Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto franchise nor do I own the Star Wars franchise!
Well I have deliberated over the reviews I have gotten, taken them into account and ran them through several scenarios that I had already planned out. The final decision is that Jiraiya will be… Nope, not saying. You all will just have to read to find out! And remember the words of wisdom by our favourite perverted cyclops, always look under the underneath. Just because something happens the way it did, does not mean that it will not change later down the road. - Hint, hint!
Also would like to dedicate this paragraph to introducing two songs that I have recently fell in love with, the first being Mirai by GARNiDELiA and the second being Spice by Tokyo Karankoron. Mirai is the ending theme for Gunslinger Stratos, which is an alright anime but nothing special while Spice is the ending for Shokugeki no Soma. Fantastic anime about cooking and one of the few anime that I have absolutely no idea how to crossover with Naruto, due to it being about food only!
Alright enough of my babbling, on with the show!
Chapter 3: Never a Dull Moment
Beep
Beep
Beep
'Where am I…?'
A pair of eyes cracked open to survey their surroundings, immediately taking note of the multiple machines that he was hooked up to. Looking down at himself, a grimace stretched across his face when he noticed the amount of bandages that his body was wrapped in. Tilting his head to the side, he looked out the window to see that the sun was already high up in the sky.
'Someone must have found me after the battle and brought me to the hospital…' Naruto concluded as he allowed his eyes to briefly flicker to the corners of the room where he felt two different presences.
"What happened after I was knocked out? And yes, I'm talking to you two hiding in the corners of my room." He called out, the two presences flared slightly in surprise from being detected by a Genin.
A few seconds passed before one of them seemed to vanish from the room, the second person faded into existence just a second later to reveal an ANBU member. It was a female agent, she had straight purple hair that fell to her mid-back and on her face was her mask. A mask that the blond was familiar with.
"Neko-san?"
"Oh? Whatever happened to Neko-chan?"
Naruto frowned slightly, her voice though light-hearted in nature seemed to be wavering in certain places. Not to mention that her Force presence was tinged with layers of sorrow and anger, he was easily able to sense this things due to his sense being bolstered by the Kyuubi. Despite wanting to question her, he could also sense that she did not want to converse about whatever it was that was bothering her.
"I'm no longer a kid, you have to earn the right for me to address you in such a familiar manner." Naruto replied, the words though seemingly harsh were delivered in a joking manner.
"I can see that, I was watching your match from the Kage booth. Defeating a Hyuuga in Taijutsu, you've certainly grown stronger than the noisy little kid I used to guard." She moved as she spoke, crossing the room and settling down in the chair by his bedside.
"Not meaning to sound rude but…"
"I understand, we can catch up another time." She cleared her throat before regaling the events that happened while he was busy fighting Shukaku and while he was unconscious.
"When the invasion started, Orochimaru revealed himself as having masqueraded as the Fourth Kazekage. The original having been killed by himself a week before the Chunnin Exams. Sandaime-sama was caught by surprise and dragged away by Orochimaru, my squad made to give chase but were intercepted by several Otogakure shinobi. By the time we had disposed of them, Sandaime-sama had already been trapped with Orochimaru within an advanced barrier that burnt everything it came in contact with."
"Jiji… he didn't survive did he?"
"…Hai. Sandaime-sama fought valiantly but he was already way past his prime as well as outnumbered when Orochimaru used the forbidden technique Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection) and summoned the souls of the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages to fight alongside him. Thankfully it appeared the technique was not complete as both the deceased Hokages were not displaying the strength that cemented them as legendary shinobi. Sandaime-sama eventually managed to get the upper-hand and used the Shiki Fūjin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal) to seal away his predecessors along with Orochimaru's arms."
"I… I see." Naruto felt conflicted at the death of the person who he had believed to be a surrogate grandfather, something that his new mind-set did not agree with. 'While he had always been nice to me and bought me lunch on several occasions, he also lied to me and kept me in the dark about the Kyuubi… what else could he have been hiding from me?'
"Without the use of his arms, Orochimaru was forced to retreat and we gave chase in an attempt to strike him down while he was severely weakened. Unfortunately he had a contingency plan in place, having his guards activate some hidden signal and a few seconds later they were reverse summoned away. Having no other choice, part of my squad returned to secure Sandaime-sama's body while the rest ran damage control in the streets."
"So the invasion is over? How long have I been unconscious?"
"Yes, the last of the invading forces were either driven off, captured or killed. You have been unconscious for an entire day, ever since Jiraiya-sama found you in the forest after you had defeated the Ichibi (One-Tail) and its Jinchuuriki. A rather impressive feat for a young Genin such as yourself, even seasoned Jounin would have had a hard time against a Bijū (Tailed-Beast)."
Naruto frowned slightly at the mention of the white-haired Toad Sennin but that disappeared in favour of an embarrassed blush at the praise, "Ah it wasn't much, Sasuke helped wear him down and even Kyuubi helped out by giving me some chakra!"
The cat-masked ANBU quirked an eyebrow, not that he could see, upon the mention of the beast sealed within him.
"You are on talking terms with the Kyuubi?"
"We have an… understanding."
'No we don't meatbag.'
'Are you still upset about the rabbit ear thing?'
'…I will disembowel you and hang you from your own entrails.'
'Feeling's mutual…'
"So if Sandaime-Jiji is dead, who is the new Hokage?"
"A new Hokage had yet to be selected, though several candidates have been put forth. One of them was Jiraiya-sama, though I heard he turned it down due to several reasons." She replied.
"Good, can't imagine the fucking pervert as Hokage…" Naruto muttered to himself, though it was still loud enough for the ANBU to pick up.
"…Did something happen between you and Jiraiya-sama? I recall that he was supposed to have been training you before the Finals of the Chunnin Examinations, instead I saw him hanging around the red light district on an almost daily basis." Her tone conveyed her disgust at the famous Sannin and his preferred past-times.
Seeing no harm in letting his ex-bodyguard know, he spilled the beans on how the legendary Toad Sennin of Konohagakure no Sato had kicked him down the Endless Chasm in hopes of him drawing out the Kyuubi's chakra. Needless to say, the purple-haired ANBU member felt her respect for the white-haired Sannin take a serious hit after what she had heard.
"I can't believe Jiraiya-sama would do that! You could have died! How did you even survive that drop?"
"Kyuubi is a real asshole when he wants to be. He knew that my body would be able to survive the fall, so he purposefully held back his chakra until I went splat against the ground. Only then did he start pumping his chakra through my system to heal me… hurt like a bitch though." His current injuries were nothing compared to the pain of having almost all the bones in your body pulverised. "Say if there is no Hokage, then who did the other ANBU disappear to inform?"
