can accomplish. In this way, you will prove yourself just as strong as those you strive to surpass. Believe in yourself and uphold your comrades...they will come to believe in you as well, Koharu."
"Do you really believe that, sensei?"
"Have you ever known me to cater to your emotions?" The Nidaime rebuked her with a peculiar sort of gentleness.
"Never."
"Then you have your answer. Hone your skills and bow to no one."
"Hiruzen isn't budging on the Uchiha having guardianship of our young Senju?" Homura asked, with the expected dose of troubled concern clinging to his words.
Koharu almost snorted aloud. Did Homura really think that anyone fell for his act? Surely this little performance was not for her benefit? Except...Danzo was sitting opposite the pair of them sipping a steaming mug of tea. And unless Homura was simply observing niceties-something the man had never excelled at-then he was asking for Koharu's benefit.
"I fear Hiruzen's decisions show a steady decline in sound reasoning." Danzo murmured and Koharu's fingers curled around her mug reflexively. The weight of Danzo's disapproval was heavy and apparent to them both, but it had never occurred to her just how open the man's disdain was until that moment."Ever since the death of the Yondaime Hokage, Hiruzen has favored emotional propositions over rational actions. The consequences of his prolonged indifference may cost the village dearly if our enemies sense weakness."
When Koharu had mentioned that Hiruzen thought she was 'Danzo's lapdog' earlier that evening, she had not believed it to be a reality for even a moment. But here she was listening to Danzo whisper words of displeasure into their ears and...they were lapping it up. Well, Homura was, but Koharu was wise enough to know that she would have been doing the same thing if she had not been given such a wake-up call.
"Hiruzen isn't weak, Danzo. Hiruzen still has the strength to back up his position." Homura countered, but there was no real commitment-no backbone in the words. It was like the simpering of lords debating petty little things they did not really believe in to begin with.
"Yet every decision he makes weakens the village further." Danzo rebuked the weak protest with an aggravated wave of his hand.
Koharu scoffed aloud, drawing the full weight of their attention to where she is seated with two cushions supporting her aching spine. Recognizing the necessity for caution, the old kunoichi smiled and twisted her words with care to provide the desired effect.
"Oh, I don't know." She motioned sharply to the side and a Root member approached with a bow and an offer of tea that she accepted without giving the man so much as a second glance. What to do? Perhaps lure the conversation in another direction. "I think that anything Hiruzen does can be twisted to our benefit. Perhaps this alliance between the Uchiha and Aburame Clans may allow us to infiltrate them for information. There is always something to be gained."
"The idea had occurred to me as well." Danzo admitted with a subtle, affable acknowledgement that let Koharu know that she was in the clear for now.
Danzo believed he had her. He actually believed she was nothing more than one of his cronies and a tool that had use. It sickened her and made her feel just as feeble and helpless as those days when she was nought but a small girl.
"We have a bigger problem to deal with anyway." Koharu dropped the breadcrumb: knowledge is power after all and, for once, Koharu was confident that an earlier discovery would successfully divert the conversation in a safer direction.
"What is it?" Homura sounded genuinely interested, while Danzo seemed almost dismissive-as if he did not consider her information worthy of concern.
Danzo thought she had nothing to offer except as a pawn. In her blindness, she had become such, but seeing the living scion of the Nidaime reminded Koharu that she was a kunoichi of Konoha. Her existence served the village and not...Danzo. She could admit that she had lost her way at some point, but she was not about to give up. Not this time.
To her left, a mirror reflected nothing but a hunched-backed woman with iron grey hair, skin with none of the smoothness of youth, and a robe far too clean for an active kunoichi to wear. The old hag in the mirror looked nothing like the girl that had taken part in the genocide of one of Kiri's oldest clans. There was no hint that the woman sitting there could ever have been a student of a Hokage. Nor a girl that had been hopelessly in love with a man that married for duty instead of his heart. Where was Utatane Koharu in this reflection? What would Tobirama-sensei say if he could see her now?
Something had to be done to lure Danzo's attention elsewhere for a time. The man was absolutely focused and more than a little dangerous.
"The Raikage and an entourage from Kumogakure are coming to Konoha in a month's time." The twin looks of shock and Danzo's twisted grimace of anger made it clear that Koharu had successfully managed to surprise the duo. "Peace talks. If it were any other village, I would suppose they would do a bit of reconnaissance, but Kumo has always been unnaturally bold."
"I've been anticipating a meeting like this." Danzo admitted finally, the man's lone eye fixed on his lap with a grimace of displeasure. "But my informants had thought we had more time and they hinted at interest in the dojutsu of the Hyuuga Clan. But if this information is accurate, I anticipate they will make a move for the Nidaime's heir."
There seemed something almost covetous in the way that Danzo's voice lingered over 'Nidaime's heir,' but Danzo had always had an almost unhealthy obsession with the man he revered the most. Koharu's lips tightened as unease set in. Perhaps the danger to Minato was far closer to home than anyone could have foreseen.
"Kumo wouldn't dare!" Homura remarked sounding remarkably gullible in his false sense of superiority.
"Why not?" Koharu countered. She was more than willing to fan this fire if it diverted Danzo for a time. "Just removing the child removes prestige from our village and sullies our reputation in a single blow. And the temptation to convert a Senju child into a Kumo shinobi is a far too tempting prospect."
"After the Kyuubi's attack, we lost a significant portion of our forces." Danzo spoke with a callousness that Koharu did not blame the man for. War changed a person and it had certainly hardened whatever sympathies her one-time friend once had. Besides, it was hardly his ruthless attitude she objected to...it was the subversive manipulation of herself that she would no longer stand for. That and the danger posed to a child she esteemed in a much healthier manner than Danzo did. "While the reconstruction was completed rapidly, replenishing our forces is impossible unless we accept every Academy graduate-the majority that are not fit to become shinobi. If Kumo were to succeed in this venture, it is very possible that Iwa and Kumo would form an alliance and march against us if they believed there was a possibility of wiping us off the map."
"Then it seems protecting the Senju child from Kumo is our top priority, Danzo." Koharu murmured. "Though with Hatake around, the boy has one of our village's finest already. Perhaps you can arrange for Hatake's ANBU missions to be restricted until after the Kumo incident? You do have some influence in that arena." Danzo's nod was clipped and severe. "I intend to try and dissuade Hiruzen from permitting them entry at all."
"The Sandaime no longer listens to sound reason Koharu." There was a certain bitterness clinging to his words that she found rather telling. "But if you can obtain more detail regarding this visit, that would be useful."
"I will see what I can do." She sniffed slightly before standing and thrusting her empty mug into the hands of a waiting operative. "Danzo, could you do this old woman a favor and send one of your men to look at my back tomorrow?"
It was a question she had asked more and more frequent of late. An old injury flaring up and causing nothing but trouble for a kunoichi well past her expiration date.
"I'll have on attend you at first light."
