Author: G.A.M.M.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 2:

'Risky Business'

Old Man,

It has been a year since I went shopping. Sorry I'm late in sending the present I purchased.

I found the two dolls you wanted for your granddaughter. One of them is really awesome, it's the cat's meow.

The vendor had them on the shelf for about a week. I had to sew them up with a couple stitches, but other than that I think they are nice enough to please your granddaughter.

It's been raining a lot lately. I'm hoping the weather will turn soon so I can go outside.

I'm going out for a picnic later today. It's clear for once and I intend to make the best of it.

I'm only bringing water this time. Don't worry, I won't get drunk.

The wind has shifted to the north. Maybe I'll bring a kite.

I'll let you know if I need a new sweater.

Love,

Kaeru

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his study.

He scanned the letter from Jiraiya a second time, puffing idly on his pipe.

Hmph... I guess he assumed I knew he succeeded. It's true, I have other sources. He was just being cautious. Otherwise he wouldn't have waited a year to send a letter.

Said letter contained several key words and phrases that let the Hokage know the Sannin and his charges' situation. Jiraiya acknowledged it had been a year since the mission was issued and apologized for taking so long to send a message. He confirmed he had rescued Naruto and Hinata. The "cat's meow" referred to the Nibi no Bakeneko. Sarutobi concluded that the Bijuu had been sealed inside of Hinata for some reason. The sentence about the vendor denoted how long they had spent in captivity and "a couple stitches" meant he had repaired something, likely the seals containing their Bijuu. "Nice enough" meant that they were relatively unaffected and could return to Konoha as functioning shinobi.

The rain meant he had established a base somewhere near Amegakure and "go outside" meant the pursuit had lessened enough that Jiraiya could risk going abroad again and send more regular messages. "A picnic" was code for something he had to handle personally, and "it's clear" meant Sarutobi could risk sending him a return message. The next two sentences only meant that he was headed for northern Kiri territory, in Mizu no Kuni, the Land of Water, and would be cautious. The last sentence implied that Jiraiya might be requesting help of some sort in the near future. The signature translated as "frog", but also as "to return", that meant the original plan was still in place and Naruto and Hinata could return to Konoha when they were ready to become Genin. If he had signed "Kawazu" which only translated as "frog", that would have implied Jiraiya was considering changing the plan.

Hiruzen let the smoke from his pipe stream out his nostrils as he sighed in relief.

So far, so good. He thought.

He reached for pen and paper and began to draft his return message.

Kaeru,

I like the dolls. About the one you thought was awesome: I wouldn't exactly describe it as the cat's meow. My granddaughter is rather spoiled and may not appreciate it.

Have fun on your picnic and try not to get wet. I'll send you a new sweater if you like.

Love,

Your Old Man

Sarutobi tapped the pen against his lips in thought.

P.S. A few of the stitches came loose. You should have done a better job sewing them.

Those last sentences gave Jiraiya the authority to do with seals as he saw fit and implied that the Hokage was displeased, but considered the outcome of Jiraiya's rescue acceptable.

He sealed the message and gave it to the agent who waited patiently to deliver it back to wherever Jiraiya's message had come from.

I wonder what he's doing in the northern regions of the Land of Water? I hope it's worth exposing Naruto and Hinata. He better have a good reason.

Jiraiya was unsure if going to Mizu no Kuni was turning out to be a good idea or not.

So far he hadn't turned up any more leads regarding the tip he had received.

One of his agents had heard a rumor that someone had been sniffing around Kiri's territory looking for "a guy with a big sword." It wasn't much to go on, but Jiraiya had learned to trust his gut. His gut told him that this someone might be Nagato or one of his associates. If his suspicion was correct, then it was likely he was looking to add someone to his rumored organization. The Toad Sage's speculation stemmed from who the person was looking for: "a guy with a big sword." That implied one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. If the meaning of the person's inquiry had been literal then it could be either Hoshigaki Kisame or Momochi Zabuza, the respective owners of the legendary Samehada and Kubikiribocho blades.

