A.N. Hey all, another time & another post. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Love the reviews so far and i'll make additional notes at the end of the chapter. To my new follows and faves, i say welcome to the family, hope you enjoy the content.

Onwards to Glory!


Flight; the process by which an object moves through an atmosphere without direct support from any surface. Flight was the realm belonging to wide range of winged creatures.

For man, flight was the greatest expression of innovation and freedom.

Naruto wasn't feeling that much of the freedom. In fact his feet remained on terra firma as he sped desperately through hostile lands. The five Kumo Nins hounding his every step though, probably had something to do with it.

Flying through Kumo had been a mistake; Naruto was man enough to admit that to himself. The risks in this case outweighed the potential benefits. He had chosen to gamble and lost spectacularly. His vaunted intellect won out against common sense (proving once and for all sense wasn't common – you had it, or you didn't) and now look where intellect led him.

His glider was a thing of beauty and craftsmanship. And yet, even with it there were problems;

The primary means of propulsion was fairly loud, given the power and speeds available, and left a visible trail. It was also chakra heavy, not a problem for him but given the backlash and resulting chakra storm anyone remotely adept at chakra sensing would pick up his trail. He shuddered to think what real masters of the art would be able to infer from his chakra.

On the other hand, the secondary systems, the ducted fans were quiet, eerily so. This was better for hiding his trail and keeping his chakra usage on the low band. It was slower however, and had a limited height range. He would be visible to the world; anyone looking up would simply spot him.

Of course, intellect and pride told him that with the use of illusions he could remain invisible. And with the ducted fans although slower, would still be faster than if he ran.

Given the weather pattern he had been forced to fly much lower than he originally desired, and the winds made going a bit slower as well. He had been forced further south, towards the coastlines before he could move west in the direction of Land of Hot Water.

As troublesome as the weather was, it hadn't been the issue. The issue arose with the Kumo Hunting party that were alerted to his presence. This particular hunting party had two things going against Naruto.

The first was they had a competent sensor, who immediately identified a large source of chakra moving through their general area. The second was a skill Genjutsu user. After their sensor had narrowed the area down the Genjutsu user quickly analysed and found the discrepancy between the illusion and reality.

Things from there only escalated.

With Naruto no longer concealed his options were severely limited, doubly so once the shock had worn out from the Kumo Nins.

Without hesitation he swooped down and launched a surprise attack. Credit to their skill the Kumo Nins were on their toes and avoided the worst of it. However not all made it unscathed. Naruto quickly identified his target, in a flash the glider was gone and the Kumo sensor was dead at his feet.

Before they could register their shock Naruto took off on foot, counting down in his head. Before he got to ten he could sense a cocktail of anguish and rage, determination and retribution, all of it bearing down on him…

…Just as he hoped.

He couldn't afford for them to report back. Unconfirmed reports were one thing, but eye witnesses could lead to a host of problems and Naruto was first a Konoha loyalist.

Hence the chase through the crooked and rocky coastline.

Suiton: Water Canopy

Naruto perked as he felt a massive build-up of chakra. He risked a quick glance backwards, and was forced to evade several shuriken. He spun around smoothly to face his attackers while avoiding more shuriken. His eyes tracked everything around as he readied himself for their offensives.

Two of the Kumo Nins faced off against him while the other three hung back. Two of those had their hands in seals and chakra pulsed strongly around them. Naruto heard a faint rumbling from the coastline and took a quick glance. His eyebrows rose as vast amounts of water churned from the sea. As he ducked and wove around the melee attacks he could still feel the chakra in the air, pulling on the water and drawing large amounts of vapour over their heads. It explained why two of them were pulling the manoeuvre; the strain would have been too much for one person.

Naruto tossed several kunais at the stationary targets. The third Kumo Nin however was their line of defence, swatting the weapons aside while Naruto was forced to focus on his twin attackers.

It amazed him that all through the exchange not a single word had been traded between the two sides. The Kumo team seemed dedicated to taking him down, and despite their anger their approach was methodical, textbook.

Naruto admired their technique, just as he casually drifted from a decapitating strike. As he moved backwards he felt a tinge of satisfaction coming from the Kumo Nins. Then he felt a sharp spike and sudden shift in chakra pressure.

Suiton: Lance of the Heavy Rain

High above them the water surged and churned with chakra. Vapours drew together and began forming drops. The process escalated and with a sharp surge of energy a spear of water fired downwards at Naruto.