"Thank you." But Danzo was already looking away and was leaning forward to engage in a deep conversation with Homura about tactics that hardly were worth discussing until more information availed itself to them.
Leaving the secret facility was always much easier than entering. And she was a frequent visitor so no one studied her more closely than they would a piece of furniture. It was both insulting and rewarding.
A shunshin took her to the base of the Hokage's tower and she stood up at the imposing building and glared at the stairs. It was a bit of a hike that her aching body did not appreciate, but Koharu made it to the top and paused for over a minute outside Hiruzen's door. Then another and another until at least a quarter of an hour had passed while she stood transfixed at the door knob.
'Go on, Koharu. If anyone can do this, it's you. You probably have the ANBU in a titter over your unusual behavior.'
When she stepped through the door, spilling light from the hall into the dimly lit room. The old man-because really, none of them had really aged gracefully-looked up like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar; fingers quickly whipped through a few disorderly stacks of paperwork, a flash of orange disappeared into a drawer, and her old friend reached for his pipe and immediately lit it.
'Hiruzen is...resigned. His reaction suggests he expects me to react in a certain way. If this is a sign of the hold Danzo had over me...no. No time to think about that. I'll never be someone that makes Hiruzen's life easy, but maybe I can start surprising him again.'
"I think we need to have a chat, Hiruzen." Koharu spoke with the rekindled fire of a girl who had once burned down a glade of trees in a fit of rage. Without waiting for him to respond, she breezed inside and helped herself to the sake that she knew was on the top shelf sequestered behind a few dusty scrolls. She knew that Hiruzen would appreciate the gesture just as much as she would.
When she turned around, the Sandaime had already fished out two small glasses that had been settled soundlessly. Without uttering a word, Koharu opened the bottle and poured them each a hearty glass. Across her watcher's face, a thousand expressions shifted and altered fluidly with twice the amount of calculations. It was a fascinating process to see the visual effect of a Kage's mind respond to certain stimuli and it still managed to humble Koharu just a bit.
"I've been thinking about what you said." A dozen reactions; a twitch of the eye, a slight extension of a cheek muscle and lips parting slightly. Sarutobi Hiruzen was a cautious man and it showed as he watched her like the spider watches its prey.
"Have you?" Hiruzen's tone had lightened somewhat, but the weight of his words could not be so easily measured. "And what have you taken from it?"
"That you and Danzo are more alike than you give each other credit for." Two brows surged toward the ceiling and Koharu felt her lips tug upward into a wrinkled grin. "Wordsmiths the both of you."
Hiruzen's face looked almost reluctant and Koharu knew that she had surprised him after so many years of...sameness. She liked the feeling more than she cared to admit.
"But I did remember something." She lifted her full glass and took a deep, hearty swallow. "And I remembered someone I had quite forgotten. It has been so long that it was shocking to think about."
"Who was it?" There was real, sincere interest piqued in Hiruzen's eyes. It struck Koharu then that she could not remember the last time the man had smiled at her. Such a strange thing to think about at such a peculiar time, but nevertheless it was there. And the answer niggled her terribly: it had been decades since they had laughed and there had been joy between them. They had lost so much, so terribly quickly.
"Me." There was more emotion clouding her face and her voice than she would have willingly projected, but the words came just the same. "Ever since sensei's death, I've done my best to serve this village. It isn't an easy thing advising assassination over mercy. War over peace. I've seen so many of our friends die and I've started to forget things about them. I forgot that I was more than...whatever it is that I've become."
There was a deliberate sweeping gesture as the presence of Hiruzen's ANBU vanished from the tower and the glow of sealing chakra that isolated their words and sealed them into the privacy of the office alone.
"Welcome back, Koharu." There was fondness in Hiruzen's voice and it was slight, but there was a warm smiling on her old friend's face. "It's been a long time."
Sasuke remembered life before Minato and Naruto came into his life and instantly he is drawn to the concept of stagnant boredom. Life was not bad, far from it. Sasuke's definition of a bad life had made a drastic, eye opening change after watching Naruto's skittish reactions to what should have been normal situations. After he heard about the Uzumaki's life before moving in with them, Sasuke could never have classified his life as bad.
Before his friends came along, Sasuke would spend his days reading, practicing katas that tou-san taught him, and wandering around the back garden. Sometimes he would help his kaa-san with housework, but that only was enjoyable for so long before he became bored. Sasuke's only friend was his nii-san, but Itachi was always busy training, going on missions with his team, or whatever people older kids did when they weren't home. The worse occasions were when Itachi had the day off and Shisui came along and hogged his aniki's free time.
Then Senju Minato invited him to play and everything became better overnight. Sasuke thought it was like living in a world of black and white only to be exposed to a sea of colors you could not have possibly imagined existed. There were partners for games that Sasuke had never played, there was climbing walls, and pillow fights. Fun was not a concept he had readily understood until he was helping Naruto with his pranks or reading a story with Minato. Even helping Hinata and kaa-san cook was fun! The world was a much larger place than just the Uchiha Clan. Making friends was...amazing.
That morning, Sasuke was roused from bed with a pillow over his face and was forced to roll onto the freezing floor to avoid being smothered by a blonde menace. Before he had been able to react, Naruto had stuck his tongue out and raced to the bathroom. Sasuke had made a mad dash down the hallway, dodging Itachi before glowering at the locked bathroom where Naruto was singing off-key at the top of his lungs like the annoying loudmouth he was. And the dobe took forever! And then, when Sasuke finally got a turn, he found his toothbrush suspiciously wet which meant using it was out of the question. Then, Sasuke would retaliate by tackling the hyperactive blonde and pummeling him until kaa-san hollered at the both of them.
Unlike Naruto, Minato radiated peace and behaved more like Itachi without his nii-san's annoying tendency to poke innocent foreheads. Minato was patient, kind, and always offered to help whether it was in the kitchen or pulling weeds from the flower beds. Where Naruto's rambunctious behavior tested the frayed limits of Sasuke's tolerance, Minato simply skillfully diverted Naruto in another direction and winked at Sasuke like they were conspirators of some sort. Then of course, the Senju had daringly corrected his tou-san which opened Sasuke's eyes to the very real concept that his parents were not infallible. In the end, Sasuke felt lucky the other boy had chosen to befriend him and had become fiercely protective of the other boy.
It seemed to be rather unheard of for the Uchiha Clan to adopt a child. His tou-san had made it no secret that he thought little of other clans so it astonished Sasuke that his parents would adopt an orphan on a whim. Nevertheless, Sasuke was old enough to notice that his kaa-san seemed to stare at Naruto for long moments and he had caught her wiping her eye more than once. Sasuke had noticed Itachi observing their parents and had opted to hold off on asking questions until he could corner his aniki. Besides, he was not exactly opposed to having Naruto around. The blonde made life more interesting. Less boring.
Even if he was just a dobe.