According to Jiraiya's "eyes and ears" both of them were currently in Mizu no Kuni, the Land of Water. Hoshigaki was rumored to have been denounced by Kirigakure, but his name wasn't in the Bingo Book yet. Momochi had supposedly been part of a recent failed coup d'etat to depose the Mizukage, though Jiraiya's sources couldn't be completely certain. Both were strong shinobi and both had ample motive to join Nagato's rumored organization.

Hoshigaki was the more likely to be recruited of the two. He possessed a unique physiology and accounts of his prowess far exceeded those of Momochi. However, Momochi could not be ruled out entirely. He was still a formidable shinobi and was a master of the Silent Killing style, possibly the best in the world.

Jiraiya had been unable to confirm either of their exact current whereabouts, but sightings put Momochi somewhere in the vicinity of northern Mizu no Kuni.

The Toad Sage was confident he could deal with Momochi if it came down to it. Hoshigaki would present a greater challenge, but he was still not of Jiraiya's caliber, not even close. The plan was to drop the kids off in a nearby village for a day while he investigated Momochi. Even with the massive advantage he held over Momochi, he wouldn't risk exposing the kids to his brutality. Jiraiya was certain he was getting close to finding the man.

Said kids were currently walking five paces behind him to his right, as he had taught them. Jiraiya had to admit they had become much more manageable in the last year.

A month after he had rescued them, they had had a run in with a Kumogakure ANBU squad. Jiraiya had dispatched them quickly, managing to do so without any bloodshed, but not before they had scared the piss out of the kids. They'd stopped nagging him as frequently about staying close and doing what he said. Instead, they would just stare at him sullenly, pouting as they did what he asked. It certainly wasn't the respect he had desired, but it was a definite improvement from how things had been initially.

That first month had been absolute hell. He had never imagined five-year-olds could get into so much trouble or have so much energy. It was probably due in part to their Bijuu's influence, but it still boggled his mind when he thought about the trouble they had stirred up. He recalled the time they had doodled on his face in the middle of the night. He had sent the woman who had put them up the previous night screaming that morning, and not in the good way.

Jiraiya supressed a chuckle. Even he had to admit it had been a little funny.

After the confrontation with the Kumo ANBU the kids slowly began to earn the training he had promised them. The Toad Sage set aside an hour a day to train their bodies. He started them with basic strengthening exercises and stretching routines. They needed to condition their bodies before they could safely start learning any taijutsu. He had upped their workout to an hour and a half after the first month. A month ago he had increased the regimen to two hours, adding some agility training to their routine. They were almost ready to begin learning the basics of rudimentary taijutsu.

He considered their progress and decided that if they behaved themselves during this excursion he would reward them by starting their taijutsu training. Yet, he was ambivalent to move Hinata up to contact-training. She was as ready as Naruto was physically, but mentally she was almost as timid as she had been when he rescued her. He had hoped a little of the obnoxious blonde's personality would rub off on her, but so far it hadn't had much of an effect. The girl was too set in the ways of her clan. She was still trying to live up to her father's expectations. She would need to move past that problem if she wanted to improve.

They had been on the road for over a month. They had passed through Hi no Kuni, the Land of Fire, well south of Konohagakure no Sato, and taken a boat from the eastern coast to the northernmost island of Mizu no Kuni, the Land of Water, at the edge of Kirigakure no Sato's territory. They had arrived at the southwestern tip of the island and had headed steadily inland for the last three days.

Today was the last day of their long march. Just a short way ahead was the village where Momochi had last been spotted.

It was a risky business, exposing the kids like this, but he deemed it a necessary one. He couldn't let Nagato roam free unchecked.

It was his responsibility to keep tabs on his old student. Jiraiya considered Nagato's actions the direct result of his failure to mentor him and his friends properly. It was his duty to Konoha, Nagato and the shinobi world to put the brakes on whatever he was doing if it was sinister. As his charges and he closed in on their destination, Jiraiya felt an odd sinking sensation, like he was walking into a trap. His gut told him he needed to follow through, but his mind warned him to consider the situation carefully. He had to remain vigilant and protect the kids. If it came down to a choice between the kids and the mission, Jiraiya would choose the kids without hesitation. He could always find another lead, and his duty to the kids outstripped his duty to Nagato. He was responsible for them and had an obligation to Konoha to return them safely in seven years. The kids were only six and still needed to be watched constantly. He hoped they would handle themselves properly tomorrow when he went out to search for Momochi alone.