Naruto couldn't believe the speed of the technique. Flooding his frame with chakra he blitzed away from the water projectile. His eyes widened even further as he saw the sheer damage the lance had made on the hard shoreline rocks. More chakra fluctuations fleeted across his perception and he looked up in preparation. The canopy was massive and still drawing water from the sea. The canopy continued to surge and shift, this time forming more lances.

The waters moved, and Naruto danced…

The Kumo Nins backed up slightly. All their hands were in seals, lending the support and chakra to the devastating technique. Their piercing gaze focused totally on Naruto, retribution dancing in their eyes. The lances shrunk in size but increased in number, the plan now to overwhelm with sheer weight of numbers, occasionally a large lance would strike out and while Naruto continue to avoid the attacks all knew it couldn't last forever.

Another chakra spike told Naruto things were certainly not over.

One of the Kumo Nins began a new seal chain. Energy arced over his fingers; at the last seal lightning could be seen along the edges. The Kumo Nin thrust his hands skyward and lightning chakra arced into the air, through the water canopy.

Thunder Cloud Formation: Wrath of Thunder Lords

The sky crackled ominously as lightning chakra fed its way through the moisture laden atmosphere. Naruto's heart began pounding as he felt the rapid changes in pressure, the feel of power building. The water lances had been destructive. This new jutsu would far outstrip that.

Time stood still

..Use my power well, child

Time restarted, but seemed to run sluggishly. Naruto could clearly see the first bolt of energy, ready to unleash havoc on him. His options were limited.

Fortunately, two years of training had its perks. And a whole period grovelling had unique rewards.

Doton: Forbidden Corridors.

At the first heartbeat; the earth below Naruto rumbled as Kyuubi's chakra saturated the area. The ground shot upwards at immense speeds, soon multiple walls arose, connecting and shifting, forming hallways and rooms.

At the second heartbeat; Naruto slammed his left hand into the ground. His chakra flashed, moving across the newly erected surfaces. Following split seconds behind were ripples of chakra, the Kumo Nins were staggered by the sheer force behind the chakra unleashed.

At the third heartbeat; the lightning lances rained down, blanketing the area with electrified might.


Jiraiya had received the update from Tsunade moments after leaving Konoha borders. The knowledge that Kakashi would be meeting up with him was reassuring, however the Toad Sannin couldn't wait any longer. They had a rough idea where Naruto was, the Jonin would just have to play catch up.

It had been seven days since the base in Kumo was destroyed. Even with divine luck Naruto would only be on the edge of their territory before finally crossing over to Land of Frost. From there the smart thing would be to lay low and charter a boat, and then under the cover of darkness slip through into Hot Water via land. Everyone would be looking at the boats, and a foreigner chartering passage, legal or otherwise would attract attention.

Jiraiya had already reached Hot Water two days ago and was using his toads to bypass Frost into Kumo's coastline. Much of the journey had been relatively stable and quick, however as they got closer to the coast Jiraiya could feel a subtle difference in the atmosphere.

"Jiraiya-Dono. Something has happened here. The waters are not as calm as they appear."

Jiraiya looked downwards on the toad he was sat on.

"Can you tell what has happened? The pressure is off here."

The toad gave a small croak as it took in the surroundings.

"There has been a great amount of chakra expended, my estimates are large scale water or wind jutsus. Water mostly. Given that we are heading towards Kumo…" the toad left the rest unsaid.

Jiraiya bit is thumb and sighed

"Naruto is very much involved, I can feel it. How long ago do you think?"

"It is still going on Jiraiya-Dono" the toad replied, much to Jiraiya's shock. With another croak it carried on. "I can feel the chakra of the ninth one, hang tight Jiraiya-Dono"

Jiraiya nodded grimly and secured himself with chakra. No sooner had he done so the massive toad surged across the choppy waters, desperate to make landfall.


To be a Thunder Cloud was to rank among the best. Once a ninja made Chunin he could request reassignment to the Thunder Cloud squads. If a ninja showed promise the admin could make the offer regardless. Once consigned to the Thunder Clouds there was no coming out. The Squad structures were rigid and much like genin teams there was no change in members. Once the squad was formed it remained so until it was no longer viable.

The squad composition was recommended at six, in some instances as little as two or a squad of fifteen could be found, regulations however mandated six.

The Heavy Rain squad had been six men strong from inception. They had no real difficulties coming together and had over a decade of experience together as a team. The bond between them was very strong.