Peeking into the living room, Sasuke watched his kaa-san guide Naruto through a beginner's storybook. Naruto was glaring at the page like it had offended him, but the mulish look fell away when his mother whispered something that Sasuke could not quite make out into the blonde's ear.
Seeing Naruto occupied, he silently made his way to the front door and toed on his sandals. Sliding the door open, Sasuke stepped outside and made his way toward the back yard.
The sun was up high in the sky interspersed with fluffy puffs of white here and there. Itachi was easy enough to spot curled up like a cat with a book in his lap, though Sasuke was curious to see how his nii-san had paused and was staring hawkishly in the direction of the Koi pond where his friend was kneeling with his hair gleaming silver in the sunlight.
Minato was bent over with his arm extended toward the surface of the water. It seemed a little odd, but not really that weird. Glancing back to Itachi who had lowered his book with all of his focus directed to where Minato was still bent over.
What was he doing? What was the big deal?
Sasuke jogged across the back yard to where Minato was sitting and felt puzzled when the other boy did not even seem to register his presence. That struck Sasuke as odd since the other boy had clearly explained his sensory ability. Reaching the other boy, Sasuke crouched down beside him and looked at the Koi pond where Minato had a hand stretching out to almost touch the surface of the water. Sasuke shifted unhappily and looked at the scarlet eyes screwed up and focused on the pond. Sasuke bit his lip and felt his hands ball up in confusion, but he took a deep breath and tried to think about it rationally. Minato never intentionally ignored him, but still Sasuke felt uncomfortably unhappy that the other boy had not looked up at his approach.
So what was it about this stupid pond?
Being overlooked was not something Sasuke was accustomed to. Whether he was upset, wanted a snack, or asked somebody to read to him...he never had to fight for someone's attention before. Sasuke was frustrated and knew his feelings were irrational. Worse still, he heard Itachi walk up and hover nearby and Sasuke felt even more confused by the spike of resentment toward his aniki.
What was the matter with him?
Colorful fins were darting beneath the surface where Minato's fingers hovered. Sasuke opened his mouth to ask only for the water to start bubbling. Then it started to churn harshly like it did when kaa-san put a pot except the lack of steam.
"What is it?" Sasuke heard himself ask, turning from the lightly bubbling water to his friend who looked noticeably paler and looked to be breathing shallower. "Minato, are you okay?"
Behind them, Itachi had moved forward until he was crouched opposite Minato, but Sasuke was reaching out to lay a hand on Minato's shoulder and shook it slightly.
"Hold on." Minato muttered tightly and submerged his hand in the water. "There!"
"Very impressive, Minato-kun." Itachi complimented from the side.
Sasuke's jaw dropped as he turned and watched water rise like a thin snake and twist in the air like a sentient being. The tendril of water spun about twice before collapsing back into the pond below.
"That was amazing." Sasuke breathed. Gripping his friend's shoulder, his smile fell slightly as he saw how exhausted the other boy looked."Are you okay?"
"It wore me out a bit, but I'm fine." The red eyes blinked owlishly and the other boy dabbed his forehead with the back of his sleeve and grinned broadly. "I'm great, actually!"
"How did you do that?" Sasuke asked a little quieter, feeling happy for the other boy's accomplishment but at the same time worried he was falling behind. Itachi was already miles ahead...he did not want Minato leaving him behind too.
"I just wanted to see if I could." Minato replied nonchalantly, shaking residual water from his fingers. Suddenly the other boy lit up and he addressed Itachi who was watching the both of them rather intensely. "Is it true that most families use the same sort of jutsu?"
Sasuke frowned, wondering what the point of that was while watching his brother nod once in acknowledgement.
"Right then, I heard that Senju Tobirama was famous for his suiton jutsu so...I thought maybe I could find out if I'm like him." Sasuke felt Minato grab his hand and pull him toward his brother; Sasuke allowed it, feeling more perplexed than anything else."What is the speciality of the Uchiha Clan? Can Sasuke learn to do that?"
A flush of shame gutted Sasuke's core as his friend instantly moved to include him. Envy was a sorry creature and he felt more ashamed than ever at allowing it to overcome his friendship with Minato. It would not happen again. Sasuke refused to feel so hideously jealous toward his friends that had already made his life so much richer.
"The Uchiha Clan is proficient in both Katon ninjutsu and genjutsu." Itachi reported the information quietly. It was common information to Sasuke even though he had yet to create the fireball that was a rite of passage in the Clan. "While it is likely that my otouto will be proficient with fire, there is always a possibility that he is gifted with a rare second affinity or a different primary one all-together. Until we test the possibility, there are only assumptions and no certainties."
"I might not use fire?" He asked somewhat stunned. It had never occurred to him that he would be anything other than a typical Uchiha.
"Even if you had no natural affinity for fire, you would develop a talent for using them regardless since our Clan possesses an impressive repertoire of Katon ninjutsu that would go to waste should you not learn them." Itachi explained with far more patience than his father had ever demonstrated. Fugaku barked orders and offered no explanations, which made learning practically impossible. If not for Itachi and kaa-san, Sasuke was unsure that he would have finished reading let alone mastery of shinobi exercises. "I had no intention of instructing you in advanced materials, however, you have mastered a genin-level chakra control exercise thanks to Minato-kun. That being the case, I will consider providing additional instruction to you at a later juncture. And perhaps I will acquire the necessary item that will allow us to know your affinity for certain, otouto."
Sasuke felt like the floor had vanished beneath his feet and left him in a state of free fall. His arm lashed out to grab onto his brother for the dual purpose of determining whether this moment was a dream or a particularly cruel genjutsu. It was not that Itachi had demonstrated he was unwilling to spend time with him, but he had been begging his sibling, for nearly a year, to spend time training him. And this time Itachi was using that tone of voice that implied he was serious and not just talking around the subject.
"You're going to train me?" Sasuke heard his voice quaver and winced at the display of weakness.
"Providing that mother has no objections." Itachi responded so casually that Sasuke wanted to scream in partial elation and frustration. "Yes."
"Great." Minato clapped his hands together next to him and Sasuke swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I'm starving. Sasuke, you want to go eat?"
"Sure." Sasuke grinned at his friend and felt happy that the other boy was broaching the distance of familiarity.
Following the other boy back inside, Sasuke found himself rather excited by the future prospects. But more than that, he promised himself that he would not let jealousy get in the way of his friendships.
Minato glanced around the empty training area that Kakashi had said they would meet at with feelings of nostalgia running through his veins The little bridge over the stream creaked as he walked across it and the glade beyond welcomed the Senju with the scent of damp grass.
"I'm sure he'll be here any minute." Shisui remarked with a clipped tone and continued to pace the length of the bridge.
"Doubtful." Itachi offered from where he was perched on the rail. The other boy had just tugged a scroll free of his supplies and was reading it thoughtfully.