"He went to inform your doctor as well as fetch Jiraiya-sama, who had requested to be informed immediately upon your awakening."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the door to the room swung open and a middle-aged woman entered followed by the tall, imposing form of the Gama Sennin of Konoha. The woman was dressed in green hospital scrubs that were splattered with blood, probably from whatever patients that she had been operating on.
"Naruto-kun, glad to see that you're awake." Her voice clearly conveyed the fatigue of having been working nonstop since the end of the invasion, the ANBU moving out of the way as she walked over to inspect the medical equipment.
"Ayakoro-san, it's been a while since we last met." Naruto smiled at the tired-looking woman, she was his personal doctor that was assigned to him by the deceased Sandaime.
"Hmph, that's because you always skip your regular health check-ups mister I-hate-hospitals-dattebayo." Ayakoro smirked in amusement when she noticed the blond blush in embarrassment.
"I would like to apologise about that, I promise I will attend my future health screenings." Naruto said, much to the surprise of everyone who knew how much said blond hated hospitals. 'I need to know if the Force had changed anything about my body. Much as I loathe to do it, I will probably have to place Ayakoro-san under a mind trick so that she will not inform anybody if there are changes.'
"Looks like someone did some growing up since I last saw him…" Her statement fell short as she frowned suddenly while scrutinizing the report clipped to the front of his bed.
"Is there something wrong?" Naruto asked neutrally, though he was sweating up a storm on the inside. 'Shit, I had hoped that the standard life support systems would not be able to pick up anything…'
"Your body… is extremely malnourished. And I mean to the point that if you were anyone else, you would be knocking on death's door right now… what exactly have you been doing to yourself?" Ayakoro growled as she jabbed him in the chest multiple times as if to drive her point home.
"Try finding any decent food at the bottom of the Endless Chasm while every bone in your body was smashed to pieces from the fall, also did I mention that the person who pushed me down is standing right behind you?" He gestured over to the rapidly paling Jiraiya, who had taken a step back when the doctor faced him with a twitching eyebrow.
"Now I must have misheard poor Naruto-kun here, the fatigue must be getting to me because I'm pretty sure I heard him say that Jiraiya-san pushed him into the Endless Chasm. Which is something he failed to point out when he had brought your unconscious form to me after the invasion… right Jiraiya-san?"
"Eh well you see… there was an invasion going on and uh… what I meant to say is… sorry!" Jiraiya turned to flee the scene as he made a dash to the door.
Unfortunately he failed to see the cat-masked ANBU position her leg in such a manner that caused him to trip and smash face-first into the door, leaving him vulnerable to the fury of the female doctor. His screams of pain and mercy could be heard throughout the hospital as he was kicked in the nuts multiple times before she proceeded to stomp on his whimpering form, all the while berating him for his actions.
Calming down somewhat after having vented her anger, Ayakoro brushed a few stray locks of hair back into place before flipping through the report again. Taking note of several pages, she scribbled down her own thoughts before placing the report back in place.
"Well other than the malnutrition, your body seems to be recovering at its usual enhanced pace. You should be back to hundred percent by tomorrow, though based on what I can see… you are cleared to be discharged as of this instant. Just make sure you don't get into another fight or any form of physical training until tomorrow." Ayakoro declared before turning around and marching out the room, duty calls after all.
Before anything else could happen, the whimpering lump on the ground leapt back up to his feet as if he had not even been hit. Dusting off his clothes, Jiraiya turned to face the frowning blond and knelt down and pressed his forehead to the ground. Both Naruto and the ANBU felt their eyes widen in shock, not expecting the legendary Sannin to do something like this.
"Naruto… I fucked up. I really fucked up. I know that. You know that… but I will do anything within my power to make it up to you. Even if I have to spend the remaining time in my life, I promise that I will make it right."
"…get off the ground."
"Does that mean?"
"No… and I'm not sure if I will ever forgive you. However pointlessly hating you over something that had already occurred is stupid, plus you are a Sannin and I would be a fool to turn down your offer." Naruto stated calmly, though his tone was cold enough to freeze even oxygen.
"I guess that is a start…" Jiraiya said with an uncomfortable laugh, which slowly died off when he realised the only other two occupants of the room were silently staring at him.
"I already have the first thing you can do in mind…" Naruto said with dark chuckle, the smirk on his face doing nothing to appease the white-haired Sannin's fears.
'I feel like I'm going to regret this…' Jiraiya felt a shiver race up his spine.
An hour later
The imposing figure of the Toad Sage of Konoha made for a strange sight, pale-faced with rivers of tears flowing down it. His body slumped onto the table, a rather disturbing aura of depression surrounding the man.
'I knew I would regret it.'
His godson was currently seated opposite him at the table, upon which was a wide spread of many different kinds of dishes. Foods ranging from rice to noodles, meat to vegetables, seafood from the most mundane to those truly exotic. Naruto had literally ordered one of everything from the restaurants' menu, claiming that Jiraiya would be the one covering the payment. After all it was only fair that the person who had been responsible for his malnutrition, be the person that picked up the tab for his food. Just for the kicks, the blond had even invited the purple-haired ANBU along. Naturally she accepted, though she had removed her mask beforehand and told them to address her by her name.
Uzuki Yūgao, foremost expert Kenjutsu user in Konohagakure no Sato.
Naruto had been ecstatic to hear that, immediately begging for her to teach him in the ways of Kenjutsu. He had even pulled out his katana in hopes of convincing her to take him on as her student, something that she had never before even considered. Though she had admitted that his weapon had excellent craftsmanship and was well maintained, she eventually caved to his relentless enthusiasm and stated that she would take him on as a part-time student during her free time.
"Ano… do you think you could teach me as well Uzuki-san?"
That voice belonged to Hyuuga Hanabi, whom Naruto had also invited along when they had run across her and her bodyguards whilst on the way towards the restaurant. The guards had been hesitant at first but had eventually relented since Jiraiya of the Sannin would be more than enough to deter any attempts at kidnapping or assassinations. It turned out that the young Hyuuga had been on her way home from visiting her sister in the hospital, she had been injured in another ambush attack that had been thwarted by her teammates.
What the blond-haired Uzumaki did not know was that while Hanabi had indeed visited her sister in the hospital, the initial reason for the trip to the hospital was instead to visit him. Unfortunately they had been turned away by the ANBU stationed at the door, claiming that he was under orders from Jiraiya of the Sannin to not let anyone enter the room unless it was Ayakoro. Hanabi was rather annoyed by the fact that she could not visit her saviour but knew that she was outranked, so she settled for pouting and stomping off.
