Chapter 2
Dubious Circumstances
Borderlands of Hi no Kuni
She stood, starring into the eyes of one of the most powerful Ninja on the continent. He was a legend from the Second Shinobi World War. A Ninja who had fought against the best in the world, called a Sannin, a legendary Ninja by Hanzo the Salamander, leader of Amegakure and arguably the greatest Ninja of his generation. The Spy Master of Konohagakure no Sato, who's spy network was considered one of the best in the world, Sage of the Toads and an unparalleled master of the art of sealing.
Jiraiya starred right back, his mind taking in every feature and contour of his surprise guest's form. He knew her from somewhere, but couldn't remember where. Then he remembered. Very few Spy Masters knew every detail about the hosts of the Biju, the tailed beasts of legend. She was slightly older than her picture, but he knew exactly who she was.
Yugito Nii, Jonin and ANBU captain of Kumogakure no Sato, low S-class Ninja and Jinchuriki to the Nibi no Bakeneko, one of the Village Hidden in the Clouds ultimate weapons. Finding this information out was no small feet. To the rest of the world she was just a talented young Ninja. Her condition was an S-class secret, and he lost quite a few spies just confirming it.
Her head snapped back, and she took off in a dead run into the forest. He was about to move to intercept, but stopped when he saw something clinging to her back, and it was not a backpack. It was a child, maybe eight years old, with spiked dark blonde hair. The Nibi container had a kid? Impossible, she was far too young. Then he saw the kids face, only for a moment, but he made out at least three whisker-like markings on his cheek, tanned skin and brilliant sapphire eyes.
"I know that kid" he whispered under his breath, his brain rattling through a mass of information to try and remember. Then he remembered. It had been five years ago. He had returned to Konoha to foil an assassination attempt on his deceased student's son. He had watched him from afar, waiting for the assassins to make their move.
"Naruto" he whispered. A gust of wind blew by him, swaying his long messy white hair.
Jiraiya was about to pursue when he heard the tapping of sandals on bark. Looking up he saw another three silhouettes, forms darkened by the positioning of the sun. They flew over him and disappeared into the forest, the same direction where that woman and Naruto had gone. The three disappeared into the forest canopy. It was obvious by their formation and speed that they were pursuing the two.
There was a series of sudden thuds, and looking down the Toad Sage saw a small line of kunai dug into the earth at his feet, each one possessing the fluttering form of an already lit paper bomb.
"Oh shit" Jiraiya cursed audibly, jumping back just as the line of bombs exploded in a mass of flame and dirt. Caught in the aftermath he was thrown into the forest, slamming into and snapping the thin trunk of a tree. With a groan the forty six year old staggered to his feet, hand patting a sore back "Alright" he growled, reaching up to pat the twigs and leaves from his mane of hair "If that's how you want to play"
He took a breath, concentrated his chakra to the soles of his feet and exploded into motion, giving chase to the two groups. It had been four years since that incident, four years since he heard that his godson had been kidnapped by Kumo-nin. For the first four years of that boy's life he had been working in the shadows. Fully utilising his spy network to hunt down and nullify any and all threats against him, whether they be external or internal.
Sadly he missed one, and a week after the incident he had received word from his old sensei, telling him that Naruto had been captured by Kumo-nin, most likely collateral after their failed attempt to kidnap the heir of the Hyuga clan. He and his sensei had tried to mount a rescue attempt, but they were impeded by the elders of the Council of Fire. Tensions between the two villages escalated, and all attempts at a rescue mission ceased. Even his sensei Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, had been forced to give up any hope on getting Naruto back. The entire affair had hurt the old man, and he had blamed himself for the boy's loss.
But now he had a chance to make it all right. He didn't know the full situation, but one thing was clear as day to him. Naruto had to be taken back. This time he would not fail the kid, he would be there to protect him, keep him safe and help him become a young man his mother and father would be proud off.
He jumped from branch to branch, giving pursuit to the three Ninja. The sun was no longer obstructing his vision. He could tell by the colour of their armoured suits and flak vests that they were Ninja from Kumo, and they were pursuing the woman.
An explosion sounded off ahead of him, a cloud of white smoke rising in the distance. He knew there was a battle kicking off, Kumo-nin versus Kumo-nin right in the Land of Fires borders. The political ramifications for this would be immense. War had been declared over much less in the history of the elemental nations.
Ahead of him Yugito held three more kunai in her hands, just finishing tying exploding tags to each one. As she jumped she spun, throwing the three knives in different directions. She heard them stab into the surrounding trees, waited a couple of seconds and bringing her hands together in a basic sign shouted "Kai!!!"