Minato really ought to have expected Kakashi to continue Obito's legacy of annoying idiosyncrasies. All the signs had been there before his death match with his misguided student. He really was going to have to put some thought into dealing with Obito at a later date.
"Kakashi is your best bet in the fight due to the gaki's connection to that Kamui."
Minato deliberately ignored the bijuu that huffed and settled back down for a rest while watching the Uchiha chunin slowly lose the fight with patience.
"Oh come on." Shisui shifted from sandal to sandal, his Sharingan even popping into sight before vanishing back to ebony. "He said he would be here to visit Minato this morning at nine! It's a quarter after...he'll be here in no time. He has to be!"
Avoidance tactics, Kakashi? You'll have to do better than that. I know just the thing to lure you out.
Crouching down, Minato scratched the skin around his ankle and subtly extended his sensory web. There were several dozen chakra signatures nearby; the Senju discarded any clusters of four since there was high degree of probability that they were genin teams. To the west near the memorial stone, Minato paused over Kakashi's signature sadly. Continuing to reach, he felt a few pairs that were not the individual he was searching for. Finally, just to the north of their location, Minato pinged a chakra signature that was remarkable for feeling so vibrant and compressed.
Bingo. Springing to his feet, the youngster tore off in the direction of his target at a loping run.
"Minato!" Shisui hollered after him. "Where are you going?!"
"I'm just going to go look around while we wait." Minato called over his shoulder, grinning as flecks of dew dampened his toes. "You can wait there if you want."
Hearing vague mutterings about "brats with too much energy," Minato ran even faster up the slight incline, down and up another hill. It was closer than it really should have been, but some people were predictable in their habits. And Kakashi and his associates had always fallen into a pattern of behavior that apparently survived years later.
Over the final rise, a hulk of a man was performing a series of rapid katas that twisted and turned with overpowering force that could no doubt kill some with a single blow if the connection met the right area.
"Teach me!" Minato shrieked in a perfect mimicry of childish excitement. It was inevitably worth it to see the bowl-cut man stumble mid-kick and instantly stare at him with a puzzled look.
The moment barely lasted a second before a vigorous fist struck the air and a broad smile extended over the man's features.
"Yosh! Such a youthful attitude!" There looked to be actual tears forming in the man's eyes."It is my joy to meet such an enthusiastic pupil! I am Konoha's Majestic Green Beast: Maito Gai!"
The most powerful defenders of Konoha were always accompanied by distinctive quirks. Minato had learned over time that it was just better to take these things in stride with a wide smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Gai-san." Minato returned with an enthusiastic, though comparatively muted, greeting. "By any chance, do you know a Hatake Kakashi?"
There was no other word for it: Gai exploded. Green limbs flew wide in every direction, pearly teeth seemed to almost glow such was their brightness. Minato backpedalled a step and swallowed shallowly. Perhaps his tenure as a Kage had not prepared him enough for moments like this.
"Do I know Kakashi?" Gai seemed far too keen and far too pleased and Minato's stomach turned to ice as his plan seemed to amplify and backfire as the boisterous character approached him until he was forced to crane his neck only for an oversized thumb to cross his eyes at the end of his nose.
"Do I know Kakashi?!" Gai's voice booms across the clearing like a roar of thunder; birds screech in protest and take off in a flutter of rings while at least three rabbits tear out of the clearing like a fox was on their tails. Minato recoiled and blinked moisture out of his eyes while the man continued to ramble. "Kakashi is my incredibly hip rival! From the time of the Academy, Kakashi and I have engaged in challenge after challenge. To this day, we are tied in wins and losses, but the next time I see him, I will defeat him or I shall climb the Hokage Mountain 500 times with a boulder attached to my back."
"Perhaps you should try something less hazardous." Minato replied after a moment and felt a tension headache building in the back of his skull. "But if you are my nii-san's rival, than perhaps you can teach me something, Gai-san."
Maito Gai was eccentric and capable of annoying shinobi from all walks of life. The taijutsu genius did not have optimal levels of facial recognition and had difficulty referencing Bingo Book information in combat, but the man was no fool. Gai had taken part in assassination missions when Minato was the Yondaime; it was not the man's speciality since his role was mainly suitable for being a squad muscle, but he had performed that function on missions before. People seemed to forget that Gai's personality was a better camouflage than almost anything simply because it worked. People forgot to take Gai seriously and did not realize that there was a tactical working mind behind the crazy persona. Kakashi had seen it in action and surely the Sandaime was aware that Gai was not as dim as he might seem at first glance.
"Kakashi's otouto?" The words were soft this time, lacking Gai's natural vibrance. Minato was almost afraid when the big man fell quiet, but the taijutsu master looked more thoughtful than put-off by the announcement.
"That's what the test results said." Minato carefully arranged his face in a bashful smile, even ducking his chin to play up the age card. Gai of course...lapped it up with a resurged...youthfulness. Thankfully Minato sensed Itachi and Shisui approaching from the rear. It would be nice to have a buffer between Gai's enthusiasm and...everything else.
"Yosh! I will happily bless the brother of my greatest rival with my knowledge!" Gai's eye sockets seemed to illuminate briefly and then there was palm trees, sand, and waves crashing upon the shore. Wait-when had Gai mastered genjutsu? Minato froze rather stupefied as Gai stepped closer as if to embrace him.
Fuck no. There just had to be some limits. Pumping chakra into his limbs, his small body protested the action for an instant but he was already arcing backward through the air and he grasped Shisui-who, funnily enough, seemed to be failing at breaking the genjutsu-and thrust the horrified chunin forward.
"Oh Gai-san!" Minato chirped, sensing Shisui and Itachi stiffen up beside him. The former Kage felt almost bad that the two Uchiha teens had already made the acquaintance of his prankster side: Kushina would be so proud!
"This is Shisui-nii." Minato squeezed the frozen Uchiha's arm and played up the adoring look he was shining Shisui's direction to which the chunin smiled back weakly. Minato peered around Shisui's arm and shot Itachi a wink that had the other boy twitching slightly. "And Itachi-san. They are really good with genjutsu and katon techniques. But I don't think their taijutsu is very good. Maybe you could help them improve?"
Perhaps it was the absurdity of the Uchiha Clan ever being coerced into doing anything or perhaps it was just fate being fickle, but neither Uchiha uttered a protest. Itachi looked like he had been gutted and Shisui looked greed around the gills, but neither Uchiha had spoken a word.
All in a day's work.
"Of course! I will help all three of you reach a new level of potential or I will do a thousand cartwheels!"
"Perfect!" Minato clapped his hands together while Gai approached and began shouting orders at the dazed looking Uchiha boys.
Ah...today was gonna be great.
Kakashi stood in front of the memorial stone with a bowed head and patted the smooth surface, fingers mapping from Obito down to Rin and down to Namikaze Minato.