The kids were growing tired again. Both the boy and the girl were beginning to stumble every few hundred paces. It was still a two-hour march to the village. Jiraiya decided to give them a break, but the boy beat him to the punch.

"Oi, Ero-Sennin." The boy whined. "I'm hungry, can we take a break?"

Jiraiya's eye twitched uncontrollably for a moment and he supressed the urge to bonk the blonde on the head.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" He asked for the nth time.

"Sorry, Ero-Sen... er, I mean Jiraiya-sensei." The boy apologized half-heartedly.

It was is own fault, really. The Toad Sage hadn't exactly been discreet about his admiration for the fair sex. It had all gone downhill after the kids had caught him peeping at the local hot spring near their safe house on the borders of Amegakure, Hi no Kuni and Kawa no Kuni. They had figured out his weakness quicker than he imagined possible, and exploited him constantly. They would butter up a pretty girl to win his favor, or dash his attempts at flirting if he had pissed them off recently. It was getting old extremely fast. That the girl had started to harangue him almost as often as the boy was as encouraging as it was distressing.

"Umm... a-ano Hoshigen-san.. I'm h-hungry t-too."

Jiraiya didn't feel the same urge to bop the girl, but his eye twitched again nonetheless. "Hoshigen" was the girl's own personal abbreviation for "hito nashini ginen", which translated as "man without scruples." "Hito" could also be translated as "bandit" or "humanity," so the abbreviation also implied he could be worse than a bandit or lacked humanity. It was a much more clever nickname than "Ero-Sennin," which simply meant "Perverted Sage."

That she alway added the "san" honorific only added insult to injury. "San" was a sign of respect, and thus meant that the girl used the nickname respectfully. It irked him that she honesty viewed him as a man without scruples. At least it was better than the boy's "Ero-Sennin." That nickname obviously was not respectful.

Still, Jiraiya had to admit the nicknames were pretty accurate. He was certainly perverted and could be a bandit at times. He lacked certain scruples, though he was not completely without them. The nicknames they gave him were probably an odd sign of endearment, though most of the time Jiraiya tossed that theory out the window and just got annoyed or lost his temper.

"We'll stop in a minute." The Toad Sage conceded, too weary to correct the little Hyuuga Heiress.

He walked off the road to the right and pulled a blanket out of his large backpack. His usual rucksack hadn't had enough room to carry all their supplies, and Jiraiya was too cautious to use his fuinjutsu (sealing techniques) out in the open. He was famous; true, yet he wasn't a house hold name. Nor was his face usually recognizable to those who only knew of him from common gossip. To most people he just appeared to be an eccentric man is his mid-forties. He wasn't about to go flaunting his fuinjutsu and let the world know he was a shinobi.

The Toad Sage shifted his attention to the task at hand. He placed the thick quilt on the brown winter grass of late January. He took out the portable stove, three mess tins and three battered cups, placing them beside the patterned blanket. The kids sat down on the ground and watched him expectantly.

He had tried to get them to takeover some of the cooking duties, but the girl didn't know how to make anything except rice balls and the boy could barely boil water and destroyed whatever food he touched as a general rule. Jiraiya would have to teach them the basics sometime soon. He had planned the trip so they would only spend the better part of a day without him, but he foresaw longer absences becoming necessary in the near future.

"A-ano... are there any o-onigiri left?" The girl asked shyly.

Jiraiya really needed to work with her on that stutter. It was great if she used it as a tool to deceive an enemy into thinking she was weak, but she needed to be able to speak confidently. No one would take her seriously if she didn't grow out of that habit before she reached adolescence.

The Toad Sage handed her two of the small rice balls that she liked. She munched on them quietly and daintily, staring at the ground as she did so. Jiraiya had seen her eat quickly, but only when she hadn't eaten in half a day. The girl really needed to loosen up and live a little.

"Oi, can I have ramen?" The blonde asked.

