Hello! (dodges rotten tomato thrown at me by some random reader.) Hey, hey! I know that I haven't updated any of my stories for a while but it's all good! I'm reading Breaking Dawn. I'm almost done with it. And I would like to say that I am for Team Truck. The team that's for Bella x Her awesome truck. Yes I believe that Bella will marry her truck (winks) Well here it is. The third chappie. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. STOP RUBBING IT IN! (cries)

Apotheosis

Chapter three: Red Dawn. The beginning.

"Jiraiya!?" Tsunade yelled. She stood up from her seat.

"Long time no see Tsunade." He smiled goofily at her. He glared at Hidan out of the corner of his eye.

Hidan cursed under his breath. 'Dangit. This is turning out bad. Maybe Kakuzu was right and this is a trap.'

Flashback (Yaaaaaaaaay!)

It was 4 pm. Kakuzu and Hidan were following Shizune. They had placed a seal on the two medic nins door so they would know if Tsunade left the inn room.

"This is sooo boring." Hidan whined. He didn't want to follow some girl around. He'd rather be searching for his next sacrifice to jashin.

"Shut up or she'll hear you." Kakuzu glared at his partner.

"Seriously. All she's doing is taking a friggen walk."

"For all we know she could be planning something. We have to be careful."

"Tch. Whoopty-friggen-do"

"…stop."

Hidan stopped and looked at his partner curiously. "What's your problem." He started to complain. "First you tell me to follow that girl and now you tell me to stop! What's your friggen problem!"

"That." Kakuzu grabbed Hidan's wrist and pulled him into a dark alley.

"Hey I don't swing that way you perverted old man!" Hidan yelled pulling his wrist free from Kakuzu's grasp.

"Are you stupid." Kakuzu frowned at him. He pointed back out into the street.

He pointed right at an old man with long white hair, wearing a gaudy red and green outfit and red clog like sandals.

"Who the frig is that?" Hidan didn't understand what's so special about an old man.

"That is Jiraiya. Another legendary sannin."

Hidan just stared smugly at his partner. "Oh really? Are you sure you're not just making this up so you can feel better about me knowing who that woman was?"

"You baka that really is Jiraiya. Remember what Itachi and Kisame told us? He knows about us, the Akatsuki."

"They said that?"

"Weren't you listening?"

"No."

Kakuzu resisted the urge to rip the jashinist limb from limb. " Two sannin in the same town. One knows about us and the other we're meeting again tonight. This could be a trap made to capture or kill us."

"Seriously?"

"…"

"Ok, ok no need to glare at me. He could have some other reason for being here. Maybe he's looking for her. Ya know. Catching up and remembering the good old times."

Kakuzu remembered what he overheard the fortune teller telling Tsunade.

'You will come into a position of power'

Of course. Kakuzu thought. He was sent by Konoha to find her and bring her back to become the next Hokage. Then again. He still couldn't have found her yet, but it still could be a trap.

"Well what do we do?" Hidan asked, his tone carefree.

"What do you think idiot." Kakuzu watched Jiraiya as the sannin walked down the street. Hidan shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. That's why I asked you."

Kakuzu sighed. He had an idea. But there were so many variables. So many things that could happen. But it was a risk that they were going to have to take. Kakuzu remembered his fortune telling. He hated to admit it but he was curious. More curious than he had been in ages.

"Listen up because I'm only saying this once." Kakuzu told Hidan his plan. When he was done Hidan grinned.

"Sounds good to me."

"And remember. We're trying to avoid fighting so no picking any. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. No picking fights. You can stop glaring. I'll keep my word."

"…."

"What you don't believe me?"

"It wouldn't be the first time you broke your word."

"You need to trust me more, seriously."

"I trust you to get your head chopped off."

"…"

End flashback. (awwwwww)

Hidan put his hand inside of his cloak. He clutched a white summoning scroll. Kakuzu sealed his scythe in it in case something was to happen. He wanted to just carry it but noooooo that greed old fart head said that "it would be too suspicious".

"Who's your friend." Jiraiya stared at the tense Akatsuki member.