The paper bombs caught fire, burned out and exploded, sending shards of wood and debris at the Kumo-Jonin. The Nibi container caste a brief glance back, only to see the three come through the smoke with the odd cut or scrape, but otherwise unharmed. Gritting her teeth she continued to jump from branch to branch.
This was not good. She was down to three kunai, six shuriken and twenty meters of wire. At the rate she was using them soon all she would have left was her katana, and Yugito did not want to get into a close range fight with these guys. Not with Naruto hanging onto her for dear life.
Then there was the man she had run into on the dirt road. Jiraiya of the Sannin would definitely report this chance encounter to Konoha, and war had been declared over considerably less. A skirmish taking place between foreign Ninja in their territory would not be looked upon favourably. All she wanted was to get Naruto out of Kumo, and now she may have inadvertently caused another war like the one four years ago.
"Mom!"
His voice roused her from her dangerous thoughts, and not a moment too soon. She landed on a branch, crouched and using the momentum of her bent knees jumped and spun. Watching as a wave of shuriken swished by, one grazed her cheek, sending blood dripping to the bark.
"Mom" Naruto called worriedly, his hands gripping onto her jacket "You're bleeding!"
"It's nothing" she replied reassuringly, ignoring the warm liquid which flowed down her cheek. The shuriken bit deeper than she thought "I'm fine"
A kunai shot into her hand from her wrist holster, and she held it up defensively, cat like eyes scanning the surrounding area as three dark silhouettes appeared all around her, surrounding them and blocking off all escape routes. With her free hand she reached to the katana, sheathed to a scabbard at the small of her back, and drew it with blurring speed.
"Yugito Nii" the leader spoke in a threatening manner, his face hidden behind a swallow mask "Surrender and hand the boy over!"
She smiled menacingly "And condemn him to that hell. Not a chance!"
"Be reasonable" another piped up, this one wearing an eagles mask "If you surrender maybe Raikage-sama will spare you"
She snorted at that. The Raikage wouldn't be able to do a thing. She was beyond his protection now. Law decreed that anyone who committed such crimes against the council was to be labelled a Nuke-nin with a hunt down and kill order attached. If she was taken alive then she would be hauled back to ANBU headquarters, and have the Nibi forcefully removed from her body. The stress from such forceful extractions was always enough to kill the host, and another baby girl would be taken from her family and turned into a weapon. That was what happened to her predecessor.
"You know that I'm beyond his help" she said grimly "Penalty for my crime is death. Can't have any rebellious weapons after all"
The one behind her threw a salvo of shuriken, forcing her to skip back and perform a backward somersault, falling from the branch and landing on the forest floor. She steadied herself into a crouch and looked up just in time to see the sparrow finish a set of hand signs. He hit the ground in a crouch, hands resting on the earth.
"Doton: Doryū Taiga!"
She jumped high, looking down long enough to see the ground where she once stood turn to slippery muck. The same Jutsu again meant they were trying to take her alive. Her status as host to one of their tailed beasts made her too much of a commodity to just kill. They wanted to cat, and the fox.
"Mom, behind you" Naruto shouted quickly, and she turned to see a small sickle flying towards her, a chain attached to its butt, whose other side was wrapped around eagles right hand. She pivoted her body in midair, watching the miniature war scythe pass by, the tip cutting through her clothes and nicking her abdomen. Eagle gave the chain a yank, and the sickle flew back at her. In response she spun, watching with batted breath as the weapon passed by back to its owner.
A shadow fell above her and turning she came face to face with the white porcelain mask of her third opponent, this one was that of a crow. She acted on instinct, her body going on autopilot she stabbed her kunai through his abdomen. Crow grunted in pain before his form was encompassed with yellow light, crackling and sparking with barely contained power.
Yugito cursed under her breath as the lightning clone exploded, tearing through her chest and abdomen, throwing her and Naruto to the forest floor below. On instinct she spun to protect the child hanging onto her back, and faced the ground as it hurriedly rose up to meet them. She raised her hands to protect herself, and pain exploded through her as she slammed onto the ground. Ribs cracked, couldn't move her right hand, most likely broken. The lightning had burned through her clothes, her Jonin vest protecting her from the worst, but her abdomen, upper thighs and shoulders were badly burned.
The pain was unbearable, even if the Nibi could heal it. All that was needed was five minutes, but the two tailed monster cat was not the nine tailed demon fox, and while she could heal burns, cuts, scraps and many a fatal injury she could not mend bones, not without considerable effort.