Upon awakening from her own bout of unconsciousness from the ambush attack by the Otogakure shinobi, she had time to process and let sink in the fact that she had almost been kidnapped or killed. And the only reason that she was still alive was because of a certain blond-haired shinobi, this seemed to leave quite a lasting impression in her young mind. Thus leading to her wanting to find out more about her saviour, which was the reason why she had jumped at the opportunity to have lunch with him.
"Aren't you a Hyuuga? Why would you want to learn the art of Kenjutsu?" Yūgao seemed genuinely confused by the question.
"I realised that overspecialising could get a person killed on the battlefield, the invasion only proved to drive that point home. If I want to get stronger, I can't limit myself to just my clan techniques." Hanabi responded confidently, earning herself looks of approval from everyone else at the table.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, except without the clan techniques part." Naruto agreed even as he continued devouring the food on the table.
"Hmm… being the teacher of the first ever Hyuuga Kenjutsu user. I like it!" Yūgao stated with a smile.
"Sorry to burst your bubble but Kenjutsu training will have to wait a while, there is a reason I wanted to be notified immediately upon your awakening after all." Jiraiya cut into the conversation, his tone marking that this was a serious conversation. "I had requested for Naruto to accompany me on an A-ranked mission."
Naruto paused in the middle of his eating spree, swallowed the food that was in his mouth and turned to look at the white-haired man.
"You have my attention."
"The shinobi council had decided that since I had turned down the offer to be Hokage, there were only three other possible choices. Hatake Kakashi, though many feel that he lacks the proper resolve and strength. Shimura Danzo, he is known as the Yami no Shinobi (Dark of Shinobi) and ruthless in his methods. Finally the person that I had suggested, Senju Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin and my ex-teammate." Jiraiya listed off the choices, though everyone at the table seemed to agree on who was the most suitable.
"Tsunade-sama seems to be the most logical choice. With her background as the last remaining Senju, her chakra-enhanced super-strength and medical expertise." Yūgao voiced out, earning nods of approval from the other two.
"Now here comes the tough part…" Jiraiya sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Tsunade had left the village many years ago, ever since both her lover as well as her little brother had been killed during the war. The only reason that she had yet to be labelled a missing-nin is because of her travelling rights as a Sannin, plus the fact that Sarutobi-sensei could not find the heart to list her down in the bingo books."
"So I guess this is the part where the A-ranked mission comes into play, you want me to accompany you in searching for Tsunade and convince her to come back to Konoha to serve as its Hokage?" Naruto asked, hitting the nail on the head.
"That's the plan on paper… off record, I'm using the time we have travelling to teach you a powerful move. Plus I've decided to come clean with you… about everything." Jiraiya held up his hand before the blond could get a word in, his eyes darting around before lowering his voice. "In our line of work, the walls always have eyes and ears…"
"…I understand. When do we leave?"
"As soon as possible, Tsunade changes her location frequently and my current information will only be reliable for a few more days."
"In that case, I will be packed and ready by fifteen-hundred hours at Konoha's main gate."
"Fine with me."
Turning to face the other two occupants of the table, Naruto smiled sheepishly at them.
"I apologize for asking both of you out only to leave so soon."
"It's quite alright Naruto, I have to report back to ANBU headquarters anyway since my protection detail over you is over." Yūgao waved off his concern with a smile.
"And I have to return back to my clan compound before Tou-san starts tearing up Konoha to search for me, but you will have to show me the super awesome jutsu you learnt when you come back alright?" Hanabi demanded, though it was in a light-hearted manner.
"Of course Hanabi-chan, I'll drop by your home when I'm back." Naruto said, earning himself a cute blush from the younger girl at the affectionate suffix he had attached to her name.
Jiraiya restrained himself from making one of his patented perverted comments, realising that his relationship with his godson was already on thin-ice as it was. Yūgao on the other hand could not help but giggle quietly at how adorable the scene was, fortunately it went unnoticed by the two.
"Uzuki-san, I hope to start off my Kenjutsu training as well when I get back. If that is okay with you?" Naruto asked politely.
"Look me up when you get back, if I'm free then we can begin your training. Oh and since you will be learning under me, feel free to address me as Yūgao-sensei from now on."
"Understood. Well I guess I'll see you both when I get back, I hope you enjoyed the meal." Naruto said as he stood up, looking over at the two females.
"Yes, it was delicious. I would not mind coming back here again." Yūgao replied.
"Same here!" Hanabi said with a grin.
"Maybe sometime in the future then. Yūgao-sensei, could you do me the favour of escorting Hanabi-chan home?" Naruto asked the veteran ANBU member as the trio made their way out of the restaurant.
"Yare, yare. Isn't it usually the male's duty to escort his date home?" Yūgao joked, earning a pair of blushes from the two preteens.
"It wasn't a date! Plus she's like ten years old!" Naruto could feel his face burning as he tried to defend himself, though his words only served to earn him a kick in the shin from an equally red-faced Hanabi. "Itai!"
"B-baka!" She shouted before turning around with a huff, arms crossed over her budding chest.
"What did I do?!"
"Oh Naruto, maybe you'll understand when you're older. Come now Hanabi, let's get you home." Yūgao said with a chuckle, grabbing the young Hyuuga by the hand and leading her down the street.
"…troublesome." The blond muttered before taking to the rooftops, making his way back to his home.
Meanwhile inside the restaurant, a certain white-haired super-pervert was still seated at the table with a twitching eyebrow.
"I can't believe they forgot about me…"
"Sir, your bill." A waiter approached and handed over a long piece of paper.
"…10,000 RYO?!"*
An hour later
1500hrs
Konohagakure Main Gate
The blond-haired Force user was honestly surprised to see that the Legendary Sannin was already waiting for him at the gate, though it was probably due to his extended period of exposure to Kakashi's perpetual tardiness that affected his perception of his superiors. Ignoring the man's overly enthusiastic wave, Naruto came to a halt directly in front of him.
"So where do we begin our search for Tsunade?"
"My spy network has informed me that our elusive slug princess was recently spotted checking into an Inn at Tanzaku Gai, a town famous for both its gambling scene as well as fine women hehehe…" Jiraiya stated with a pronounced blush on his face.
"Tsk, you better not slack off when we're there… plus you better follow through with your promise of teaching me a powerful technique." Naruto said as he walked out the gate, heading in the general direction of Tanzaku Gai.
The white-haired Sannin merely grunted an affirmative in response as he handed over the mission papers to the Chunnin guarding the gate, sealing them away once they had authenticated their A-ranked mission. Sensing his estranged godson's impatience, the man quickly took the lead and dashed into the treetops with the blond following barely a second later.