"He's a drinking buddy." Tsunade narrowed her eyes. There was a strict tension between the two men. A tension that she didn't like. Shizune sensed it too. She was signaling to Tsunade 'something's up' by squirming in her seat. Tsunade rose an eye brow signaling 'you bet'.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Shizune yelled, she caught the toad sages attention.

"Ah! Shizune. Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been doing?" Jiraiya gave her a bright carefree smile.

Shizune returned the gesture. "Good. How have-"

Jiraiya waved her off. He sat down at the table with them. His face serious. He pulled out a flask of who knows what from a pocket of the inside of his clothes. He sipped it tentively.

"So Tsunade. What have you been up to these past years? It's been a while since I saw you last. I'd say that it was….a few days after Orochimaru left thirteen years ago." Jiraiya glared at Tsunade. She didn't know why but she was getting madder by the second.

"Nothing much." Tsunade hid the tension in her voice, but Jiraiya noticed anyways.

"Nothing much, eh?" His eyes narrowed. "Hanging out with the Akatsuki doesn't seem like nothing much."

Soon the whole room was in a blur of motion. Hidan opened the summoning scroll and grabbed his scythe. He lunged at the toad sage with chakra loaded speed. Jiraiya dodged in time but mid doge tendrils of black thread came out from the ceiling and wrapped around his waist. His arms were pinned to his sides. He cursed. Hidan smirked as he saw the helpless sannin struggle to break free. With a sadistic grin on his face he lunged at the sannin once again. His scythe pulled back. Posed to slice his targets head clean off the moment he got in range.

'WHOSH!' Hidan's maniacal grin changed to shock when the sannin changed into a small frog. Hidan was going to fast to stop quickly. He tripped over the frog and was sent to the ground.

Kakuzu stayed in his hiding spot. He was concealed around the corner of a hallway. Things were not looking to good.

'That danged brat. He just had to make things harder. I told him specifically not to make a move until the old man made any hostile movements. Still…if that was a frog substitution then where's the real deal?' Kakuzu searched the room with his eyes. He was looking for anything out of the ordinary. He almost missed it but he felt a faint charka presence coming from the other side of the room. He concentrated on that spot. It can't be a cloaking jutsu. Then what is it? Oh sh- "Hidan jump!" Kakuzu charged out from his hiding spot. Hidan didn't think, he jumped into the air.

A wall of mud came out from the ground. It would have been game over if he got caught in it. Hidan hung from the ceiling. Eyes searching the mud for any sign of the toad sannin . Kakuzu already knew where Jiraiya was. He yelled at Hidan to follow his lead. Kakuzu summoned a animal mask from his back.

"Gian!" The mask that Kakuzu separated from his body opened it s mouth, lightning charged inside of it. The lightning shot out striking the mud dead center.

The mud almost instantly disappeared and Jiraiya quickly jumped out form the remaining mud. The attack had missed him, but barely. The lightning may have only grazed his shoulder but the affect was still strong. He staggered back. Panting heavily. Blood slowly oozed from the wound.

Hidan gave a pre-victory grin. That old fart will be a nice sacrifice for his deity. A little on the old side but pickers can't be choosers.

Kakuzu grumbled a bit at seeing his partners grin. "Getting ahead of himself. I really wish that that nut case could die. At least then he'll learn his lesson and not keep doing stupid things all the time." The more cautious Akatsuki glanced sideways at the female sannin. Tsunade was frozen with terror. Her eyes looked on to the sight of Jiraiya's blood. Kakuzu frowned. 'What's her problem? She can't be afraid of blood can she?' He snapped his attention back to the battle. Jiraiya was still where he was. Bleeding and panting. Hidan stood a little ways off. He actually seemed to be thinking.

"Tsunade" Jiraiya growled not taking his eyes of the two Akatsuki.

"Are you still hung over with those two?" He wasn't talking about the two Akatsuki members present. No, he was talking about Dan and brother.