The boy, on the other hand, could use to learn a little restraint. He was the girl's polar opposite and rarely held back anything that popped into his foolish head. His mouth had gotten Jiraiya into all sorts of unnecessary trouble. The aging hermit suppressed a sigh.

If only I could throw them together in a pot and mix their personalities... woe is me. How can it be that I, Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, have been reduced to the metaphorical wet-nurse of a firecracker and a wallflower? Curse Sarutobi and curse Konoha! Why did the kids have to be kidnapped? Curse Kumo and curse the kami who decided I needed to be humbled! Oh, were that I were free again! I would happily rest in the shade of a tree and watch the clouds. Oh, what I would not give for a single day of peace. Curse the infernal... (Rant, rave, rant, rant.)

"Oi, Ero... er, Jiraiya-sensei! I said: can I have ramen?"

Jiraiya pulled out of his self-pity and resigned himself to lighting the stove and making ramen for the thousandth time. It wasn't worth arguing with the little fireball. When it came to the boy and ramen, Jiraiya doubted even the patience of a Kage could withstand his whining. He vividly imagined Sarutobi pulling his hair out as the kid danced around his office, begging him to make him ramen. The thought brought a cruel smile to Jiraiya's face.

Someday. He vowed. Someday, Sarutobi-sensei.

Half an hour later both the kids were fed and Jiraiya packed up their picnic stuff. They took to the road again and set out to cover the last five miles to the village where they would stop that night. The next morning Jiraiya would go out for the day and look for Momochi. His gut told him he should be looking for Hoshigaki, but the man's whereabouts were unknown, albeit he was somewhere in Kiri territory. Jiraiya was as likely to run into him in the village as anywhere else.

The kids followed behind him for the next two hours. The Toad Sage didn't believe in pushing them over long distances. Their short legs couldn't cover any significant distance if they walked faster than three miles an hour. He had learned his lesson in the first month they had spent in his company. During that time he had been forced to carry them both on numerous occasions. Pushing them simply wasn't worth the trouble.

They entered the little farming village just before dusk. The Toad Sage smelled precipitation in the air and decided they would need a roof over their heads that night. He had planned to hire a hut for the kids to stay in the next day, but there was no point in being stingy. It wasn't worth the risk of exposing the kids to the weather.

Jiraiya picked a farm that was just large enough to be considered moderately prosperous, but not so large that the owner might be presumptuous. He knocked firmly on the door of the small homestead. A solid man in his late-twenties to early-thirties opened the door. His face wore a disturbingly haunted expression.

"What do you want?" He asked roughly, eyeing the Sage and his charges with obvious hostility.

"Pardon me." Jiraiya said politely, putting his best-foot forward. "I was wondering if you had a shed or a hut in which we could stay the night and part of tomorrow? We are tired and hungry and need shelter. I can pay you and we have our own food."

The man's were glazed with sorrow. He was staring out a thousand yards beyond them.

"A thousand ryo." He muttered vacantly, holding out his hand. "There's a shed in the back."

Jiraiya deposited the money into the man's hands. The man counted the money, nodded absently, and slammed the door in his face.

The girl tugged nervously at Jiraiya's robes. "A-ano... Hoshigen-san... m-maybe we sh-shouldn't s-stay h-here."

"It's only for tonight and part of tomorrow. Besides, I already paid the man. Relax, I'll keep you safe." The Sage reassured her.

Something was certainly troubling the man, but he was no threat to a Sannin. Jiraiya dismissed his concern; the matter was of little consequence.

The two kids followed him a little more closely than usual, walking almost on his heels until they reached the shed. The shed was just large enough to comfortably, if closely, allow them to all lie down on their bed rolls. Jiraiya lit a lantern and set it on top of a nearby crate. The light flickered dimly in the lengthening shadows of the winter twilight. A steady snowfall began to descend from the darkening sky, and Jiraiya was glad he had trusted his nose and found them shelter for the night.

"Jiraiya-sensei?" The boy asked softly.

The Sage immediately sensed something was troubling the boy. The kid only addressed him properly and sincerely when he was worried.

"What is it?" He asked, not unkindly.