Their journey through the forest was filled with a tense silence, one not wanting to socialise and the other not knowing what to say that would not trigger the other's ire. Finally having had enough of the atmosphere, Jiraiya decided on one topic that would definitely interest his companion.
"The technique that I wanted to teach you."
"Yes?"
"It was a jutsu invented by the Yondaime Hokage, known as the Rasengan."
Hearing that actually prompted a response from the usually cold Genin, he blinked rapidly as if he had misheard what the older male had said. Turning to face the man while still maintaining an awareness of his footing, he could not help but seek confirmation.
"A jutsu invented by the Yondaime himself?"
"Hai, it is an A-ranked technique utilising just pure chakra manipulation. The best part is, Minato never finished the Rasengan. He had confided in me that he had planned to learn how to add his elemental chakra into the attack, something I felt would have boosted the ranking of the Rasengan into S-ranked status." Jiraiya smirked when he saw the excited grin stretch across his godson's face.
'An A-ranked technique with the potential to rise to S-ranked? This is my kind of technique!' Naruto cheered mentally.
Jiraiya released a sigh of relief when he noted how the tense atmosphere had disappeared with the blond nearly exuding an aura of anticipation, it seemed that the path to forgiveness would be paved with powerful techniques.
1900hrs
After several hours of non-stop travelling, only punctuated by the occasional hydration breaks, the duo came to a stop in a small secluded clearing in the middle of the forest. Having informed Jiraiya about his sensor abilities, though leaving out that they were not exactly chakra-based, Naruto spread out his Force awareness into the surrounding trees and beyond.
"…we're clear. The only living things within several clicks are the local wildlife. Just to be on the safe side, I will set up a perimeter using my shadow clones so that the memory feedback will notify me of any intruders." Naruto stated as he pressed his fingers together in a handseal and spawned a dozen clones, each of them taking off in a separate direction.
"Aren't you glad I informed you about the shadow clone's special attribute?" Jiraiya teased as he started setting up camp, unsealing the supplies he had brought along.
"I am grateful, though it also served to increase my ire with a certain perverted cyclops. I can't believe he had been teaching me for several months yet failed to inform me about this important fact, knowing how often I used the technique!" Naruto growled as he, along with a pair of clones, gathered wood for the fire.
"…" The Sannin could offer no response, instead choosing to mentally prepare himself about how to spill the beans towards his godson.
With the aid of the shadow clones, their campsite was up in a matter of minutes. Jiraiya was surprised when the blond disappeared for a few minutes, only to return with an armful of fish that he had caught in a nearby river. Though claiming that he had learnt how to fish during his mission in Nami no Kuni (Wave Country), he had actually caught the fish using some precise Force control to persuade the simple-minded creatures to swim up to him.
After gutting and cleaning the fish, they left them speared on sharpened sticks to roast over the campfire. Jiraiya decided that this was as good a time as any, he gestured for the younger male to sit across the campfire from him.
"Remember when I told you that there will be no more secrets between us?"
"Yeah..."
"I will simply start with the biggest. There is no easy way to phrase this so I will as blunt as possible… I am your godfather and I know who your parents are." Jiraiya paused here, expecting an enraged reaction but was surprised to see the blond still sitting calmly in the same spot. "I expected a bigger reaction… or any reaction."
"What did you expect me to say? In all honesty, I already suspected that Sandaime-Jiji knew who my parents were but refused to tell me for some reason. So I expect that you had also withheld this information on purpose for that same reason, though I do not know if that reason has any merit yet."
"You don't hate me for not looking after you?" Jiraiya asked in a straightforward manner, showing that he meant what he said about being blunt and thus prompting a sigh from the blond Jinchuuriki.
"Did you expect me to shout and throw a tantrum? I admit that would have been my response if this had happened before you tossed me to my death but that experience helped me grow in more ways than one. What has been done, cannot be taken back. Your excuses, good or bad, are of no matter to me. The guilt of your actions will just be another stone for you to carry, just like the guilt you felt when you 'killed' me."
Jiraiya could not help but wince at the way Naruto had phrased his response, he certainly wished that the blond had instead blown up at him and accused him of shirking his duties. He was prepared to handle and explosive outburst, he was not prepared for the cold, calculated response that had torn into him at an emotional level.
"I… I can only apologise and hope that my actions from this point onward would allow you to forgive me."
"Hmph, we'll see… you can begin by carrying on from where you had stopped. Who are my parents?" Naruto wasted no time and dove headfirst into the question, his posture rigid in suspense.
"Your father… was Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage."
Reeling back in shock, Naruto instinctively palmed the area of his robes that covered the sealing array on his abdomen. Clenching his hand into a fist, he gazed into the flames and his next question was barely a whisper.
"And my mother?"
"Uzumaki Kushina. She was the previous host of the Kyuubi no Yoko, just like you are now."
The second major revelation of the night struck him like a blow to the head, his mother had been a Jinchuuriki just like him. Immediately a thousand questions filled his head, everything from how she had become a Jinchuuriki to how the villagers of Konohagakure had treated her. With all these questions, he decided to turn inward to find the answers needed.
'You never told me that my mother was your previous host…'
'We are not exactly on the best of terms, I did not see any reason to inform you about it.'
'…you also knew about the Yondaime?'
'Of course, that bastard father of yours is the reason I am sealed in you after all.'
'What else do you know about my parents?'
'What I do or do not know, I see no reason to impart such knowledge to you. Unless you would like to barter my freedom in exchange for it?'
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he turned his gaze back to the only other source of information available.
"Since Kyuubi is not forthcoming with the details… why me? Why did my own father choose to curse his own son with such a life?" Naruto asked, his hand clenched over his navel.
"Your father was an excellent shinobi and a fantastic Hokage, he would not ask someone else to do what he could not do himself. A Bijū as powerful as the Kyuubi could only be sealed into a new-born baby lest they risk the potent chakra destroying the host's chakra network… so he chose you, in hopes that the village would treat you as the hero he thought you would be." Jiraiya paused as he could see the blond gritting his teeth in anger.
"An excellent shinobi and Hokage he might be, but he was a fool of a father if he believed that the villagers would see me as anything but the scapegoat they saw me as!"
"Minato… was an idealistic man. Something that I had passed on to him when I took him on as my apprentice, he always wanted to see the good in people. It did not help that Kushina's status as a Jinchuuriki was never revealed to the public, thus he had no idea how the populace would react."
"The Kyuubi just levelled half the village and massacred thousands of people in one night! How else would they react when told that the object of their hatred was sealed into a defenceless child?!" Naruto yelled as his gaze snapped upwards, his eyes bleeding into a sulphuric-yellow for a second before reverting back to a glacial-blue.