"Obito." Kakashi scratched a finger over his masked nose. "You would probably be laughing at me if you could see me right now. This might sound hard to believe, but I have an otouto now. You would probably have found it cool that I got family out of a series of jutsu gone wrong. The Sandaime's information was not much to go on, but the fact of the matter is that the blood sample said we share the same tou-san."
Kakashi leaned against the memorial awkwardly. If Obito were actually here, the idiot would probably be screaming at him and calling him a variety of vicious, colorful names. He wanted to experience that more than ever.
"Minato...it's hard to call him that, but I have to get over it." Kakashi swallows and continues speaking to a ghost that may never hear his confession. "I think most people would say that Minato looks like the Nidaime, but when I saw that boy, I remembered my tou-san. The boy's hair is not a spiky mess like mine, but the angles and the bone structure are all Hatake. You never saw me without my mask, but I suppose Minato resembles me. It doesn't really matter, I suppose. I'm already late meeting him. I'm always on time for my missions, but I think you rubbed off on me after you died, Obito. So my otouto is just going to have to get used to waiting for me. You were worth waiting for even if I didn't appreciate it at the time. I will be too, right?"
Kakashi fingered a kunai, flipping it between his fingers and scraping away a fleck of dried blood that he had somehow missed after his last mission.
"I wonder what you would think if you saw me now." The words were like winter on his tongue and Kakashi felt his chin sink to his chest and his eyes began to water. "You would probably be disappointed in who I've become. I'm afraid of a four year old child, Obito. I just don't think I can do this, but I know I can't give up. You would never give up and I'm not about to abandon my comrades. I learned that lesson from you better than any other. I only wish I had learned it sooner. Maybe things would have ended up different."
A low warble sounded from next to him and Kakashi watched a tawny songbird drop onto the memorial stone next to him and cock it's head at him curiously. The beak parted slightly and a tiny seed fell off onto the monument. A moment later and the little fellow's wings beat frantically and the little songbird was airborne. Kakashi watched until the little guy had vanished into the cover of trees and pushed himself away from the monument warily.
"Alright, I can take a hint."
Besides, he had better find his sibling before the Uchiha duo took him back to the Uchiha Compound. That...would make things a little awkward since Kakashi was certain that Fugaku had never quite forgiven him for having their prized dojutsu-even if it was a handicap just as much as a strength.
A few bursts of speed allowed his nose to seek out the scent of family. Grass, rabbits, and his cute little otouto had definitely passed this way. Strangely enough, he detected another presence that smelled familiar. Kakashi almost had a heart attack when he recognized the smell and immediately burst into a controlled run that ended with him in a tree overlooking a clearing of four individuals.
"If this is my punishment for being tardy...I might really have to think about that." Kakashi muttered under his breath as he blinked at some poor attempt to dispel the illusion in front of him.
Uchiha Shisui was running the perimeter of the training area with a rock-more of a boulder really-tucked under each arm. The chunin was huffing and puffing and covered from head to toe in bruises, grass, and dirt. The boy's legs were shaky and looked ready to collapse underneath him, but the boy kept running: Kakashi felt for the poor kid. Gai's version of endurance training was brutal and it was obvious that the chunin had just had the excrement kicked out of him not long before.
Across the clearing, Kakashi made a low moan of despair at the sight of Maito Gai with his coined eerie smile and his body in a traditional Goken stance; clinging to Gai's back, Kakashi's baby brother was staring over Gai's shoulder with rapt attention, arms and legs like an octopus around Gai's body. Itachi, looking worse for wear, had his Sharingan activated and was charging Gai.
Kakashi had been the ANBU in charge of scouting Itachi for ANBU. The plan was to snap up the clan heir after the kid returned from the exams. In theory they could have extended the offer already, but the Sandaime had asked them to hold off until after the upcoming exams being held in a couple months.
In his assessment, Kakashi had found that Uchiha Itachi was an absolute genius. The kid's chakra control was refined enough to keep up with any medic out there; it was almost a pity the boy did not show the inclination to take that line of study. The boy's taijutsu form was flawless, quick, and absolutely lethal. And his ninjutsu skills were far from shabby: Itachi's katon techniques might as well have been jounin level at this point. If the kid ever developed additional skills in genjutsu...the boy would be able to take anyone and everyone down without even trying. This was without even mentioning infiltration skills or the tactical mind that could outwit a Nara without so much as breaking a sweat. Uchiha Itachi was going places and was certainly one of Leaf's rising stars: ANBU was going to be lucky to have him.
And yet...Uchiha Itachi did not have a disinterested, impassive expression on his face today. No, today the ebony eyes were flashing, his longish hair was mussed, and his clothing was tattered and held together in some places by only a few threads. There was blood dripping from a cut lip that the boy made a hissing sound at when he wiped it away with the back of his hand. All of this and the Uchiha charged in the direction of Maito Gai-Kakashi's best friend even if he would never admit it-who had that eerie smile on his face and simply danced out of the way before planting his foot in Itachi's stomach and knocking him flying.
"Hang in their cous!" Shisui shouted a breathless bout of encouragement that Itachi did not bother responding to.
"I had heard you were the greatest taijutsu master in Konoha, but I never truly appreciated your level of skill." Itachi complimented Gai with a grimace and it was impossible to miss Gai's exuberant overreaction.
"Yosh! The fires of my youthly determination have inspired even the cool attitudes of the Uchiha Clan!" There was genuine tears of joy in Gai's eyes and Kakashi did not miss little Minato's eyes bug out as the small boy clung a little tighter.
Before his little brother was thrown off due to Gai's excitement, Kakashi appeared and snatched the small body off Gai's back. The small body instantly twisted in his grip and wound far too small arms around his neck and giggled patiently.
"I knew you would come, Kakashi." The words were barely louder than a whisper but they warmed Kakashi's heart more intensely than he was prepared for.
"Thanks for watching him, Gai." Kakashi remarked blandly, but really meant it. Feeling more confidant, he gave the Uchiha pair a jaunty wave. "Gai, if you would keep training these boys for a few minutes, I'm going to take Minato over there for a little chat. Perhaps you can even convince one of these lucky kids to be a permanent sparring partner."
Kakashi's lone eye twinkled at the shudder of visible horror running through the jogging Shisui's body, but even he was unprepared for Itachi's bold answer.
"It would certainly be an effective method of improving my taijutsu."
"Are you kidding me!" Shisui screamed at the same time as Gai shouted. "Yosh! Itachi-san! My rival is perceptive as always! What a fine sparring partner you would be! I can see that you are nearly as motivated as I am to improve!"
Yeah, they were so out of there. Kakashi executed a quick shunshin that took them next to a river a short distance away.
The water was flowing peacefully as this was a rather calm section of the river. Kakashi carefully eased the small boy down and Minato flashed him a smile before wandering to the water's edge and plunking himself down next to it.
Fuck. Kakashi fidgeted as his shoulders tensed up. What exactly was he supposed to do now? What was he supposed to say? Somehow discussing his last mission-assassinating some prominent lord for reasons never specified-was going to win him any favors. Reading habits? Training? Gai? Their dead father? What exactly did he have to talk about?