Her head spun, eyes grew heavy. She couldn't hear Naruto calling out her name, but she could see his youthful face as he pushed her onto her back. He was crying, oceanic orbs laced with worry and panic. Her vision blurred as she watched the Ninja jump down from the treetops and slowly approach her.
"Don't you think that was a little much?" Eagle asked.
"Meh, she's a Jinchuriki. She can take it" Crow replied uncaringly "Besides she's a Nuke-nin now"
"But she was holding back against us" Swallow piped up "If she really wanted to hurt us she would have used something more than explosive tagged kunai!"
"It's her loss" Crow said flippantly "We can't afford to be merciful. The village needs the Nibi and the Kyubi to stay at the top of the food chain, and she's just lost her dependability"
They stood over both her and Naruto now, expressionless masks bearing down on her. She tried to move, tried to get the kid behind her, but a boot slammed forcefully against her chest. Yugito hacked up blood and gasped in pain as she felt a few more ribs crack under the pressure.
"Don't move. Any wrong moves and we will kill you" his eyes radiated disgust and hate upon her as he kicked her in the abdomen "Stupid bitch, couldn't let it go could you"
"Mom"
"Shut up" crow growled, backhanding Naruto and sending him landing on the ground hard "What does a monster like you need with a mother anyway!? I suppose monsters are drawn to monsters huh!?"
"Come on man, knock it off" Eagle warned, but his caution fell on deaf ears.
"Might as well stop her from attempting an escape" the ANBU with the crow mask growled, drawing his katana and stepping to her "Should I cut off one leg or two?"
Any threatening move he made towards her was halted by a sudden explosion of white smoke. Surprised by the suddenness of the attack the three acted on instinct and jumped away, their forms exploding through the smoke as they went and landing on a few nearby branches.
There was a clack of sandals on the hard ground, a repeated clacking of sandals on the ground. The smoke cleared and a voice, loud and boisterous resounded through the forests "I am the hermit of Mount Myouboku, the wise and immortal spirit. That's right it is I! The Toad Mountain Sage!" the smoke cleared completely and the three Jonin's eyes widened at who they saw, standing on one foot, one hand sweeping forward while the other swept back, head partially hidden by a massive mane of messy white hair.
"Jir-ai-wha?" he slipped on a patch of slick mud, landing on his back with a painful thud "Oh – not what I had in mind"
Naruto could only stare at the fallen form, flopping like a guppy as he tried to right himself. He seemed to give up, then reeling his legs back flipped to his feet, a great resounding clacking going through the forest as his sandals hit solid earth. The three Ninja did not seem impressed. The kid was looking at him like he was an idiot.
"Out of the way old man" crow snarled "This doesn't concern you!"
The Toad Sage looked up at the Ninja, and he did not look impressed "Kumo-nin, fighting amongst them selves in the territory of the land of fire. Oh I think this concerns me a great deal" he looked at Naruto for a moment, a small smile on his face "Besides, if the kid is who I think he is then it's only natural that I step in"
He made a set of hand signs with blurring speed, finishing with the tiger seal and a smirk "Welcome to the Land of Fire! Katon: Endan!!!"
He puffed out his chest as he inhaled the surrounding hair, which deflated as he exhaled, spitting out a continuous stream of scarlet flame towards the Cloud-nin. They scattered, the fire hitting the branch and burning right through.
Both swallow and eagle landed on the ground, skidding to a halt. A shadow fell on them and they turned to see the Toad Sage bearing down on them, each hand crackling with blue power as two balls of swirling azure formed. His expression deadly serious he slammed the balls of power into their chests with a colossal roar of the techniques name.
"Tsuin Rasengan!"
Both men were struck, their bodies seemingly folding in on themselves before they were thrown back with incredible force, thrown through the air and smashing into the earth, leaving trails of dishevelled dirt in their wake. Crow was above him as the Sannin landed, his own hands going through a set of hand signs, he finished with the tiger.
"You're not the only one who can use fire release old man, Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
He inhaled air, and using a ring made of his middle and index fingers blew out a large ball of crimson fire. The fireball fell upon Jiraiya, exploding the moment it hit the ground. Crow landed on the ground, falling into a crouch and looking at the destruction he had wrought. The ball dissipated, showing a crater of charred earth. The Sannin was nowhere to be found.