Jiraiya blinked a few times in confusion, before attributing it to the flames of the campfire playing tricks on him.
"Your father's actions are his own to defend… However I will say that had I been in his place, I would have probably done the same thing. As Hokage, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…"
Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled, allowing the pent-up rage to bleed out before he succumbed to the powerful allure of the dark side of the Force. His rational side of the mind telling him that what his father did was right, this was countered by his emotional side and heart telling him that family came before everything else.
"My mother… did she agree with me being made a Jinchuuriki?"
"I can't say for sure but from what I know of Kushina… she probably fought your father every step of the way. That woman loved you more than anything else in the world."
"Do… do you have a picture of her?"
Jiraiya silently reached into the folds of his clothes and retrieved a tattered rectangular piece of paper. Naruto gently grasped it and brought it up to his face, he allowed his gaze to linger on the smiling visage of the Yondaime for a few seconds before moving to the other figure in the photograph. Instantly his breath caught in his throat.
"Kaa-san…"
Uzumaki Kushina was a kunoichi that was well-known for her beauty, that was a fact that shown through even when dressed in a housewife's attire and several months pregnant. With her signature fiery-red hair, violet eyes and pale skin, Naruto could tell that his mother was definitely a looker. Despite all those things, it was something else entirely that caught his eye. The fact that she had both hands pressed against the bulge on her stomach, plus the soft smile she had on her face that seemed to convey all the love and happiness that she felt.
Tracing a finger along her image, he felt a distant echo within his mind. Like a memory long forgotten that had suddenly re-emerged.
'Naruto… you're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering. Remember who you are! Find a goal… a dream… and don't stop trying until it comes true. There's… there's so much more that I want to say… to teach you… I want to stay with you… I love you.'
Like the start of a light summers' rain, the blond felt the tears flow down his face and splash onto the photograph that he had grasped with both hands. His frame shook as he wept silently into the night, Jiraiya having retreated into his tent to grant him some form of privacy. Something that the blond did not notice, his mind having deduced that those words were his mother's parting gift before she passed.
And so as the moon travelled across the sky, a boy wept for the loss of a mother that he had never known.
A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sister may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives may desert their husbands. However, a mother's love endures through all.
Next Day
0700hrs
Jiraiya bit back a yawn as he emerged from the entrance of his tent, taking the time to stretch out his limbs at a leisurely pace and was rewarded with several satisfying popping sounds. Moving over to peek into his godson's tent, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw that the sleeping bag was empty but had clearly been in use.
'Which means that he had woken up at an earlier hour…' The man stilled his thoughts and absorbed a small amount of Nature Chakra into his system, enough for him to gain the abilities of an average-skilled sensor.
He did not have to spread his senses far as he immediately picked up on the familiar chakra signature barely a few metres away from the campsite, the strange thing was that the signature was high up in the trees. Dispersing the minute amount of Nature Chakra, Jiraiya moved at a sedate pace in the direction of his godson. Upon reaching the location, he looked skywards to see that the blond was seated on the branch of the tallest tree in the area.
"I always enjoyed watching the sunrise from atop the heads of the Hokage Monument, especially the Yondaime's…" Naruto let out a mirthless chuckle, eyes still directed towards the rising sun despite addressing the white-haired man below him. "Who knew that he would turn out to be my father?"
Several seconds of silence passed between the two, neither of them knowing what to say in this situation. Couple more seconds passed before Naruto let out a small sigh, pushing off the branch and landed in a crouch before his travelling companion revealed to be godfather.
"I will make this clear right now. I do not appreciate that this information had been kept from me. Once again, I do not care about the reasons that you or Sarutobi-Jiji had. I was alone and hated for the entirety of my childhood, without even the comfort of knowing whether my parents had loved me or despised me like the majority of the villagers." Naruto spoke harshly before closing his eyes and continuing in a softer tone. "However I do appreciate that you decided to come clean before I had figured it out for myself… Also rest assured that I would not allow something like this to affect the dynamics of our relationship during this mission."
"I see that you have given it some thought… how do you feel about your parents now?" Jiraiya asked carefully, knowing that this could still be an active minefield he was threading on.
"…Namikaze Minato. I cannot fault him for his actions as that is probably what any Kage would have done should the situation had been thrust upon them so suddenly. However, I still cannot find it in my heart to forgive him for condemning his son to such a life. It may seem immature of me, but that is how I feel."
"I see… and your mother?"
"Kaa-san… for some reason, I managed to recollect a memory from my birth when I came in contact with the photo of my mother. Her last parting words to me… I could feel all the love and regret she had at that moment. There was no way I could find it in myself to hate her after experiencing that… I just wish I could have just met her once."
"If you would let me, I could share with you stories of Uzumaki Kushina and what kind of person she was. Probably when we have some free time after the mission, you could seek me out in Konoha." Jiraiya offered.
"I would appreciate that… thanks."
"No problem, but on to a more serious note. There is something else that I need to inform you about… about an organisation of S-ranked missing-nin from various Hidden Villages that seek to hunt down the Jinchuuriki and extract their Bijū. I have not figured out what their purpose is yet but I do know that each of their ten members are at least S-ranked at minimum. This organisation is known as… Akatsuki."
"Red Dawn… do you know the names of the members?"
"My spies have confirmed that Orochimaru had at one point in time been a member of Akatsuki, he left the organisation after an unknown falling out with them. The only other confirmed member I have is another infamous Konoha missing-nin, Uchiha Itachi. The man who single-handedly slaughtered his clan, leaving only his younger brother alive."
"Damn, these guys are serious business… looks like I need to up my training if I hope to even stand a chance against them." Naruto smirked as he conversed mentally with his tenant.
'Hey Kyuubi, you heard that right?'
'Grrr! More stupid Ningen trying to enslave us for our power, this never changes despite the times.'
'Whatever they plan to do, I'm sure it won't be remotely even pleasant for the Bijū.'
'Your point?'
'I would like to request your aid when it comes to handling these people, I know that I am still way out of their league at the moment.'
'…fine. Only because their plans will probably be a lot worse than this!'
'Thanks Kyuubi.'
'Hmph.'
"I'll begin your training once we reach the next town, I have to pick up some supplies and check with my spy network if there has been any changes in Tsunade's plans." Jiraiya stated as he made his way back towards the campsite, needing to seal everything back up again.
"Understood." Naruto made to follow him but paused mid-stride when he felt an abnormal disturbance in his Force senses, he snapped his neck around but found nothing but trees in his vision. 'Weird… could have sworn I felt a strange presence…'
After a few more cautionary glances at the surrounding foliage, the blond chalked it up to his Force senses probably picking up a stray forest animal that had gotten curious. Letting out a quiet sigh, he turned back around and broke into a fast jog to catch up with his white-haired travelling companion.