Movement down by the water dragged the copy-nin off-guard and he stared to where Minato had arranged himself so he was lying on his stomach and reaching with one hand over to where the water was brushing his fingertips. Wait. Kakashi wandered closer, narrowed in thought as he watched the water that was a good twelve centimeters below rise from the river bed as the boy's hands glowed with chakra.
What in the hell? Who had taught him to do that? Kakashi's immediate thought took him back to a moment where his father caught him pouring over jutsu scrolls at age three and had been working diligently to unlock his chakra. Had Minato been really teaching himself?
"That's impressive." Kakashi commented, falling into a low crouch next to the river.
"Thank you!" Minato flashed him a smile once before the chakra faded in the boy's palm and the water fell back into the main flow with a token splash. "I got it to work at the Koi pond in Sasuke's back yard too."
Kakashi snorted, picturing the pristine gardens of the Uchiha used for something as common as early elemental manipulation for a Senju brat no less. 'Although,' he snuck a peek at the silver haired boy that was wiping sweat away from his forehead. 'This kid is definitely a Hatake too.'
"How long have you been trying to do this?"
"Hmm." Minato hummed, the scarlet eyes blinking in thought. "Just today. I wanted to see if I could do it."
Just today. Ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as a genin at five.
"It looks like you managed something most new genin can't do." Kakashi remarks dryly while reaching out to tap the boy's nose with a finger. Watching the boy recoil with a rebellious squeal brings back that same warmth as before that spreads and Kakashi is almost eager to experience it again. This time, the silver haired boy dodged the touch, nimbly launched himself to his feet, and raced around before tackling Kakashi from behind.
Or so he thought. Kakashi found himself smirking cheerily at the outraged look on the small boy's face as he realizes he had been duped. The pint sized spitfire chucks the log that Kakashi used for a Kawarimi into the river.
"Fine! If you want to use jutsu when we're playing, you have to teach me!" Minato leapt to his feet, brushing aside silvery bangs and pointing at him accusingly and Kakashi found himself waggling his fingers at the younger boy cheekily.
"Maa, I don't recall agreeing to such a thing." Kakashi responded, his heart beating a little faster as the boy crosses his arms and shoots him a clearly unimpressed look that would be much more impressive on an older individual. On a four year old...adorable.
"It's the rules. If you're going to use shinobi tactics, you have to teach them." Logical and somehow seemingly undemanding. Did that even make sense?
"I suppose that's fair." Kakashi hopped down with a smirk wide beneath his mask. After all, he had never specified when he would teach him the jutsu.
"Thank you, nii-san." The kid looked up at him with such a damned hopeful, sober look that Kakashi felt the tension melting away almost completely.
Setting his hand atop the small head, he pet the surprisingly soft strands like he would one of his ninken. The boy quirked a brow and murmured softly under his breath.
"I'm not sure that I know how to do be a family, pup." Kakashi cautioned the child, feeling it was his duty to be honest.
"I've never had parents or siblings either." Kakashi heard the slight quaver in the small voice and those red eyes fastened onto him and pieced him to the very core. "So you'll have to tell me if I'm doing something wrong?"
'How could you ever do something wrong?' Kakashi wondered. If someone was going to screw up it was going to be him. It was always, always him.
"We'll just have to figure things out together right, aniki?" Kakashi felt something squeeze his hand and looked down dumbfounded at his own fingers perfectly interlaced with the much smaller digits. Looking back to the boy, the red markings on the boy's cheeks seemed to almost glow when the boy flashed a toothy smile his direction.
"I suppose you're right, pup." Kakashi fished for something to divert them to. "You hungry?"
"You are a lot later than you said you would be." There was a bit of chiding in the boy's voice and Kakashi vowed that he would attempt to be better for his brother. Everyone else could wait but...this boy might be worth extra effort.
"Sorry." He apologized without really meaning it. The quiet scoff next to him made Kakashi realize that his otouto-god that still sounded bizarre-was not buying his act either. The kid was perceptive and ridiculously sharp for his age. Perhaps this was how his father felt dealing with a prodigy?
"How about we go out to eat?" Kakashi threw the small boy a bone.
"Okay!" Suddenly he was assaulted from behind and the ANBU went rigid until his nose kicked in. Kakashi grunted again as he was literally used as a climbing post and the small boy had seated himself with his legs dangling over his shoulders and hands buried in his already wild silver hair.
"Comfy?" He asked sarcastically as he shifted the little imp's weight.
"Yep!" The brat replied a little too casually and Kakashi knew his precious little brother knew exactly what buttons he was pressing. "Shisui did it for me and I rather enjoy being high. You're really tall so it's especially fun."
"I could just Kawarimi and leave you to fall." He threatened.
"If you do, I'll tell Gai-san I changed my mind about the leotard he offered me." The tone was subtle, but there was practically killing intent buried in that sugary sweet blackmail.
"Don't even joke about that!" Kakashi gasped harshly, imagining a pint-sized Hatake-Senju, whatever-running around with silver hair flying behind him like a cape and wearing that skin-tight monstrosity. "I forbid it!"
"Okay." The response was far too agreeable and it instantly put the jounin on edge.
"What's the catch?" Kakashi asked as they appeared on the outskirts of the village and started walking down a mostly empty street.
"You have to train my friends and I at least twice a week." Oh, this kid was good. Maybe even better than Kakashi had been at this age. "Unless you're on a mission since you're a shinobi."
"And you are banned from wearing spandex for life." Kakashi shivered as they trudged down the lane, garnering more than a few looks from passing shinobi. Fortunately none of them were brave enough to approach at this point.
"Um, nii-san?" Minato paused, the hands mussing his own spiky hair pausing their motions.
"Hmm?"
"Shouldn't we have gotten Itachi and Shisui?"
"One of the number one rules about shinobi is that it's rude to interrupt training, otouto." Kakashi replied gleefully and a bit vengefully. "Besides, you saw how much fun Shisui and Itachi were having. We would not want to deprive them of that quality training."
"I think Itachi was enjoying himself." The words were saturated with disbelief and Kakashi found himself nodding in abstract disagreement. That had been weird. Hopefully nothing disastrous would come of that...
"How about we eat and then pick up Naruto and Sasuke for some fun at the park?" Kakashi suggested, thinking back to the ambush training Pakkun had put the trio through and how much fun it would have been to participate. He could do that!
"Sure!"
They were almost to the stand when Minato laughed aloud.
"We're not going back for Shisui and Itachi, are we?"
"Well done, pup!" He praised his little otouto for his insight. "They'll figure it out eventually."
The boy on his shoulders merely giggled again and Kakashi found himself content-legitimately happy, for the first time since the Kyuubi's attack had stolen away the last good thing in his life.
Perhaps having a pup around won't be so bad after all...