"Nice try son" a voice stated from behind him "But it's obvious you can't tell the difference between a Kage Bunshin and the real deal"
Crow turned to be met with a fist, slamming into his face with bone crunching force. He heard rather than felt his nose shatter under the strike before he was lifted into the air and thrown against an unyielding tree stump. Slumping to the ground, nursing his nose, the man looked up to see the Toad Sage approach.
"I'm not going to kill you or you're little friend's kid. Instead I'll send you back to Kumogakure with a little warning. Don't ever enter our land again unless you want to spark another war, and believe me we have a lot of incentive thanks to that little stunt you pulled four years ago" he stood before him, an unmovable object "Oh, the kid and his friend there are now under my protection. You can come after us if you like, but I might not be so merciful next time" he reeled back his fist, the palm coated with chakra and without warning slammed it into Crows face, breaking his jaw and knocking him unconscious.
Taking a deep breath the seal master turned and walked back to the kid and his unconscious mother. Watching as the young blonde watched him wearily, sitting on his knees between the blonde haired woman and him. Jiraiya shook his head in bemusement, amazed at how alike the kid was to his father on looks. Take away the whisker markings on his cheeks and he would have become a carbon copy.
He reached out with his hand, and the kid flinched like he was about to be struck. That saddened him, but it didn't stop him from ruffling the boy's hair. The child opened his eyes and looked up at him, curiosity in his gaze "You alright kid, not hurt anywhere?"
"I'm f-fine" he stuttered, a little unnerved by the massive man before him "B-but mom, I think she's hurt really bad"
"Let's take a look then" Jiraiya replied, coming down to a knee to check on the wounds of one Yugito Nii. He guessed she was between eighteen and twenty two years of age, and the rumours about her beauty were hardly exaggerated. Full lips, cream coloured skin, long blonde hair tied in a braid of white cloth, nice bust, curves in all the right places. She would give any girl in Konoha a run for their money in the looks department, more than a worthy peeking prize for his research too, in his opinion.
If she recovered the woman would definitely be in his next book, under an alias of course.
He checked her wounds and shivered, second degree burns along the shoulders, thighs, and abdomen. Her clothes around these areas were smouldering ruins but it looked like the Jonin vest she wore protected her from the worst of it. A deep cut ran along her cheek, but as he watched the wound sealed with a sudden puff of steam. The burn marks were receding as well, albeit slowly. The tales he heard about a Jinchuriki's healing abilities weren't exaggerated. But as he checked her pulse and injuries, using what little medical expertise he had he felt cracked and broken ribs, guessed she had a concussion and her right arm was bent at a funny angle. What was worse was that they weren't healing.
She needed a hospital.
Gently he put his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, grimacing when he heard a pained moan escape her lips. Naruto looked on worriedly, and with a sigh Jiraiya gently put the girl down. There was no way of moving her in her condition, not without making the injuries worse. He needed another way to move her, but how?
Then it hit him, gingerly he sat down cross-legged on the ground, his hand reaching into his robe, producing an empty sealing scroll. The Toad Sage pulled off the seal and opened it, revealing an intricate set of runes, all surrounding a circle of empty paper.
"What are you going to do?"
He looked over at the young blonde "Her wounds aren't bad, but I can't move her normally. So I'm going to seal her into this scroll until we get to a hospital"
"She'll be alright, right?"
He smiled slightly "Yeah, she's going to be alright"
He made a couple of hand signs, slamming his hand on top of the empty scroll and watched as the Nibi Jinchuriki disappeared in a puff of white smoke. The kanji symbol for human appeared on the empty space, and in one smooth motion he rolled up the scroll, reattached the seal and deposited it back into his coat. But Jiraiya wasn't done yet, biting his thumb with enough pressure to draw blood he imprinted the red liquid on the fingertips of his right hand and made the hand seals for boar, dog, bird monkey and ram.
He crouched, slamming his hand into the earth, summoning runes, marking themselves on the rocky surface before another explosion of white smoke. It cleared, revealing a small toad wearing a blue jacket, its skin yellow with dark orange markings around his eyes and along his stomach. The small omnivore looked up at the Toad Sage, and raised a webbed hand in greeting.
"Yo Jiraiya, what's happening dude?"
"Ah Gamajiro" the old man returned with a wave of his own "I need you to take a message to the Sandaime for me"
The small creature looked up "Do I get some candy?"
Jiraiya chuckled "Yes, yes, the old man has a small supply hidden in the second drawer of his desk"
"Good enough for me" Gamajiro replied "So what's the message?"