So the loss of a member cut deep. Absolution via vengeance was the only way forward.

The ninja they were facing was very skilled, his movements the epitome of efficiency and poise. His situational awareness was top notch and grasp of tactics exceptional.

Still, Heavy Rain were more than a match for him. And it had been a while they had defeated a worthy opponent.

They hadn't been able to identify the ninja's origin; there was no visible hitaite, and he had yet utilised any real jutsus or skills to give himself away. Not that it mattered much; the squad were not in a talking mood.

Michio was the designated leader of the team, and as much as he should have he couldn't find it in himself to reign in his trigger happy teammates. A set of twins, Aika and Kozue had thrown themselves headfirst at the invader for the death of Juro. The twins were Kunoichi and were the squad's front line melee fighters. Their teamwork was unparalleled and it was the arrogant and foolish that underestimated them

Juro had been a shy individual. The boy's sensory skills had been hypersensitive; it was a wonder he made it through shinobi training. Aika and Kozue had taken to the younger boy, much to his mortification. The constant teasing didn't help though none were ever in earshot of the twins; retribution was often swift due to their trigger happy natures.

His death had been sudden. So swift none had time to even consider or prepare. And following that the rage of the twins kept them in pursuit. Michio didn't mind; he was equally fond of their youngest member so extracting their pound of flesh would go a long way to help them grieve.

While the twins pounded away it was his job to analyse the enemy, and cover their final members. Takeo and Takeshi rounded the squad off. Over the last few years they had perfected the use of combination jutsus.

Still, despite his anger Michio kept good control of his faculties. He hadn't forgotten how they spotted the enemy in the first place, and looking back he cursed the impulsiveness of his teammates but more importantly his own inaction in holding them back.

After all, flying ninjas were rare. And this one was using mechanical means, one unlike he had ever seen or heard of. There had been some whispers, rumours, couple years back of a new type of flight based construct, used by Konoha during their war against Oto and Suna.

Nothing had been confirmed.

Michio decided it didn't really matter. Once the ninja was dead, if there was anything left of him they would take it back to Kumo for study, and then pick up Juro's for a proper burial.

Watching the lightning display rain downwards was always a treat and a mark of pride for the Heavy Rain squad. It was a testament to their skills and accomplishments. To date, none had survived such heavy bombardment.

The air was heavy with ozone; the water canopy dissipated and the skies cleared. Michio observed the destruction.

His breath hitched. His eyes went wide in surprise.

No one! No one, has ever survived!

A formation of earth walls littered around them. Michio felt like he was looking at a long corridor. There was extensive damage to the structures, but surprisingly most were relatively intact albeit filled with holes.

More importantly; their target was still alive…and completely untouched.


Jiraiya had called him a living generator, but even Naruto felt the drain as the chakra storm around him dissipated. Creating and maintaining a suitable defence was infinitely more difficult that attacking and thus exponentially more draining. The wide scale of the combination attack had also been an issue.

Naruto glanced round and took note the scale of the damage. The rocks and boulders still glowed red hot, as did the ground around them. He looked at the earth walls he made and they too had not gone unscathed. Some had fallen completely, while others had various cracks, holes and the occasional missing segments. The worst of the damage was on those furthest from him, the earth walls by him were relatively untouched.

Naruto smirked in accomplishment. He straightened up and lightly brushed the dust off his clothes, his actions calculated to further unnerve the Kumo Nins.

"Wh-who are you?" one of the Kumo Nins stammered out before their commander could stop them.

Naruto smirked as he felt Kyuubi's chakra still thrumming through him. One moment his eyes flashed….

….the next he was beside them. In between their formation.

Shock and instincts took over. The twins reacted in a pincer move. Naruto remained still as they closed in; one high and the other low.

All were surprised when their attacks completely missed. Even at the short distance they went completely wide.

"Aika! Kozue!"

The shout came out too late. The twins jerked and gasped in pain, before going still. The remaining Kumo Nins looked on in horror as the bodies went slack and gently dropped to the ground.

Golden threads pulled out of from multiple entry wounds, writhing and coiling together before coming apart, repeating the process continually. The Kumo Nins followed the threads all the way to the enemies head.

Hair!

Naruto noted as realisation hit the three remaining Nins and decided to go one step further. He pulled out his hitaite from his robes and secured it to his forehead. The symbol of his village gleamed in the light and once again he felt pride at wearing it.