Smoke immediately assailed Jiraiya's nostrils as he steps into the room and scanned the crowd. The Bloody Kunai was a hub of entertainment in the seediest neighborhood of Otafuku Gai. On paper, it was an ordinary establishment that paraded scantily clad women and men while serving alcohol and providing gambling opportunities. If you looked past the dimly lit booths that reeked of bodily fluids and smoke, the clientele was mostly lowlifes and criminals that paid the establishment a fee to look the other way when they conducted a range of black market exchanges.
It was a prime location for illegal deals or to get wasted having a good time, but it pained Jiraiya to think that this was exactly the sort of place Tsunade spent her time. It was no wonder the Hime never recovered if this was the sort of people she spent her time around.
Jiraiya grinned broadly at the voluptuous redhead with her adorable auburn curls framing her heart-shaped face and felt a pang of regret from south of the border. Such a pity that a fine piece like that would go to waste.
Snaking his meaty hand down to cup her fingers, Jiraiya's thumb scraped over the manicured nail and felt a trace of a callus underneath the hands. The signs were almost gone, but the Sannin could tell that the placement that the girl had likely been from an agricultural background; poor thing had probably come to the city searching for a better life and fell into this profession like so many of the other girls in this line of work. And on any other day, Jiraiya would be more appreciative of her misfortune.
Eyeing the sequined top the girl was wearing her small, but pert breasts, Jiraiya allowed himself to grin wider and boldly placed one heavy palm against the fabric of her shirt and gave it a delightful squeeze; simultaneously, the Sannin folded several ryo into the girl's hand and leaned forward until his lips brushed the shell of her ear.
"Any other night and I would have stayed in your company all night, my dear." A perverse giggle escaped his lips and Jiraiya is forced to use every ounce of his self control to master his lecherous desires: it really didn't help when he felt the nipple underneath the fabric of the shirt harden at his touch. "But I'm afraid that I'm looking for someone very specific. A beautiful woman with blonde hair being followed around by a girl with a pig."
"Oh." The prostitute pulled away still looking dazed and almost disappointed as his hand fell away, thought not without a parting pat to her curvaceous rear-end. "She owe you money too? You're the third fellow today! That sucker should still be upstairs!"
Tsunade really had inherited her grandfather's horrid luck when it came to bets.
"You truly are lovely." The toad-sage felt a rush of victory as the girl's cheeks flush a comely shade of pink and he slides another ryo into her palm. If it were any other day...damn. Jiraiya gave her ass a firm swat and ambled toward the stairs.
The stairs jostle an uncomfortably stiff package and Jiraiya has never been more thankful that his clothing conceals extra bulges. Sliding his hands into his pocket, he fingers the brief message that had lead him to this moment and almost regrets reaching the top of the stairs.
Tsunade had never been a reasonable individual. She was quick to lose her temper and proved just as vicious off the battlefield as she was on it. There had been a lightness in Tsunade when they first met, but that joy had been snuffed out slowly by accumulated sorrows. Now it had been years since he had seen the woman he loved and he was afraid to find out how hardened she was by grief and despair.
Taking a final breath, Jiraiya pasted on an easy grin for the benefit of one of the establishment's employees at the top of the stairs and instantly scanned the room littered with various gambling tables before finally settling on pigtails and a familiar coat in the far corner of the room.
As he approached, Jiraiya studied Tsunade carefully and squeezed his Kage's missive once before coating himself with a simple genjutsu that simply made his appearance less memorable to anyone that did not know him. The Senju woman was staring at the cards in her hand with a displeased curl of the lip. Tsunade glared at a hideously large pile of chips that the dealer passed her with polite congratulations that never quite felt sincere. Golden eyes stared unblinking at the pile and her deceptively delicate fingers where quivering ever so slightly.
'Don't be afraid, Hime. Whatever Sarutobi-sensei has in mind, we'll face this together. Don't be afraid.'
Physically, Senju Tsunade was probably the strongest woman alive and there were only a handful of individuals capable of matching her in battle. Significantly less individuals stood a real chance of killing her in a fight. Jiraiya was one of the few which was why he felt an incredible amount of resentment for being chosen for this mission. And while he was angry, Jiraiya was loyal. Certainly he would exchange some harsh words with his Kage when they got back to the village, but until then he would obey them.
And the reason had better damn well be good or Jiraiya had every intention of flattening the old monkey if his excuse fell short.
Before the dealer could announce a follow up round, Jiraiya plunked an armored hand onto the table and flashed the irritated losers a broad grin.
"Sorry to interrupt your game, but I'm afraid that the lady is occupied at the bar for a drink." Jiraiya winked at the disgruntled losers that had bet against Tsunade and expected-because betting against the Legendary Sucker was always a sure thing-to win big. Turning his attention on Tsunade, the toad sage found his tone reflexively gentling as he stared into the doe-eyed look from the woman he so admired. "Long time no see, Tsunade."
"Jiraiya?" The tone was incredulously-not a good sign considering acute senses were important for survival in their profession-and her breath only faintly smelled of sake, which was a good thing for him considering how negatively intoxication impacted the medic's temper. "What are you doing here?"
There was that first bloom of suspicion that sent color racing over beautiful, pale cheekbones. Tsunade really was the fruition of all his fantasies.
"Can't I just be visiting an old friend?" Jiraiya deflected casually, while pulling out a scroll and casually sealing away the enormous mountain of chips while onlookers squawked indignantly in the background.
"If it were actually true, then maybe." Tsunade's fingers balled up dangerously as her winnings disappeared, but Jiraiya wisely stepped out of range, pocket the scroll, and confidently made for the counter. Sure enough, the sound of a chair scraping the floor loudly and the click of heels behind him came just as he slid onto a stool at the bar.
"Where's Shizune-chan?" Jiraiya stalled, while motioning to the bartender for two cups and a bottle. "You didn't ditch the kid, did you?"
"Shows what you know." Tsunade scoffed before pouring herself a full glass and tossing it back like the seasoned veteran she was. "She's reading some of my notes on spinal surgery, thank you very much."
"You actually teach?" Jiraiya intentionally saturated his voice with disbelief, feeling pleased with himself when a spider web of cracks appeared along Tsunade's glass. "Glad to hear it, Hime."
"Careful, Jiraiya." The brush to her pride seemed to have revived the woman and she was eyeing him from the corner of her eye. "Social visits aren't your thing and they certainly were never mine. What do you want?"
Jiraiya wanted to lie. He wanted to skid around the truth until Tsunade finally punched his lights out. But delaying the inevitable would only be hurtful in the long run.
"Okay, Hime." Jiraiya reached out and gulped down his round of liquid courage and savored the burn. "We've been recalled to Konoha."
"Absolutely not!" There is fury in Tsunade's voice and he sensed the chakra gathering in her fist. Jiraiya lunged to the side and snagged the Senju's forearm, diverting the blow into open air and preventing the impending property damage.