"Tell the old man that I've found him" the Mountain Toad Sage explained, and at the small toads questioning look he reiterated "He'll understand what I mean"
The toad thought about it for a moment, then shrugged dismissively "Sure, whatever"
"Wow, that is so cool" both sage and summon turned to see the eight year old blonde on all fours starring at the small toad in wonder "It's a frog, and it talks!"
"Frog" Gamajiro repeated the word for a moment, looking incredulously at the blonde "I'm not a frog, I'm a toad!"
Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment "Is there a difference?"
------
Hokage's Office, Konohagakure no Sato
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, patriarch to the prestigious Sarutobi clan, peered through clasped hands at the door leading out of his office, mind reeling over the information relayed to him. His home was on the verge of the greatest internal conflict since the founding of the village nearly eighty years ago.
Evidence had recently been placed before him that the Uchiha clan was planning on performing a coup d'état of the village council. This was worrying news as the clan was one of the two founders of the village. They were the recipients of the infamous and legendary Doujutsu Kekkei Genkai known as the Sharingan, and held a lot of sway with certain elements of the Ninja and Civilian populations.
To make matters worse any chance of trying to mediate the situation was being cannibalised by his former rival and fellow village elder Danzo who was even now assembling his own division of ANBU, the Root, in preparation to met the Uchiha head on.
The results would be a bloody and costly struggle which would weaken the Village Hidden in the Leaves, leaving them open to invasion from one of the other Shinobi nations. With a sigh the legendary Professor leaned back in his chair, absently reaching into his top desk drawer for his pipe and matches. He lit the pipe, puffed out a mouthful of tobacco smoke and looked up to the portraits of his predecessors and supposed successor. Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage and founder of Konoha, his own sensei and younger brother to the Shodai Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime, and finally his successor, the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato.
He looked at the portrait of the Yondaime with a solemn expression, feeling a familiar sense of guilt well up within him. The man had given up his own life to defeat and seal the Kyubi no Yoko and his one wish, his one dying wish was that the host to the demon, his own son, be seen as a hero. A sad chuckle escaped the old man's lips. He had tried. Instilled laws that Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki be hidden from those his age. That any mention of the demon was to be punished severely.
He had tried, but his successors dying wish had not been fulfilled. Many of the civilian villagers had hated the boy, seeing him as the demon. Some even going far enough to try to kill or assassinate him. The Uchiha had wanted him put to death. His rival Danzo wanted to take the boy and turn him into a mindless weapon. It took everything he had to keep them at bay. Jiraiya's spy network and his own wish to help Naruto had been extremely helpful, and together they had saved him from dozens of assassination attempts.
Sadly one had gotten through, and what was worse was that he didn't even hear about it until a week after the fact. The Hyuga Incident had hit the village hard, and the death of the clan heads brother to stop a continuation of hostilities had been very hard to watch. The child's ANBU guards reported that they hadn't seen him at the orphanage. They had scoured the city for him, but found nothing.
Hiruzen knew that Kumogakure had something to do with it, and his former apprentice agreed with him. His suspicions proved correct, and he had tried to assemble a strike team to take the boy back. The council, most notably the Uchiha and elders had put a stop to it, hindering his and Jiraiya's attempts at every turn. They argued that any attempt at such an action would lead to a continuation of hostilities with the Hidden Cloud, something no one wanted. Eventually he was forced to abandon any chance of a rescue. Jiraiya had been furious with his decision and the two hadn't spoken to each other since.
"Yo"
He frowned, looking around for the source of the voice. There was no one else in the room.
"Hey pops"
The Sandaime looked around again, his frown firmly in place. Was it the wind? Was his old mind finally playing tricks on him?
"Down here!!!"
The suddenness of the shout was enough to make the sixty five year old jump in surprise, barely grabbing his smoking pipe before it fell on his lap. With a growl he looked down in surprise, eyes wide to see a small yellow toad, no bigger than his hand, starring back up at him.
"Who are you?"
The little creature looked insulted "I'm Gamajiro, and I have a message addressed to you from Jiraiya"
"Jiraiya" the old man repeated numbly, forgetting that his student had a contract with these pesky little fellows.
"Jiraiya" the toad confirmed with a groan of annoyance "So do you want to hear it or not? He said it was pretty urgent"
The Sandaime coughed into his hand "Yes, go on"
"Okay" the yellow amphibian chirped "His message is, and I repeat…'I found him'!"
Silence reined as the old man turned the words over in his head, frowning at his students lack of information "I found him, what the hell is he talking about? It's obviously something he considers to be obvious…then that must mean-"
His jaw went slack, and this time the pipe did fall on his lap. What followed was a series of pained cries and colourful curses which sent his ANBU detail running.