…
Further into the woods, the bark of a tall oak tree begin to distort in a strange manner. The surface rippling like it was made of water and a large enclosed plant-like object emerged from it, highly resembling a closed Venus-Flytrap. The jaws of the plant split open to reveal another strange sight, a male head that was divided vertically down the middle with dual skin pigmentations. The left side of the face seemed to be almost normal with the exception of having a white skin pigment, the right side held no facial features except a singular yellow eye on its pitch-black skin. To top it all off was a patch of short, messy green hair that covered the head.
"That was close. Yeah! How did he sense us anyway? We're like the best! I don't know, we'll have to report to Tobi about this. Aww, but I'm hungry!" The plant-like being held a conversation with itself, its voice differentiated by a lighter and deeper tone.
Just as it had appeared, the creature withdrew back into trunk of the tree and in a few seconds there was no evidence of it having ever been there.
0900 hrs
Small village between Konoha and Tanzaku Gai
Naruto could feel his brow twitching in annoyance as he stood in the middle of a small shinobi clothing store in the village, he mentally cursed the white-haired Sannin for dumping him here and taking off. The man had claimed that his current outfit was not fit for close quarters combat, the baggy nature of the clothing allowed too many opportunities for an opponent to grab hold off. Thus Jiraiya had handed him some money, a slip of paper with the address of their hotel and pushed him into the shop before disappearing.
"Hello, can I help you?"
Naruto was broken out of his thoughts by the voice, which belonged to a young woman in her early twenties. She had long black hair, with the side-bangs dyed an electric-blue, sharp hazel eyes, a small nose and a smile on her light pink lips.
"I'm sorry, got lost in my thoughts for a moment. On a… recommendation from my travelling companion, he insisted I acquire a more combat-orientated attire that was more form-fitting than my current one. Would you happen to have such a thing?" He asked politely.
"We most certainly do! My name is Yukumi, this way sir!"
"Naruto, I appreciate the help."
Following the bubbly female, he was soon surrounded by racks upon racks of differing shinobi attires. From the most basic clothing to several exotic styles that he assumed came from the other Hidden Villages, there certainly was a wide variety to choose from. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, the blond turned towards the store owner for help.
"I'm kind of new to this whole shopping thing, anything you would recommend?"
He almost regretted his decision when he saw a devious glint enter her eyes.
"Well… what exactly are you looking for?"
Taking a moment to think about it, "I would like it to be form-fitting as I mentioned earlier, to prevent opponents from getting a good grip. Dark in colour, or at least something that would be easy to camouflage with… and resistant to damage if possible."
Immediately the woman started darting around and rummaging in different places, withdrawing multiple articles of clothing from each place before finally dumping the entire pile into his outstretched arms. Ignoring the incredulous look that he was sending her, Yukimi proceeded to usher him into a changing room and demanded that he try the different outfits she had gotten him. Sighing in resignation, he stripped quickly and changed into the first outfit and stepped out of the changing room.
"Too tacky!"
"Ugh…"
"Not bad… doesn't suit you though."
"Gross, that just screams in my face…"
"Hmm… perfect!"
Offering a silent prayer of thanks to whichever Kami had heard his pleas, the blond turned around to admire his outfit in the mirror. Despite all the hassle he had to go through, he had to admit that the woman had a sense of style. He was now wearing a black, long-sleeved turtleneck that clung to his physique and a pair of dark-grey slim-fit pants. The top had a vest of hardened leather sewn into it, grey in colour and offering slight protection against thrown projectiles such as shuriken. The pants were tucked into a pair of black combat boots with thinner than average soles, easier for the channelling of chakra for tasks such as tree-climbing or water-walking.
Sealing up his old clothes, he picked up his headband and re-tied it around his left arm. Taking a cursory walk around the shop, he picked up several other items that he felt would benefit him in the long run. Those being a facemask like the one Kakashi always wore, a pair of metal-plated fingerless gloves and a dark-grey hooded cloak. In addition he also requested for three more sets of his new outfit, plus a set of clothes for casual wear.
"The total will be 6,750 Ryō!"
Handing over a portion of the stack of notes that Jiraiya had passed to him, Naruto sealed up his purchases and left the shop with Yukimi waving goodbye enthusiastically. Glancing up to note the position of the sun in the sky, the blond decided to make his way to the hotel so that he could check in for both himself as well as the pervert.
Moving down the crowded streets of the bustling village, he allowed his senses to flow through the area around him. He noted once again how the Force presences of civilians were much smaller than even an Academy Student that had unlocked their chakra, it was like comparing an ant to a small animal. As his awareness spread further across the village, his eyes suddenly widened in alarm when it picked up on two insanely strong presence. With one of the pair easily dwarfing the other, standing out like the sun next to a campfire.
'I've long since memorized Jiraiya's presence in the Force, neither of those two match his signature. They can't possibly be his contacts, they stand out way too much to be a spy within a small village like this… based on the path they are taking, it seems that they are moving in my general direction…' Naruto outwardly portrayed none of his thoughts, casually moving into an alleyway to create a single Shadow Clone.
"You know what to do."
Snapping off a quick nod of confirmation, the clone leapt onto the rooftop of the nearest building while the original stepped out of the alleyway and back into the crowded street. Deliberately taking his time, he browsed through the wares of several street-side stalls until he felt the familiar tug in the back of his mind before a stream of memories entered. His clone had been created with the least amount of chakra possible, having figured that at least one of the pair had to be a tracker of some sort.
The memories showed that the clone had utilised the Transformation technique to masquerade as a Chunnin shinobi from Takigakure no Sato (Hidden Waterfall Village), he had pretended to be lost and struck up a conversation with a local merchant. Within a matter of seconds, the presences were revealed to be two individuals wearing black full-bodied cloaks that were adorned with red clouds. Unfortunately their faces were obscured with wide straw hats that were tilted downwards, casting a shadow over any features that might have been exposed.
'Black with red clouds… Akatsuki. How did they find us though… something to do with that presence I felt in the forest?' Naruto rationalised, his mind working to piece a plan together.
Ignoring the stares of curiosity as he formed a pair of Shadow Clones as he walked, he mentally issued commands for one of them to check into the hotel and the other to search for Jiraiya. Based on what he knew from Jiraiya, the Akatsuki were composed entirely out of S-ranked missing-nin from various villages. They were likely not to hesitate to attack him even if it were to cause civilian casualties, something that he would like to avoid if possible.