Tsunade said nothing. She was shivering uncontrollably now. She hadn't heard a thing he said. The moment she saw his blood. Everything seemed to stop. There was noting. A complete and total silence. It was pitch black in her silent world. Tsunade would have been glad to be stay there. In the darkness. In the silence. Where she could just forget about everything. But that was not how it was meant to be. The darkness was replaced by the dead faces of her brother and Dan. She was covered from head to toe in their blood.

If only, if only she had saved them. Then they could have been there. With her. She wouldn't have to feel alone She wouldn't have to feel so guilty. She would tease her brother. She would talk to Dan about getting married. Yes everything would have been perfect.

If she had saved them.

Her brother's lifeless body lying on that cold steel table shot through her like wild fire. His once bright green eyes now dull and faded. She couldn't protect him. She couldn't save him. Why? He was so young. Why ? He was a gennin. He was her brother. So why did he have to die? She couldn't protect his dream.

Dan's dyeing eyes replaced her brothers. She watched in horror as the life slowly drained from his face. No matter how hard she tried. No matter how much she had hoped. She couldn't save him. She couldn't protect his dream either.

She couldn't save them. She couldn't protect them. She couldn't help them achieve their dream. Their dream to become Hokage.

Hokage.

The word was poison in her mouth. What's so special about Hokage? You're the head of a village. So what? Did they ever tell people that becoming Hokage means dying for your village? Dying young. Way before your time? Hokage was for fools. And she was no fool. But still…hadn't Dan and lil' bro want to be Hokage? Yes, they did. And they died for it. They died.

Tsunade's shivering worsened. She was almost having spasms. Jiraiya tried to rush to her side and help her but Kakuzu blocked him. His watched Tsunade out of the corner of his eye. It was a sad sight. She, Tsunade, famed as a legendry ninja. Having a fit over a little blood. She truly has fallen. She was a ghost of the ninja she once was. He blankly wondered what could have caused her to be like this.

Tsunade bit her lip. 'Get a hold of yourself! Look at who's around you! The Akatsuki….Akatsuki. Then it hit her. Akatsuki meant red dawn. The fortune tellers words sunk into her head. "That path starts with Red Dawn." The words echoed in her head. Her destiny started with those men. Tsunade controlled her shaking just enough to stare at the two mens backs. They were standing between her and Jiraiya. Tsunade felt all of her fear wash away. Dan's and brothers images faded from her mind. She still saw them. Prodding, reminding her that she couldn't save them. But they will have to wait.

Immortality was at her finger tips. She calmed down. Her body had stopped shivering. She stood tall and erect. The others seemed to notice. Kakuzu glanced back at her for a brief second. And Jiraiya looked as if some miracle had happened. He grinned. If he knew Tsunade as well as he did then those two are in for a heap of trouble. His eyes locked with Shizune's for half a second. But it was enough. Shizune had wisely decided to stay out of the battle. Sticking close to Tsunade's side. She knew that those two men were out of her league. She jumped back. Things were about to get messy.

Everything was still. Everyone was tensed. Waiting for their opponent to make the first move.

Tsunade cracked her shoulders, and smirked. She gathered up Chakra in her feet and hands. She lowered her self into a crouch. Her smirk widened at Jiraiya's goofy grin when he saw the look on her face. Before anyone could even blink Tsunade sprinted with amazing speed. Her fist drawn back. She felt an extra blot of energy when she saw his shocked face. Then with all of her might she punched him square in the chest. The punch was overkill. It broke his entire rib cage and busted his organs wide open. The force of the punch sent him backwards. He smashed through the cement wall of the Gambler's Hall and into the street on the other side. Digging into the ground. Creating a small niche around him.

Shizune's mouth was open in a silent scream. Kakuzu and Hidan watched awestruck. They didn't have time to move when Tsunade swooshed past them. Fist pulled back into that fatal punch.

Blood trickled down Jiraiya's mouth. He was conscious long enough to see Tsunade turn her back to him. His head felt like it had exploded when the pain was too much and he passed out. The last thing he thought was. 'I didn't even ask her out and she still beats the living crap out of me'

Dun, Dun, Duuun! Am I evil or what? Mahahahahahahha! Chapter three ends cliffy! I think that I'm finally get the hand of cliffy endings.

Next time!

Chapter 4: All things end.