"That man... he looked... I don't know. Weird I guess."

Jiraiya privately agreed that the man had seemed disturbed, but he didn't want to scare the kids for no reason.

"He was probably just worried about the snow."

"Oh."

Jiraiya sat up straight and waited until he had both kids' attention.

"Now we've already talked about what's going to happen tomorrow. You two stay inside the shed. Don't leave no matter what. I will leave Gamakichi with you so you can reach me if there's an emergency."

"But he's so tiny." The boy whined. "Why can't you leave us with one of the cool toads?"

"Gamakichi may have only grown his legs a year ago, but he can summon himself back to Myoboku and find me as well as any other toad-summon. He can stay hidden easily, that's what's important."

"A-ano... h-he's rude." The girl complained.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Look, just stay here and don't go anywhere. Gamakichi will come and get me if there's trouble. Got it?"

"H-hai."

"Fine."

The two got under their blankets and fell asleep in less than ten minutes.

Jiraiya stayed up for a while thinking.

He needed to find out Momochi's whereabouts tomorrow. Kumogakure was still looking for them, and they couldn't afford to stay in one place for more than a day or two.

Their private safe house was the only exception. Not even his agents knew where it was. It was located just over a mile from the little village nestled on the border Amegakure shared with Kawa no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, where Jiraiya went in disguise to receive updates from his agents and brief them on their assignments. Its only entrance was behind a waterfall in the back of a small cave hidden by a boulder that took Sage-strength to move. Jiraiya had placed numerous traps and seals inside the cave, and had placed a high level genjutsu over the boulder to make it look like a solid wall of smooth stone.

The private safe house was a snug little hideaway he had carved into the rock using his doton jutsu. He had expanded it to hold two sleeping areas, one for himself and one for the kids. It boasted a small common room and a modest kitchen, as well as a training room for the children and a study for himself. There was one more room. One that the kids didn't know about. It housed all of Jiraiya's spy reports and the copy of the Forbidden Scroll he had made. He hadn't told Sarutobi about the copy and didn't intend to tell him anytime soon. It was part of his plan to train the kids when they were old enough. He had sent the original back with one of his best agents as soon as he had arrived at one of his known safe houses, the one nearest to Mount Myoboku.

His thoughts returned his current situation.

Tomorrow would be the kids' first real test of obedience. He half-expected them to wander around the village while he was gone. Gamakichi would keep an eye on them, and the village seemed safe enough. It was just a provincial farming village in northern Kiri territory, nothing special. It was as good an environment as any to see if the kids would follow the rules when it counted.

Everything will be fine. Jiraiya reassured himself. What's the worst that could happen?

The Toad Sage should have known better than to tempt fate with that forbidden phrase.

A/N: A few quick things.

You'll notice I changed the chapter's title from what I had originally planned. This is because when I wrote it yesterday, it ended up running over 12k words. This is an excellent stopping point. The narrative is self-contained and flush with detail and inner monologues. It sets up the next events nicely, so I broke up those 12k words into three chapters. This gives me a chance to put more detail into the next two chapters and to be more thorough in my editing process.

This chapter was completely Jiraiya-centric, but the next one will focus on Naruto's and Hinata's experience.

Their adventures in Part I will obviously center around their travels with Jiraiya. Jiraiya's travels will center mostly around tracking the activities of Akatsuki. I will be taking liberties with where he goes, since Kishimoto was vague about where he went except for a few places. In this aspect, I will keep his travels within the realm of the canon.

Ah, random fact: one ryo = ten yen.

I suspect more than a few of you will know where I'm going with this three chapter mini-arc.

Hint: this mini-arc will not feature any training for Naruto or Hinata and will greatly effect the plot later on.

On a side note: what did you guys think of the nickname I came up with for Hinata to call Jiraiya? I didn't want her calling him "Ero-Sennin." I wanted her to give him a nickname that properly represented her view of him and fit with her character. "Hoshigen-san," man without scruples (respectful) seemed appropriate. I'd like your input.

Thank you for reading and reviewing. The next chapter will be out later today and it is possible I may have time to publish the one after that as well. Next chapter title:

'Snow'

-G.A.M.M.