'Unfortunately I do not know the layout of this village… next best thing then.' He reached out with the Force again, this time in search of an area with the least amount of people.
Locking on to the target destination in mind, the blond moved in that direction without breaking his original pace so as to not alert his pursuers. Soon enough, the crowd started thinning out as he found himself leaving the shopping district of the village and the shop houses were replaced by a sprawling field of greenery and trees. Taking a look around, he realised that he had chosen the local park as his confrontation grounds. Quickly spawning several Shadow Clones, he had them escort the few civilians away before transforming and taking over their place.
Several minutes later and the two cloaked Akatsuki members stepped onto the grassy fields of the park grounds, their target sitting in the centre of the field in a meditative position.
"Oh what do you know? He didn't run away after all." The taller figure stated in amusement.
"Naruto-kun, would you kindly follow us?" The shorter of the two spoke, his voice emotionless and monotone.
Opening both his eyes, the blond Jinchuuriki saw that the pair had their hats pushed back to reveal their faces. The taller figure had small, round, white eyes, gill-like facial markings under those eyes and sharp triangular teeth. Those traits along with his bluish-grey skin tone and blue-hair styled in the manner of a fin, gave the man a distinctive shark-like appearance. Strapped across his back was a large bandaged weapon, its handle sticking out the end over his shoulder.
The shorter male had jet-black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail and his chin-length, centre-parted bangs framed his face. Under his eyes were long, pronounced tear-troughs. Overall there was nothing extraordinary about his appearance, which changed when the man opened his eyes to reveal a pair of fully matured Sharingan with three tomoe. The presence of those eyes, plus the man's resemblance to a certain black-haired teammate of his was all he needed to discern the identity of this mysterious male.
"Uchiha Itachi… S-ranked missing-nin of Konohagakure no Sato. What does someone like you want with me?" Naruto replied calmly, though he was breaking out in cold sweat on the inside.
"Oh you're pretty famous eh, Itachi?" The shark-like man mused as he moved a hand to grasp onto the protruding handle on his back.
"Kisame please stay out of this, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was entrusted to me after all…" Itachi said with a glance at his partner, eyes narrowed and Sharingan spinning.
"Oh scary, guess I'll sit this one out then. He doesn't look that strong anyway…"
"As I was saying, could you please come with us Naruto-kun? Our leader has something that he requires of you."
Standing up, Naruto brushed the dirt off his clothes before turning to address the raven-haired Akatsuki member.
"Nope."
"No? I believe that I did not make myself clear before… you can either come with us willingly or unconscious."
"How about option C, none of the above?"
Right as he spoke those words, the blond dropped a couple of smoke pellets that erupted a thick grey fog that covered a large portion of the surrounding area. Using the smokescreen as cover, he issued a mental command to his disguised clones and a hail of kunai rained down upon the area. Pressing his fingers together in a handseal, he flared his chakra and triggered the dozens of exploding tags that were attached to each handle of the kunai.
A thunderous explosion filled the air as the earth rumbled from the power of the explosion, Naruto smirked to himself as his hair swayed in the breeze generated from the blast. Unfortunately that smirk fell off his face when the smoke cleared to reveal a charred and destroyed landscape but no bodies, not even a stray scrap of destroyed clothing.
"Did you really think we were going to stand inside a smokescreen and wait? Nice attempt though."
Naruto turned around to see that Kisame, who had spoken, was situated on the branch of a tree while Itachi was standing at the base, neither of them looking even remotely fazed. The raven-haired male took a single step forward before disappearing in a burst of speed, Naruto barely got his guard up in time as a fist slammed into his cross-armed guard. Itachi did not grant him a breather as he immediately engaged him in a furious flurry of strikes, a mixture of punches and kicks designed to throw off the opponent.
Fortunately that effect was negated through the use of the Force, allowing the blond to predict and intercept each and every blow that came his way. If the man was surprised by it, he did not allow it to show on his face as he disengaged with a powerful jab that sent Naruto skidding backwards from the force. Flickering through several handseals, the Uchiha took a deep breath.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower technique)!"
It was a testament to the gap between Sasuke and his older brother when the fireballs exhaled were both larger in both size and quantity, the projectiles arcing through the air as they homed in on the fleeing Jinchuuriki. With every single iota of his Force-enhanced agility, the blond evaded fireball after fireball to the point where he realised that the remaining ones were flying towards him from every direction at once. Left with almost no time, he immersed himself into the Force and released a powerful shockwave around him that snuffed out his opponent's attack completely.
Itachi allowed his eyebrows to raise slightly in surprise at what his target had just done, an invisible shockwave of energy that highly resembled an attack that the leader of Akatsuki could perform. The surprise factor being that the boy showed no signs of having the Doujutsu that the leader possessed, something that was required to even attempt that technique in the first place.
'Thus prompting the question on how young Naruto-kun could perform that technique… or if it was an entirely new technique all together?' Itachi mused as he reached into his weapons pouch and unleashed a barrage of shuriken at his target, he watched as the blond cursed lightly before drawing his katana to deflect the spinning projectiles. 'Does that mean this technique has an interval between uses like Pein does?'
Naruto called upon the disguised Shadow Clones that had hid after the initial bombardment, he had them engage Itachi as he attempted to conjure up a plan that could buy more time.
Itachi scoffed as he created a singular Shadow Clone, which then proceeded to demolish every other clone on the battlefield with a series of well-placed kunai strikes. After dealing with the last clone, the copy of Itachi dashed towards the original target with kunai poised to strike. Naruto moved to intercept the strike, he could see the clone's lips moving just as their blades were about to clash.
"Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great Explosion)."
The resulting explosion was strong enough to launch him several feet into the air and tumbling backwards when he hit the ground again, his clothes and skin singed in multiple places. He was thankful that the Kyuubi was already working on repairing the damage caused by the surprise attack, though it did not make it hurt any less.
'Any ideas fox?'
'I'll supply you with some of my chakra, only because I'd rather you not lose to a disgusting Uchiha.'
'Thanks.'
Naruto relished in the familiar burning sensation of the potent chakra as it raced throughout his system, he could feel the gentle-soothing nature of the Force entangle with the raging emotions generated by the Kyuubi's chakra. This had the benefit of him being able to fight with a clear mind despite being under the influence of the potent chakra, something that he greatly appreciated.
"Heh… you got me with that trick. Time for round two!"
He burst forward in a straight dash, fist cocked back in preparation. As he closed in on the stoic Uchiha, he unleashed a devastating haymaker towards the left cranium. As expected, Itachi merely predicted his actions with his Sharingan and applied to the minimum force required to divert the punch using his palm. This caused the blond to overextend his attack, leaving him open to a counterattack in the form of a chokehold around his neck.