"Your temper is as destructive as ever." The comment was subtle, but the implied warning certainly registered with his comrade considering she twisted her weight and yanked her hand away with a rough jerk.
"I'm not going back!" Tsunade hissed, anger winning out over grief and the floor groaned warningly as she stepped into his personal space aggressively. "I will never go back."
Around them, patrons and serving staff alike were staring; some apprehensively and some seemed almost eager to see a round of something exciting. Jiraiya placed his hand on Tsunade's shoulder and squeezed warningly.
"Never say never, Tsunade." Jiraiya's voice quieted as it was overcome by a surge of pity. "Now sit down. If there is someone that should be making a scene, it should be me."
Tsunade threw herself back into her seat and glared at the countertop. Jiraiya just sat back down and motioned for another round of drinks that were brought by a much warier bartender that plonked them down before retreating like a frightened mouse.
"I'm done, Jiraiya." Tsunade spoke into her cup. It was the same line she had been reciting for years and was not nearly as impactful as it had been the day she finally disappeared from Konoha.
"One of us has to lose, Tsunade." His thoughts strayed to Orochimaru and the heavy toll that accompanied his disappearance. And then, Jiraiya thought again to the message that weighed upon him so heavily. "You don't exactly have a choice in the matter."
"How do you figure that?" Tsunade snorted and Jiraiya's eyes closed for a moment in regret.
"Because if you don't come back with me, you'll be declared a missing-nin." Jiraiya tossed another drink back, not really giving two-fucks what Tsunade thought at this point. Next to him, his old friend had become abnormally still in contrast to Jiraiya who felt far too uneasy to remain resting for long.
"You're lying." Denial was something Tsunade excelled at. Now was no exception.
Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew the note from his Kage and slammed it onto the counter like a gauntlet.
"See for yourself." His words were bitter because this moment would determine whether Jiraiya would be left alone to stare at the backs of both his friends rather than just Orochimaru. Tsunade had to come back to Konoha because Jiraiya was not sure he would survive otherwise. There was a rustle as Tsunade's hands fumbled with the paper before finally pulling open the scroll.
"I don't know why we're being recalled." No reason could be good enough to threaten someone he cared about. Jiraiya had lost enough without adding Tsunade to that mold. Now Tsunade was becoming far too quiet and he was feeling more and more uneasy by the second. "I don't believe there is an armed conflict that the village is preparing for since I would have heard about it before they did. But our sensei would not have asked us back unless he had no choice. I have to believe that."
"Always the optimist after all this time, Jiraiya." Tsunade snorted, though her arms were folded around her enormous bosom in a gesture certainly intended to be self-comforting. Jiraiya longed to put his arms around her but he knew his attentions would be unwelcome and would ultimately be detrimental.
"I thought about killing myself after Orochimaru, you know." It was a whispered confession.
Tsunade's attention snapped up looking more alert than he had seen her all evening.
"I never wanted to die, not really." Jiraiya continued, rolling his empty glass between his hands and letting the condensation dampen his warm hands. "But I remember feeling like nothing had ever felt worse. Not the time you broke my bones. Not being stabbed, burned, or nearly drowned. Not even Minato's death left me feeling as miserable as I did the day that Orochimaru left us. It was only for a moment, but death seemed appealing in that brief moment. I know that you've felt it." Jiraiya listened and was rewarded by the tiniest sniff from the blonde woman. "You know what it's like to lose someone and wish for nothing more than for everything to just be 'over.' I know you have."
"Then you know why I can't go back." Tsunade shuddered and Jiraiya heard the tears that refused to fall from the ache of her voice.
"But you will." Swiveling on the stool, Jiraiya turned and snatched Tsunade's hand from her side and clasped it in between his larger hands. He expected her to yell at him, hit him, anything but stare at him with a dull, pained look that made him swallow down the smarmy smile he had intended to use and allow his eyes to soften as he stared at her appreciatively. "Because if something ever happened to you..." He fumbled his words and scratched his head awkwardly. "Let's just say that I don't care if you stay inside Konoha for five minutes after meeting with sensei, but you'll go. I'll bust you out of there myself if that's what you want, but you're going to make the trip back with me."
Tsunade did not respond right away, but she didn't exactly pull away either. Jiraiya gave her hand a squeeze and watched Tsunade gnaw at her bottom lip and her mouth twisted into a mask of aggrieved pain. He also saw traces of panic, but they vanished almost as quickly as they came.
"Just long enough to see what he wants." Tsunade conceded, her shoulders falling forward and her bangs falling into her face like a veil. "Then I'm gone again."
"We better collect your winnings and pick up Shizune then." Jiraiya stood then, tugging Tsunade up with him. The woman's posture is almost completely hunched over and he can feel the out of control surges in her chakra that are definitely not in line with her normal behavior. "It's about time you win, Tsunade."
"Every time I win...I know something terrible is about to happen." Tsunade remarked glumly, eyes fixated more on the floor than the exchange counter they're walking toward. "The last time I won, the Yondaime killed himself sealing the damned Kyuubi."
Jiraiya winced and forcefully banished thoughts of the man he had cherished like his own child and thought fleetingly of poor little Naruto languishing in an orphanage. If he was going back...he would have to check in on the kid. Maybe take him out for some ramen if sensei thought it was alright.
They stepped out of the building and inhaled a breath of fresh air consisting of cinnamon from the bakery down the street, much from the inn's stables two doors down, and the scent of the river nearby.
"Well, this time was probably just because I was here, Hime." Jiraiya tried to get Tsunade to loosen up a little. "Because you know that I'm more than happy to have a willing muse for my-"
Jiraiya performed a rapid Kawarimi that no doubt saved him the trouble of sore ribs.
"Almost got me that time, Hime!" Just like old times.
"You'll be enjoying a sling by the time I'm done with you!" Jiraiya merely winked mischievously at her, smile widening when he saw her lips quirk. Oh yeah, he still had it. Yep, just like old times.
AN: This is addressing many people who seem to not realize that Minato is the main character. I will be pairing him with someone eventually, but I've yet to determine who for sure. I don't find that super important at this juncture because I want the characters to evolve naturally. But I've had a few people comment/message me about too much of the OC-who is only sort of an OC since it's based on an actual character. Here's the thing, if you have not realized Minato is the main character, this story probably isn't for you. Yes, you will get sections with Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, and other people having their point of view, but Minato is the central character. If this bothers you, I'm sorry you wasted your time because I'm not writing a Naruto-centric story.
Anyway, I think now that this chapter is done, we can really get the ball rolling.
On a side note, I've been agonizing over team assignments for Team 7, 8, 9 and 10. I believe I've finally decided what I'm going to do. Only one sensei will remain the same and only one team of three will make it out the same. Feel free to predict! (Yes, I know it probably seems like it won't be too soon, but the timeskips are coming...soonish)
Anyway, I hope you all mostly enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter Tsunade will make it into town. :)