------
One Hour Later, Konohagakure no Sato, Konoha Hospital
He never liked hospitals. To him walking into the reception, seeing the blank white walls, smelling the disinfectant brought back memories of more painful times; when he was either one of the patients in this hospital, visiting fellow Ninja ravaged by war or going in to identify the corpse of a friend. Yes, Sarutobi Hiruzen never visited the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary.
His student was waiting for him in the reception, sitting on one of the chairs which flanked the walls, talking in his usual boisterous manner to someone beside him, although who the old man could not say. As he got closer he saw who it was, and a smile spread across his aging lips.
It was Naruto. The boy had grown up, and was nearly twice the size he was since the last time he saw him. He had let his hair grow a little, but it was the same mess he remembered, his skin was still tanned, eyes still those unnaturally blue. He looked well fed and cared for. Although when the aging Hokage got closer he saw that the child seemed worried about something, for although he was talking to Jiraiya there was hesitancy in his voice.
The Sandaime looked around. There were a couple of nurses at the reception. The odd doctor hurried through the corridor, but other than that it seemed quiet. Obviously they didn't recognise him, to which he was grateful.
Jiraiya noticed him then, and with a smile he rose from his place, Naruto following suit, and waved "Hey old man, long time!"
"Yes, four years if I'm not mistaken" Sarutobi returned, before setting his sights on the small boy partially hiding behind the Sannin "Hello Naruto, do you remember me?"
The boy seemed to think for a moment, and then he lit up somewhat "You're the old man who used to come visit me in the orphanage"
"Hey brat, mind your manners" Jiraiya barked in slight outrage "This is the Hokage!"
The boy seemed to realise his folly, but instead of hastily apologizing he frowned, crossing his arms over his chest "Ain't he a little old to be the Kage?"
Hiruzen watched in stunned silence, then he threw his head back and laughed "Yes Naruto, I am the old man who used to visit you at the orphanage. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage" he then turned to his former pupil, a questioning look on his face "He looks fine Jiraiya, I don't see why you brought him to the hospital"
"I didn't come to the hospital for him" Jiraiya replied, before looking around and leaning in "I need you to gather a team of medical Ninja and a squad of ANBU, only those you can trust"
Sarutobi nodded, his face taking on a serious façade "For whom?"
"A Kumo-nin who was travelling with Naruto, she suffered major second degree burns, cracked ribs, a mild concussion and a broken right arm" at his sensei's frown the Sannin reiterated "I'm guessing she was the boys protector, for she was fleeing and fighting the Cloud Ninja in pursuit"
The old man's eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing again. Before he could speak Naruto's voice interrupted "You're talking about Yugito-chan right?"
Both looked down at the blonde, seeing both worry and resolve in his eyes "You know her Naruto?"
The blonde nodded "She's my mom"
"You're mom" they both intoned with a slight frown.
He nodded "She's not my real mom, but she took care of me while I was in Kumo, and when the council overruled the Raikage to put me through some sort of illegal training Yugito-chan came to my rescue. She gave up everything she knew to protect me"
Both were deep in thought with this information for a moment, before Hiruzen looked up at the ceiling "Suki, Mei"
Silently two figures fell from the rooftops, hitting the floor in a kneeling position, heads bowed. They were ANBU, dressed in full armour with katana sheathed at their backs. Their faces were hidden by the porcelain animal masks of a panther and a wolf. One had long black hair, done up in a ponytail while the other was the colour of chestnut, and shoulder length.
"Hai, Hokage-sama" they stated in unison.
"Take the boy and get him something to eat, until otherwise you are his protectors"
"Hai, Hokage-sama"
He looked to Naruto with a reassuring smile "Go with them and get something to eat, you can trust us"
He hesitated, before nodding and letting the two women lead him to the hospital cafeteria. When he was out of sight the Sandaime looked up to the rafters again, taking a puff from his pipe "Yuji" another ANBU silently fell from the rafters, landing silently in a kneeling position, a plain white boar mask covering his face "Gather Misaki's medical team, fast"
The third ANBU nodded before disappearing in a swirl of wind and leaves.
"I'm also going to perform a level five chakra seal when the medics have finished with her" Jiraiya added when the ANBU left the hospital.