"It's over Naruto-kun…" Itachi said as he increased the pressure of his hold, watching as the blond-haired Jinchuuriki gasped for air.
"Heh…" Naruto smirked as he pointed his both his palms at his captor's abdomen, wisps of Force energy dancing around his arms.
"…Surprise fucker!"
Twin blasts of Force energy rippled forth from his palms, careening into the unprepared Uchiha and launching him clear across the field and into the trees. Naruto stumbled to his feet while rubbing his throat, his eyes watching the rising figure of his opponent.
Not many things could surprise the stoic Uchiha known as Itachi and even if something did, he would never allow it to show on his expression due to having trained himself to suppress his emotions from a young age. It was the same in this scenario as he merely rose to his feet and calmly wiped the trail of blood that leaked out the corner of his mouth. His partner on the other hand, had no qualms about expressing his thoughts on the matter at hand.
"Hehehe! So the brat isn't all talk it seems, now I'm tempted to go a few rounds with him too!" Kisame chuckled from his position.
Before any further moves could be made, a clone of Naruto landed beside the original and it was shortly followed by the familiar figure of his white-haired companion. Naruto dismissed his clone with a nod of the head, physically holding back a sigh when he absorbed the memories of the clone and why he had taken so long for Jiraiya to arrive.
"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, two S-ranked missing-nin. Good job holding off Itachi on your own, that's quite a feat." Jiraiya praised the younger male, only to get a scoff in return.
"It was nothing special, he was holding back a ton of his strength…"
Jiraiya turned his attention back onto the aforementioned person, "Itachi… what is Akatsuki's purpose in hunting down the Jinchuurikis?"
"Oh, looks like we've been figured out. What's the plan partner?" Kisame asked as he hopped down from his perch, walking back up to his partner.
"…we're at a disadvantageous situation. We shall retreat for now."
"As if I'd allow you to do that!" Jiraiya shouted as he made to leap forward, only to draw back at the last moment when he felt a large flare of chakra surge in the Uchiha.
His regular three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in its socket, slowly transforming into three spiralling curves around the pupil. In addition, a trail of blood started to leak out from the corner of the eye socket.
"Amaterasu (Heavenly Illumination)!"
Flames black as the night sky roared to life across the grassy field, forming an impenetrable blockade between the two pairs. However it did not stop there, Itachi swung his gaze onto the surrounding buildings and ignited them with the unholy flames as well.
"These are the flames of Amaterasu, they will burn for seven days and seven nights unless I extinguish them myself. We'll be taking our leave now…"
"Dammit!" Jiraiya cursed aloud as he unsealed several scrolls from his pouch, tossing a few over to the surprised blond. "Those are special scrolls designed to seal any kind of flames, these are the required handseals to activate it."
Naruto took several seconds to memorise them before he gave a nod of confirmation, he spawned dozens of Shadow Clones of himself to spread out across the area. The majority of which were ordered to run damage control and to evacuate civilians that were injured during the attack, a handful were handed their own sealing scrolls to assist in controlling the conflagration before it could spread further.
It took the better half of an hour to finish sealing away all the inextinguishable flames, miraculously nobody had been killed or fatally injured from the wide-spread attack. Unfortunately all traces of the Akatsuki duo had disappeared by the time they had finished, not even the legendary tracking abilities of the Toad clan could pick up their trail.
"I see… thanks for the help."
Jiraiya let out a sigh as he dismissed the last of the tracker-toads that he had summoned, the trail was completely dead. He walked over to his godson, whom he found frowning as he looked at the burnt buildings around him.
"It's not your fault, you did your best in holding them off already."
"That's not it… these…" Naruto gestured to their surroundings before nodding his head in the direction of the park. "And that… it shows just how big a gap there is between me and the Akatsuki members. I need to get stronger, I think it's time you made good on that promise of yours to teach me the Rasengan."
"…fine. Take the rest of the day to rest and heal up, we will leave at first light tomorrow morning and I will introduce you to the first step in learning the Rasengan." Jiraiya conceded, getting a nod of gratitude.
'Was it the right call in holding back on the Force powers during that fight?'
'Deception plays an important role in this world.'
'They will probably report back to their leader on my skills, an inaccurate report due to my holding back.'
'Thus they will underestimate you, giving you more space to hone your skills until you are ready to face them. Though do not become overly arrogant due to your new powers, that Uchiha was probably holding back more than half of his full strength.'
'And the whole Akatsuki is filled with people of his calibre… or even better.'
Naruto was left alone to his thoughts as the fox decided that it had nothing more to add, he took one last look at the scorched buildings before heaving a deep sigh and walking away.
Undisclosed Location
Atop a flat boulder sat the figures of both Itachi and Kisame, this silence was disturbed by the arrival of the plant-like being as it emerged from the bark of a nearby tree.
"You failed to capture the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki? We even gave you his location and saved you a trip to Konoha!"
"We were interrupted by the arrival of Jiraiya of the Sannin." Itachi spoke, not moving from his meditative position nor even opening his eyes.
"You look like shit! I expected better of you. You let the Kyuubi brat beat you up?"
"I was caught off guard by a powerful wind jutsu that had no handseals required. Plus it was never our intention to capture him from the start, only to observe and report back. Unless the orders have changed Zetsu?"
"…very well. You win this round! Report back to Amegakure no Sato (Hidden Rain Village) in a months' time. Leader-sama wants to hold a meeting! Until then, you are free to pursue your own agenda." Zetsu disappeared back into the tree, once again leaving the two Akatsuki members alone in the forest.
"…can we go get some Sushi?"
"Hn…"
"Sushi it is then."
*To clarify, according to Naruto wiki the rate for 1 ryō is equivalent to modern day 10 yen. To which 124 yen is 1 USD, so the meal had cost about 800 USD which is pretty hefty. Though it probably would not even dent Jiraiya's bank account.
Finally it's done! You have no idea how hard it was to write that fight scene between Naruto and Itachi, especially when our favourite blond has to hold back his Force powers and the only technique under his belt is the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. The scene alone took me 5 rewrites over a course of 5 days as my imagination would just sputter and die every time it doesn't come out right.
As it was revealed near the end, Zetsu relayed the information about Jiraiya and Naruto before Itachi and Kisame could make their trip into Konoha. Not only saving them time but also negating the entire confrontation between the Akatsuki and the Jounin as well as between Itachi and Sasuke. This will definitely have some form of impact later down the story.
After writing the scene with Yūgao, there was a strong temptation to make this a harem. I just love pairing Naruto with the ladies, no other excuses than that. Well something to sleep on I guess!
Ja ne!