"Konoha!" The name was hissed out, with so much venom and loathing it was hard not to imagine poison or rot weeping from a wound.

Naruto could tell one of the Nins was ready to bolt, however their commander was resolute. His anger blinded him and it was something that could be exploited. Naruto just had to make sure he kept all three in range and dispatch them.

Suddenly he blinked rapidly and then relaxed. The Kumo Nins again were thrown off balance at the sudden loss of tension.

Light dimmed and a great shadow was cast over them. They glanced up sharply but it was too late.

The earth rumbled as large toad made landfall, flattening everything around it.

Jiraiya paid no attention to the late Kumo Nins. His eyes scanned the area, trying to penetrate the heavy dust. His ears picked up slight fluttering behind him.

"Jiraiya-Sensei, the mission was a failure." Jiraiya turned mechanically to face his student. His eye twitched….rapidly.


The three day journey back had been awkward. Naruto conversed easily with the giant toad, sipping a cup of tea as they travelled. Jiraiya however was ramrod straight and tense. Occasionally he would glance at his student as if measuring him, before turning away. Naruto could feel the turmoil in the Sannin though he held it well; the stance however told him that any overture attempts would be unwelcome so he kept things light and casual between himself and the giant toad.

As they neared Konoha's borders Naruto felt familiar presences.

"Were we expecting guests?" Jiraiya looked up at him in appraisal so he continued, pointing just east of them "Hatake-Sensei is moving swiftly, very soon he would cross the border. Also I believe Sakura is with him, along with a faint signature I can't quite make out."

As Naruto spoke a frown grew on his face as he measured yet another signature, following Kakashi's team at a distance. It felt hollow, flat, muted. It was a state directly opposed to himself and he couldn't help recoil away from it.

"Naruto" at the call of his name Naruto came out of his reverie and locked onto the worried face of Jiraiya. He shook off the residual feelings.

"Apologies Jiraiya-Sensei, I'm fine now. There is an unfamiliar presence following Hatake-Sensei…the chakra caught me by surprise."

Jiraiya gave him a steady glance, but let him be. With a quick word the toad changed directions and in a single hop covered the distance to the Konoha team.

"Jiraiya-Sama!" Kakashi called out as he steadied himself from the ground shakes. The Jonin's sharp gaze then caught sight of Naruto.

"You have an unwanted shadow Hatake. Get your team up here; we are heading back to Konoha."


"….so that I understand this correctly, you went to Kumo with the express intention of breaking into an installation belonging to Orochimaru. An installation Konoha, and by extension Kumo, had no prior knowledge of, you make the unilateral decision to raid and dismantle, in a manner similar to the three previous bases around the continent which again, might I add, we had no prior knowledge off."

The air was saturated with such chakra it was a wonder they could even see straight. Jiraiya stood behind and to the side of his teammate, displeasure across his face. Kakashi leaned casually by the window, although the more astute observers could see the tension in his muscles and how his eye darted and narrowed at every action from Naruto.

The Elder Council were also present, adding to Tsunade's ire but on this she could do little to refuse them. Losing their Jinchuriki for however long or short a time did not sit well with them. Never had Tsunade wanted to brain someone so badly as the moment she had him in front of her.

"In succinct terms, yes Hokage-Sama."

She twitched visibly and the pressure spiked, causing some of the furniture to groan.

"You better have a good reason for this Chunin Uzumaki."

Naruto nodded and slowly reached into his robes, seeing no sign for him to stop he carried on until he pulled out a sealing scroll.

"Permission to unseal and begin my debrief?"

"Granted"

Naruto unravelled the scroll and with a pulse of chakra unsealed to documents, one stained with blood. He looked over at Jiraiya and then passed them to Kakashi. Kakashi gave a cursory glance and looked bewildered as he passed it on to Jiraiya. Jiraiya took both documents, as he looked on his face changed to surprise and disbelief. His scrutiny increased as he looked over each document in detail, growing more concerned with each minute.

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade called out with impatience and worry. Her fellow Sannin merely looked up, just as bewildered with nothing to say.

"Per my orders from Jiraiya-Sensei I was to meet up with one of his contacts, a small clan called Fuma that he had encountered in his travels." Naruto began.

"Fuma, I haven't heard that clan name in a while" Homura mused.

Naruto gave a polite bow and continued.

"The clan have grown nomadic, they were well known as formidable opponents in Rain Country although they remain mostly within Fire Country territory these days. I was to meet up with them as part of my training and assessment, as well as increase ties for Konoha if it became necessary."