The Sandaime frowned. It wasn't unusual for a chakra seal to be placed on a captured foreign Ninja, but level five was usually used for those of Kage level "That seems a little extreme"
The Sannin looked around, as if searching for prying eyes "I have a suspicion that I know who she is"
He frowned at his former pupil's cryptic manner "Spit it out, Jiraiya"
"Not here" the Sannin stated, leading the old man down the hallway to one of several one bedroom rooms. Once the door slid shut Jiraiya put his hands together, blurring through hand seals before finishing with the ram seal. To the naked eye there was nothing but a slight sizzle of air, but a bubble of chakra formed around the room, clinging to the walls, doors and windows. The privacy seal complete Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe and motioned for Jiraiya to continue.
"Nii Yugito, Jonin level Ninja of Kumogakure no Sato, and Jinchuriki to the two tailed monster cat"
He narrowed his eyes at the statement. Yes that would make the use of a level five chakra seal very necessary "Does anyone else know?"
Jiraiya shook his head "Just me, you and the brat"
"For know lets keep it that way" the Sandaime ordered "If the council found out that there are not one, but two possibly hostile Jinchuriki in this village then they will panic"
"Naruto isn't hostile"
"Yes I know, but will the council?" Sarutobi frowned, taking a puff of his pipe "Especially in this charged climate"
His former student gave him a questioning look "I thought the situation with the Uchiha was smoothing out"
"Negotiations are failing"
"That bad huh"
Sarutobi nodded gravely "Danzo and his Root aren't helping the situation either. If a compromise cannot be reached soon then both the Uchiha loyalists and Root are going to be fighting each other in the streets"
"And you will be forced to assemble your own ANBU and Jonin to restore order-"
"Leading to a three way civil war" Sarutobi finished.
Jiraiya leaned against the wall, arms folded across his broad chest, head bowed and eyes closed in contemplation. He knew from his spy network in Konoha that it was bad, but to hear it from his sensei's mouth was the final nail in the coffin for him "You can count on me and my network old man"
He nodded with a hum, taking another smoke of his pipe "Thank you Jiraiya"
"Who else is supporting you besides your personal ANBU squads?"
"I have the support of the Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akamichi and the Inuzuka" was his reply.
"Most of the major clans" Jiraiya said "You definitely have the numbers advantage"
"The Uchiha have little support in the Jonin or ANBU" Hiruzen explained "But they have considerable influence among the Chunin"
"How many Chunin"
"Around a hundred and fifty" Hiruzen muttered "Add that to the Uchiha clan Ninja. All of whom possess Sharingan and are all between Chunin to Jonin level Ninja. The numbers are around two hundred"
Jiraiya frowned "This has to be the worst time to bring Naruto back"
"No kidding" Sarutobi agreed "For now we'll keep his and his guardian a secret until this potential disaster is stabilised"
"Yeah" the Sannin agreed "If either Danzo or Fugaku find out that we have two Jinchuriki in the hospital then the party could start early"
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, followed by a calm feminine voice "Hokage-sama, you called for us?"
"Yes Misaki-san" Sarutobi replied, nodding to Jiraiya to dispel the privacy Jutsu.
The door slid open to reveal a fairly young woman. Her striking emerald eyes and smooth features framed by a mane of chocolate brown locks. Following her were another three Shinobi, all Chunin with medical patches attached to their shoulders, right below the leaf and fire symbols.
The woman nodded her head "Hokage-sama"
The Sandaime nodded his head before speaking "As of this moment this is an S-class secret, you are all not allowed to reveal what you see here under severe punishment. Do you understand me?"
The four looked among each other uncertainly before Misaki spoke "We understand, Hokage-sama"
He turned his head to Jiraiya, who took out a small storage scroll from his coat and, taking off the seal opened the scroll and spread it across the floor. The medics looked on with interest as the seal master released the seal, and watched with equal interest as a young blonde woman appeared through the white smoke. Obviously badly wounded and in need of immediate attention, then they saw the Kumo headband on her forehead and hesitated.
"Well" the Sandaime asked with a frown "Step to it"
------
No one knew where the base of operations for Root was. There was much speculation among the ranks of the Hokage's personal guard and the regular Ninja forces but no one knew where they gathered. The truth was that the Ne had no central base of operations.
Deep under the surface of Konohagakure's old town district, in the oldest sewer systems of the village was the new temporary headquarters of the secretive branch of ANBU known as Root, and they were assembling in full force, gathering together in a drained out chamber. Almost fifty elite Ninja had gathered from every corner of the Hidden Leaf Village, answering the call of their master.