Naruto paused to let the information sink in.

"I met up with the Fuma Clan, we exchanged authentication seals and everything seemed to check out." Naruto turned back to Jiraiya, seeing the Sannin shake his head.

"Impossible. They never made it to the rendezvous."

"And yet I met up with a clan, bearing all the right identifiers you provided sensei." Naruto countered softly. He shook his head and carried on looking at Tsunade "Regardless I joined up with the Clan."

"Even with the codes verified I didn't feel right. My instincts were running haywire and I couldn't relax, there was a hungry anticipation in the air. By the time they were ready to act I was too alert and already several steps ahead of them."

Naruto described the brief battle that occurred, his use of puppets and other skills he and Jiraiya had been working on. He gave a brief overview of the average skill level of the Clan members, ranging from low level Chunin to just bordering Jonin level skill. When queried how he dealt with the numbers and the higher tier ninjas, his answer was succinct.

"Stealth and Kyuubi."

From the feeling he got around the room the Konoha Jinchuriki could tell they were impressed with his growth and skills. It was no easy feat, taking on greater numbers, especially of varying skill levels. While it was possible to make short work of lower skilled individuals they tied up ones attention, and could easily spell trouble as more skilled opponents took advantage of the situation.

Still, between his puppets and Kyuubi he made short work of the Clan.

"After dispatching the last of them I went through all the documents I could find, that was how I found out what was going on." Naruto retrieved another set of files and handed it directly to Tsunade.

Tsunade perused the files with a raised eyebrow before passing it along to the Elders.

"Crime of opportunity? I'm having trouble believing that. The fact that Jiraiya had contacts in a clan called Fuma, and Orochimaru had another clan also called Fuma, that is a once in a lifetime coincidence. More so that they are not the same Clan" she murmured.

Both Jiraiya and Naruto shook their heads.

"Naruto does good work; the clan markings he brought back are very different from my contacts. Their combat profiles also greatly differ."

"Indeed." All heads turned to Danzo as he spoke for the first time since the meeting began. "I am quite familiar with the clan Jiraiya is acquainted with. They are known to be the likely originators of the Fuma Shuriken, as previously stated they are of considerable skill."

"So, Orochimaru had them delayed from meeting Naruto while falsifying Jiraiya-Sama's authentication seals, probably stealing the ones from the Fuma Clan as well. All in order to trap Naruto, possibly to capture or kill him." Kakashi summarised as he glanced around.

"Orochimaru did declare your life forfeit in Shukuba; I doubt he has forgotten yet." Jiraiya addressed Naruto directly. "So I'm sure you can understand why I think your stirring the snake pit is the height of foolishness."

"There is truth in Jiraiya-Kun's words, young Uzumaki" Homura rumbled as he frowned. "Understanding the situation, why did you choose to engage Oto further? You successfully disrupted the snake's plan, why not return to the village for debriefing, or at least try to meet up with Jiraiya-Kun?"

Naruto remain silent for a while contemplating how best to word his statement.

"I'm unsure how far into the file you have looked. It wasn't really my intention to hunt Orochimaru or the Oto Nins; however there was a small window of opportunity to find out more of the situation. From what I was able to understand the clan would hand me over alive or dead, the meeting point was noted and from their other records it wasn't far from one of Orochimaru's bases."

"I used the rendezvous to ambush the Oto Nins and pulled more information on the base and anything on Orochimaru's current and long term operations. He has multiple active bases across the continent, each a self-contained unit, and several dead sights. They use a rotation system, moving from one location to the next as necessary, making them difficult to track. The premium bases are fully set up and have high levels of security. They would allow Orochimaru to carry on his research in the event of a sudden move with negligible loss in data and materials."

Tsunade grabbed the file back and began looking it over in earnest, with Jiraiya looking on over her shoulder. Everyone was on high alert as Naruto unveiled a wealth of information.

"As I said each is a self-contained unit and is relatively autonomous. Information can often be slow reaching the outer tier bases, so by the time my raids became an issue I was already planning my fourth one. This was one of the more important bases, if by its location alone."

Slow nods echoed around. Having any form of safe haven in Lighting, considering the countries stance and aggressiveness, was quite the coup for the Snake Sannin. The loss would have far reaching effects, all thanks to Naruto's efforts.

"Hmm, I must say I am impressed with what you accomplished so far. I will continue to watch your career with greater interest." Danzo turned his sole eye on Naruto, and it felt like the hand of the Shinigami caressing his throat.

Naruto hid his discomfort well.

"It was the least of my duties to my village; that said I thank you for your recognition and kind words" Naruto uttered softly as he bowed his head.

Danzo gave a slight nod before turning to Tsunade.

"It seems we have much to contemplate. By your leave I will retire and consider these matters carefully."

Alongside him Homura and Koharu uttered similar sentiments and with a nod from Tsunade they filtered out of the room.


"Uzumaki-Kun is turning out to be a formidable asset to Konoha. I could not have imagined that he could accomplish this much, perhaps we were wrong about Jiraiya-Kun as of late, if these results are any indication of his teaching abilities." Homura muttered as they walked slowly into their private chambers.

Koharu merely hummed as she reviewed the files content mentally. Even she could not help but be impressed at how much had been done by the blonde Jinchuriki.

"What do you think, Danzo?" she queried as she turned to their third member.

Danzo moved slowly further into the room and eased himself into his usual seat.

"That child is far more dangerous that you realise."

Homura and Koharu blinked at the statement. They too sat down and waited as Danzo formulated his words.

"He has had the advantage of a Sannin involved with his training, but for a relatively new and unknown Chunin to take out the remnants of a clan and a fraction of Orochimaru's support structure…." Danzo trailed off and shook his head in amusement.

"Would we have had ten of him years ago? Who knows what we could have accomplished."

Silence reigned for a bit.

"That said, there is much he has left out. The speed at which those bases fell one after the other, the locations of each one, all within at least a seven month period. Each of those bases were targeted there can be no other conclusion."

Homura leaned backwards and pondered the puzzle Danzo laid out. Koharu meanwhile was thinking furiously over the files she read.

"There was a fair amount of census data in those files. Locations of multiple hideouts, some random bits of data." Koharu muttered as she tried to find a pattern. "If what you say is true, Uzumaki-Kun might have been looking for something specific. Something he could probably find in one of those bases."

"Or Someone" Homura cut in.

All conversation stopped as they pondered this angle.

Uchiha Sasuke

Two sets of eyes lit up and just as quickly dimmed.

"And so far I was impressed with him." Koharu sniffed haughtily while Homura sighed.

"He did manage to destabilise a portion of the snakes' power structure. For the time being Orochimaru would be cautious and we know that Tsunade would not rest on her laurels. Young Uzumaki managed to do some good, let us not spoil the accomplishment."

Koharu pursed her lips but kept her peace.

Danzo however...


"Now that they've gone, what did you leave out that you didn't want them to hear?" Tsunade queried dryly, a short while after the Elders had left. Her gaze was on Naruto like a hawk and he couldn't help the slight shiver. Her eyes narrowing further didn't do his nerves any good, so he came out with it.

"It wasn't Orochimaru that set the trap."

Jiraiya snorted.

"Really, I could have told you that."

Naruto glared at his one-time sensei then bit back.

"Okay, good. How about this; I think Akatsuki set the whole thing up."

That stopped everyone short. Tsunade quickly regained her composure and growled a single word.

"Explain."

Naruto merely nodded and steeled himself.

"We know very little about the organisation save the two members that came after me. That much I gleaned while working with Jiraiya for nearly two years. Suddenly he gets a tip that could give us everything we need. Jiraiya-Sensei is one of the best spy masters in the world. The only problem is time."

Jiraiya remained stationary, but everyone could tell he agreed with Naruto.

"Given the circumstances we devoted a lot of time and energy to my training; that cost us on intelligence. We are at least two years behind on that front. Keeping abreast of details is a far cry from covert operations. Sooner or later Jiraiya-Sensei would need to get back into the game and before long he would gain access to who knows what levels of information."

Naruto paused before dealing the first blow.

"Now, who says Akatsuki have to be willing to wait for that moment?" Glancing round he continued "It is our best interest that Jiraiya acquires all the information he can get; it is in their best interests to deny him that. All it would take is a little-"

"-Misdirection" Kakashi breathed out, eye wide. Meanwhile sharp realisation hit Jiraiya and he groaned out loud. Tsunade looked at each one, eyebrow raised.

"I'm waiting."

Jiraiya shook his head.

"Think about it Tsu-Hime. My network was compromised for this reason. Separate me from Naruto and I would spend the subsequent time chasing him, not Akatsuki. By the time I resume my spy detail so many trails would have gone cold or lead me in circles. Clever bastards" Jiraiya cursed out at the end.

Naruto nodded and continued.

"It is also the reason I didn't report back." He pulled out a final scroll and handed it to Tsunade. This one held a list of names. And headbands.

All were slashed.

"Nothing above B-Rank. Mostly C-ranks levels of skill." He supplied carefully as Tsunade's eye twitched at the implication. There weren't many headbands but the message was clear.

"Whenever I tried to make my way back I was ambushed. I finally managed to get some details out of one of them. Someone was able to falsify a bounty fitting my general description, however my skills were mostly downplayed and the bounty itself would attract the low tier or just desperate." Naruto ran a hand through his long hair"

"I didn't take it seriously until I came to an inn, near the borders of Fire Country. The increased ninja presence was worrying, but none more so than the fact that a substantial bounty had been placed on short notice and the target was in my general area. Worse still a hunter's mark had been called out; Mamaragan was bagging the bounty."

The atmosphere went severe at the name.

"Mamaragan. One of the few old guards alive, a very dangerous opponent." Tsunade murmured, pensive. Kakashi was tense, so too was Jiraiya. Mamaragan was one of Kumo's best ninjas, fiercely loyal to the Third Raikage. It was said he left Lighting on a promise to the Third, although to date no one knew the final words the two shared.

"Again the details had more than a passing resemblance to me. I couldn't flee for fear of drawing attention, yet I couldn't stay else I be caught. Then word went round that Mamaragan had found his target and was leaving. It was a near mass exodus and ninjas made themselves scarce."

Naruto shook his head in a depreciating chuckle.

"It's funny; we actually shared a table for a brief moment. He mused out loud that our actions often came with many consequences, and often the lesser option might have as much impact as the greater."

"After that I stopped trying to get to Konoha and the ambushes stopped. Following that I got notes on Orochimaru's bases and basic details of security and fighting strength."

Kakashi shook his head.

"You know they were using you, probably observing you as well. It was reckless."

Naruto retorted immediately "I had very little choice in the matter, considering the lengths they took to keep me apart from everyone I'm surprised they didn't bother to snatch me while they had the chance."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin.

"You have a point. How can you be sure its Akatsuki then? As you said they could have just taken you, rather than play games."

Naruto looked around, his single blue eye grave.

"Because the alternative is too difficult to contemplate. Akatsuki is bad enough, but at least we know about those ghosts. Another group capable of pulling this many strings from the shadows, without us being aware? That doesn't bode well for anyone sensei."

None had a comeback to that.

"Naruto. I'm attaching you back to Kakashi's command. Comeback tomorrow for a full mission assignment and combat assessment. Jiraiya you need to head out now, you have a lot cut out for you." Tsunade commanded.

Kakashi pushed off the wall and walked over to Naruto, he ruffled the teen's hair, amused at the disgruntled look.

"I'll escort you out Jiraiya-Sama. Naruto see you tomorrow." At that twin pulses of chakra rang out in high speed shushin.


Silence reigned for a while. No one moved, not even a muscle.

Finally Naruto opened his mouth, finding it suddenly dry as he tried to speak.

"Tsunade-Hime. I-I'm sorry for worry-"his words cut off as he was suddenly engulfed in an embrace. He blinked in shock, only just realising how much taller than her he was. He felt her shoulders shake slightly, and then he draped his arm around her. His chakra pulsed softly, warm and she squeezed tighter, snuggling further into his chest.

"I'm just glad you're safe. Welcome home…Otouto.


A.N. Hey again, hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

To the reviewers, thanks for the comments and criticisms, all help me keep going. only two real questions that need answers.

Formeraxe: If you mean during the five month period, then its because he thought he could quickly track Naruto, however time passed and he was coming to his designated end period, he couldn't keep it a secret for long.

Seta88: Book 1 set up the foundation, and its here we get to see them truly interact and grow. Both are damaged people, strong but vulnerable. Plus they both have loose familial ties that they cling to. Naruto keeps Tsunade grounded, gives her something to believe in, that is the main reason she is trying. Naruto however wants a family, to him nothing is more sacred and anything that threatens that is eliminated. Personally i wish we saw more interaction between those two, i just thought to build on that.

Thanks again - please also check out my mini series going on: Naruto Strings & Theory - Times Before Trials. depending on how things go i might keep it up or stop altogether, however let me know your thoughts.

Thanks and catch y'all later