The leader in question sat on a tatami mat in the middle of the crevice, outwardly calm and collected. Dressed in a white high collared robe, a rickety walking stick laid out to his left. The full right side of his body covered in bandages, even across the right side of his face, obviously missing an eye and sporting a stump which was once a right arm it was obvious the man had been through war.
Silence was constant, his soldiers, all kneeling with their heads bowed did not make a single movement or gesture. They were as still as statues, waiting for his order. Each Shinobi had been put through severe mental and physical conditioning, trained to operate at maximum efficiency with no emotion. They were the perfect soldiers.
Danzo frowned. He did not like assembling his Root like this, but the current situation with the Uchiha was becoming worse by the moment. The Uchiha were becoming too arrogant for they're own good. Their supposed superiority over all other Konoha Shinobi was making them a serious liability to the village. If action was not taken soon then Konoha would be lost.
The consequences of open conflict were unacceptable. Civil war would weaken Konoha, and other nations would use the civil strife to their advantage, declaring war and further weakening Hi no Kuni. Iwa was most likely to take advantage, they and Konoha had been on frosty relationship since the end of the Third Great Shinobi World War, and the Rock-nin would take any chance to weaken their leaf rivals.
What was worse was that Sarutobi's lack of action to counter the Uchiha clan before they made their move. He had tolerated his old rivals softening nature up until now, but his lack of action was near suicidal in the one eyed elders mind. Instead of forcing the Uchiha to submit Hiruzen wanted to negotiate, a useless practise in his eyes. Sure Fugaku and his clan could capitulate now, but what about next time?
He heard movement in the rafters above and watched as an ANBU fell silently from above. The elder not even batting an eyelash as he fell into a kneeling stance, head bowed in silent reverence. Danzo eyed the plain white bore mask and immediately knew him as the operative he had implanted in Sarutobi's ANBU ranks.
"Report" the Cyclops ordered lightly.
The man nodded his head "An hour ago Jiraiya of the Sannin arrived in the Konoha hospital with a small child in tow. That child has been confirmed as Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko" the beginning of the report made Danzo pause, carefully he put his cup of herb tea to the side, before giving his subordinate his undivided attention "He asked Hokage-sama for a medical team, one he trusted to treat an unknown female Kumo-nin, identity unconfirmed"
Danzo hesitated for a moment, before nodding his head. Yuji bowed, then like a wraith jumped up to the rafters once again with short bursts of chakra to his feet. All the while his leader was in quiet contemplation. If word got out of this child's return to Konoha then the Uchiha would perceive it as a threat and act prematurely. They had always been stout opposition to keeping the child alive after the Kyubi attack.
But soon an idea sprang into his mind. If he played this game right then he would gain a Jinchuriki, and not just any Jinchuriki but the strongest of all the Jinchuriki to mould into a weapon for the greater good of the village. A plan was already forming in his mind, followed by several backup strategies for every scenario.
After a moment Danzo once again reached for his herbal tea, sipping the lukewarm liquid as he continued to make preparations. With a wave of his hand he dismissed all but five Root operatives, sending them back to their positions within the village.
He did not know who this female Kumo-nin was, and until he had confirmation of her identity he would not bother with her. Questions as to why they were here could also wait for a later time. Uzumaki Naruto was his primary interest, but for now he would play his part as Hiruzen's ally in this mess and keep the boy a secret from Fugaku and his Uchiha horde.
He would do what was best for Konoha, even if it perceived him and his troops as villains. That was what he and his Root were. The silent guardians and shadow operatives of the superpower which was the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They would protect the village, even if doing so meant using methods that Sarutobi and his soft minded followers frowned upon.
That was the reason for their existence.
That was Root.
Glossary
Shinobi - Ninja
Kumo-nin – Cloud Ninja
Nuke-nin – Missing Ninja
Jonin – High Ninja
Sannin – Three Ninja
Shodai – The First or the Founder
Nidaime – The Second
Sandaime – The Third
Yondaime – The Fourth
Hokage – Fire Shadow
Raikage – Lightning Shadow
Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire
Amegakure – Village Hidden in the Rain
Konohagakure – Village Hidden in the Leaves
Kumogakure – Village Hidden in the Clouds
Jinchuriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice
Nibi no Bakeneko – Two Tailed Monster Cat
Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox
Kekkei Genkei – Bloodline Trait
Doujutsu – Eye Techniques
Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes
Tsuin Rasengan – Twin Spiralling Sphere
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Katon: Endan – Fire Release: Fire Bullet
Doton: Doryū Taiga – Earth Release: Earth Flow River
Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone