A.N.: Another update here. I got into the story again, so more updates might be coming soon.
A.N.2: Now reposted with less grammar and spelling errors.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. After some of the recent chapters, I'm glad I don't. I'd have to be ashamed of myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Outskirts of Shimo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Now this is one mission I'd rather omit from my resume," Hotaru muttered through clenched teeth as Hana was working on her injured leg.
"Why?" Naruto asked. He had returned to his real appearance and he couldn't help but feel immensely relieved. The itching on his cheeks had been slowly driving him crazy. It was even worse than the pain in his shoulder the Kyuubi's healing factor was still mending. "We beat a jounin or two. I'm not sure how good the second guy was."
"But beating up jounin wasn't in our mission description," the purple-haired kunoichi pointed out. "We were supposed to find out what the daimyo was up to."
"I spied on his meeting," Naruto reminded her.
"And did you find out his plans?" the girl asked.
"Well, no," he admitted, "but he is definitely up to something."
"I don't think that's enough," Hotaru said.
"Well, it probably isn't, but at least the daimyo... eh, I forgot his name again, at least he now knows for certain there's something up. And we can go back and try to find out more!" the boy suggested.
"Naruto," Hotaru spoke slowly, "I've heard many stupid ideas from you, but this one takes the prize. The two ninja certainly weren't alone and the city is now on full alert. There will be others after our hides soon. We're stopping now only so we can run faster afterwards. So don't tell me we should go back now."
"Maybe nobody would expect us to do something so stupid and won't look for us there?" She shot him an incredulous look. "Maybe not. Forget it. I got carried away. So when are we going again?"
"As soon as Hotaru can run again," Hana answered. "I'm almost finished healing her wound. We should be glad it wasn't even worse."
"It's pretty bad as it is," Hotaru remarked. "I wonder what kind of diplomatic incident we caused today."
"At least it's just some Frost Country," Naruto said. "It's pretty far from Konoha. Whatever comes out of this, it shouldn't concern us."
"We can only hope that you're right."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fields close to Shimo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A dog whined.
"We picked a tail," his mistress announced.
"Already?" Naruto sighed.
"I'm more surprised it took them that long," Hotaru remarked. "We spent a long time getting ourselves back into shape."
"How many are there?" Naruto asked.
"Three, I think," Hana answered after a short growled conference with her familiars.
"That's good, since there are three of us as well," the boy smiled.
"Yes, but there's no way I can tell how strong they are," Hana replied.
"Well. At least we aren't outnumbered." The boy tried to keep a positive outlook on things.
For a while they ran in silence, Hana and the Haimaru siblings occasionally sniffing the air.
"They're catching up to us," the Inuzuka announced.
"Shall we try to outrun them?" Naruto suggested.
"I can't go any faster," Hotaru shook her head. "My leg still hurts."
"So we'll have to fight again," the boy concluded.
"Yes," Hana agreed. "But this time we can prepare."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~On a dirt road~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hibiki stopped in his tracks suddenly. One of his teammates bumped into him.
"Watch out, Noburu," Hibiki admonished him.
"And you don't stop for nothing," Noburu grumbled.
"I think he has a reason," Kotone, their other teammate, interrupted.
"You're right," Hibiki nodded. "Look at the tracks. They're turning right here."
"Then why don't we turn too?" Noburu asked.
"Look there," Hibiki pointed ahead. "It's faint, but there's a footprint. I think they are trying to shake us by creating a false trail."
"So we're going forward," Noburu stated already making a step. Hibiki caught him. "Not so fast. I'm not sure which one of these trails is the decoy."
"Decide fast," Kotone said. "They're getting away from us."
"We won't catch them if we pick the wrong trail," Hibiki pointed out.
"Can't we just split?" Noburu suggested.
"Do you think you can take on them alone?" Kotone asked sarcastically.
"I'm strong," Noburu boasted. "Not like a certain somebody."
"Can't you shout any louder?" Hibiki chastised him. "If they didn't know we were after them, now they certainly do."
"Can't you finally decide on a trail?" Noburu complained. "They'll go away if we'll spend the night here."
"Well, I think they went left," Hibiki decided.
"Left? But there's no trail," Kotone pointed out.
"That's it," Hibiki explained. "Both of those trails are obviously false. That means they went somewhere else. They're ninja. They're deceptive. Right?"
"Wrong," a voice said behind them. They whirled around and stared into the darkness, searching for its source. That's why their eyes were wide open when the Flash Tag went off, blinding all three of them. They heard kunai whistling through the air. They couldn't see it, but they could hear it went wide. Hibiki threw a handful of shuriken in the general direction he thought the kunai had come from. Before they could land, an Explosive Tag went off around the kunai handle, knocking the three of them to the ground. Then the darkness spat out the attackers. Kotone was stabbed with a kunai to her neck before she could get up from the ground. Hibiki managed to block the first strike, but then sharp teeth bit into his leg. He cried out in pain. He didn't even see the second strike coming. Noburu put up the best fight. He had just enough time to blow his special whistle, whose sound made his opponent lose his sense of balance and fall to his knees. Then he kicked and knocked the attacker away. His victory was short-lived. The boy's teammates were on him before he could say 'crap.' One well-aimed kick relieved him of his whistle. The last thing he knew were a dog's fangs sinking into his throat.
"That was easy," Hotaru observed. "Almost like killing civilians."
"I really expected them to put up a better fight," Hana mused. "We only wasted an Explosive Note."
"What was that sound?" Naruto asked getting from the ground.
"It somehow upset your inner ear," the vet explained. "I was far enough from it and I felt queasy."
"So what now? This lightshow must have attracted attention," Hotaru remarked.
"Yes, we should get away soon," the clan heiress agreed, "but first we'll have to take care of the bodies."
"Do we have the time for that?" Naruto questioned.
"There's a moat over there. Let's just dump them there," the dog mistress decided. "But first let's take their equipment."
"That strange hitai-ate again," Naruto spoke studying Noburu's headband. "I expected them to be from Kumo, but there's the strange note instead."
"You're right," Hotaru commented. "I wonder what that means, but something tells me it's nothing good."
"And you're not the only one," Hana frowned. "Let's take them with us. Too bad we can't take the bodies too."
"Sorry, my sealing skills still need some work," Naruto grimaced.
"Now stop talking and let's hurry. Do I have to remind you we're in trouble here?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daimyo's compound~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daimyo Fusutsuka was in a really, really bad mood. Not only he didn't get enough sleep during the night, but the festival had just turned into a disaster and he was swarmed with damage reports and petitions from various merchants complaining about insufficient public security and demanding compensation for their destroyed goods. And they were no small sums. He was convinced that they all added at least one extra zero to every amount, but there was no way he could prove it. He sighed and rubbed his temples. Not only there was the real material damage, there was also the blow to his reputation. Once the Hot Springs Country daimyo heard about this... he could just imagine him rolling on the floor with laughter. This image only served to infuriate him further.
He took the scroll he was reading and threw it across the room. It flew through the air, hit the paper shoji door and tore a hole through the priceless hundred-year old painting adorning it. He scowled. That incident was causing him more and more trouble. Damn those ninja. Have they ever heard about the word 'restraint'? He seriously doubted it. At least the square had been deserted, so there weren't other victims than Katsumi.
There was a tap on the door and a servant poked her head inside.
"What is it?" he snapped.
"There's a messenger for you," the maid snapped.
"Another one?" It was all he could do not to groan. He really could do without any more complainers. But he couldn't kick anyone out; more bad publicity was another thing he could do without. "Send him in," he commanded. The door slipped fully open and in walked a girl. He immediately noted that she was a pretty thing, with her pale skin, grey eyes and shiny platinum blond hair, and it improved his mood somewhat. Pity she was too young for his tastes.
"So what message do you bear?" he asked. She pulled a small scroll from her sleeve.
"My master sends you this," she said offering the message to him. He took it and read through its contents. It contained references to yesterday's disaster meeting. So she was from Kei.
At the end of the message, there was one question. 'Do you accept?' Yesterday, he had been hesitant. The whole enterprise was quite risky. But now... Things had changed a lot since yesterday. He took his brush and wrote one word into the scroll before handing it back to the girl.
"Take it back to your master," he commanded. She bowed deeply and left.
Once he was alone again, he had no more mind for the petitions. For a moment, he wondered whether he had made the right decision, but then he squashed the doubts. Once he had taken the step, there was no going back. And if he wanted to follow through with it, he had a lot of work to do.
He could only hope he hadn't just made a deal with the devil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Konoha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They made it. They considered it a miracle and neither of them was sure how did they accomplish it, but they all returned home in one piece. They had to fight a lone ninja that had located them and hide from a large patrol. They somehow made it to a small port town and took a ship to Fire Country, all the way worrying that somebody was going to find and sink them. When their ship docked in Port City, they jumped down on the pier and kissed the soil of their homeland. Especially Hotaru, who had gotten seasick. Then they ran to Konoha at top travel speed. They couldn't help but worry that somebody had followed them and would attack any minute. Once they walked through the gates, they realized that the worst part of the mission was still before them: They had to explain the fiasco to the Hokage.
Saying that Sarutobi wasn't happy would be an understatement. Fortunately he didn't think it was entirely their fault either. Their mission was marked as failure, but they were commended for bringing the three strange headbands. Then they were dismissed. Hotaru headed for the hospital to have her leg checked over and Hana went to the Inuzuka clan compound to treat her one injured dog. Naruto walked straight home. He hoped Tenzo would be finally back. He hadn't seen his guardian in what felt like a very long time. But he was out of luck. Tenzo still wasn't home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hokage's office~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So where's the fire, sensei?" a tall, ridiculously dressed white-haired man asked instead of greeting the moment he climbed through the window. "I almost caught up to Tsunade-hime just before I got your letter."
"Then why didn't you bring her with you?" Sarutobi asked.
"You said you wanted to see me in an urgent matter," Jiraiya answered
"I didn't say it was that urgent," the Hokage pointed out.
"Well, she gave me the slip," the spymaster admitted. "You know how she is."
"I do," Sarutobi sighed.
"So what's the matter?"
"Lots of things are the matter. Sit down and I'll explain."
Some time later the Hokage finished his explanation. The Toad Sage rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So let me get this straight: You want me to fix whatever is wrong with Naruto's seal, find Tsunade and investigate the origins of these headbands, all at the same time?"
"That's about it," the elderly man nodded.
"Geez, sensei, you certainly know how to make us busy," Jiraiya remarked. "This is no small task."
"And you're no ordinary ninja," Sarutobi pointed out. "Or do you say this is more than you can do?"
"I never said that," the Toad Sage grinned. "After all, I'm one of your best."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Training grounds~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naruto was systematically demolishing a training post. The last mission had reminded him just how important his training was. Even if it pained him, he had always known that his chances against a jounin were slim and the recent happenings showed him that he might run into one literally anywhere. And he might not be armed when it happened. That was why he was practicing his new technique. Once he mastered it, there would be no more 'unarmed' for him. He would be able to turn his arms into deadly weapons anytime.
He concentrated on the flow of the Wind chakra around his forearms and punched. He took a step backwards to examine his results. There was a good chunk of the wood missing. Naruto sighed. He was improving, but it wasn't as fast as he'd like to. He still could hold the jutsu going only for a short time and he tended to lose his grip on it whenever something startled him. He reactivated the blades and tried again.
"That's an interesting jutsu you have there," a male voice stated right behind him. He whirled around, automatically assuming the on-guard position. He had no idea there was someone behind him until he spoke. He was usually quite good at detecting others' presences, but that stranger got a drop on him. If it had been an enemy, he would have been already dead.
"Not bad reflexes," the newcomer observed. Naruto didn't respond, instead surveying him carefully. His first impression was that the man was tall. Very tall. His second impression was that he had absolutely no fashion sense. The green part of his clothes wasn't so bad, but the red vest was outrageous. And who in their right mind wore geta anyway? How was he even able to walk in them? And let's not get even started on his hair. Such a long ponytail must be getting in the way constantly.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked cautiously.
"Who am I?" the stranger echoed. "You don't know who I am?" He sounded slightly offended.
"No," Naruto shook his head.
"I'll let you know, little one, I am famous far and wide, The great sage of Myoubokuzan, the charmer of ladies everywhere, and the author of the most famous book ever, the one and only Jiraiya-sama!" The man did a funny dance and whipped a familiar looking orange book from his pocked before striking what he must have considered a cool pose. Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"It's that book!" he shouted. "Don't tell me you're the one writing that!"
"I am!" Jiraiya boasted. "You know my work? Well, why do I even ask, everybody does! So are you a big fan?"
"No!" Naruto shouted turning red. The images from his undercover mission were still too vivid in his mind. "I'll never read this trash! Never!"
"My books aren't trash!" the porn writer protested. "They are the finest pieces of literature! Men everywhere agree!"
"Perverts," Naruto grimaced. He still couldn't get the sight of Daimyo Fusutsuka from his mind. "And you're the biggest one."
"Yes, A Super-pervert," Jiraiya nodded with a smile. "That's just what I am."
"And you're not even ashamed of it," the young chuunin scoffed.
"Why ever should I be?" the white-haired man looked genuinely puzzled. "It's quite a feat. Do you have any idea what hardships I have to go through on regular basis to gather the necessary research for my books?"
"I don't want to know," Naruto answered with a shudder.
"Well," Jiraiya looked a bit downcast, "maybe you're still too young to appreciate my genius properly. But give it a few years..."
"No!" the boy yelled. "Never!"
"You won't be so convinced when you grow up," the man insisted.
"I doubt it," Naruto stood his ground. "Anyway, is there a reason you came to bother me? You didn't interrupt my training just to show off your book, did you?"
"No, of course not," the self-proclaimed Super-pervert answered. "I wouldn't waste my precious time on a little brat who cannot appreciate my genius. There are so many sights to see, hot springs to visit, ladies to peep on..."
"Pervert," the blond scowled. "Get to the point or get out."
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to be rude to your elders?" Jiraiya scowled back.
"You're a pervert," Naruto pointed out. "You don't count."
"Brat I already told you I'm not a pervert but a Super-Pervert!" the older man corrected him.
"Whatever." The chuunin realized that there was no point in arguing with this one. "So what did you want? In case you couldn't see, I was busy training here."
"Yes, I noticed," Jiraiya nodded. "Let me tell you, that is a very interesting technique you have there. I've never seen it before."
"Thank you," Naruto smiled. "I created it myself." He was proud at his accomplishment and always welcomed any praise, even if it came from old perverts.
"Is that so?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Than maybe you are worth my time."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Naruto frowned.
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" The man looked surprised.
"No," the boy shook his head.
"I'm going to be training you," he announced.
"You?" Naruto looked at him dubiously. The man looked nothing like a ninja, but then, he was able to move stealthily.
"Yes, me," Jiraiya confirmed.
"But you're just a huge pervert!" Naruto shouted.
"Boy, didn't I already tell you! I'm the great sage of Mount Myobokuzan, The famous Jiraiya-sama!"
Something clicked in Naruto's head. His eyes widened.
"Jiraiya as in Jiraiya of the Sannin?"
"Yes," the man in question grinned, "that's me. Didn't you get it the first time?"
"I thought it was a coincidence," Naruto answered. "Jiraiya of the Sannin is a great ninja! You're a great pervert!"
"Your point?" The Gama Sennin raised an eyebrow.
Naruto remained silent. He looked at Jiraiya carefully. He could now tell that the man was muscular under his ridiculous attire and he noticed several bulges in his clothes that might or might not conceal hidden weapons. And he was able to get a drop on him. Reluctantly, he had to admit that under the goofy exterior the man could be a good ninja.
"Let's say I believe you," he said. "Why are you offering?"
"Oh, that wasn't an offer, that was an order," Jiraiya corrected. "Sensei told me you've been having some trouble with your little fuzzy friend. I'm here to find a solution."
"You can?" Naruto couldn't keep the eagerness from his voice. The image of the foreign ninja torn in half haunted his dreams ever since.
"If anyone can, it's me. The greatest sealmaster in Konoha, at least since Minato died." Jiraiya's eyes were filled with a faraway look. "Well, let me see your seal."
"Sure." Naruto was excited. He still wasn't convinced he should trust this Jiraiya, but he was desperate for anything that would solve his problem with the Kyuubi. And if the man was really as good as he was...
Jiraiya spent a long time examining the design on his stomach.
"I can't see anything wrong with it," he said.
"No?" Naruto was dejected.
"Tell me everything about your problem," the Toad Sage commanded. So Naruto did.
"I've never heard about anything like that before," the Sannin commented when he finished. "But then your seal is unique, so everything about it is the first time."
"So are you able to help?" Naruto inquired.
"I believe so, but it will take time," Jiraiya replied. "You'll have to come with me."
"Come with you?" the chuunin questioned. "To where?"
"Wherever I go," Jiraiya shrugged. "I have other duties, you know, and they consist mainly of information gathering. So you'll be going on a trip with me."
"A trip with the self-proclaimed Super pervert? Just great," Naruto muttered sarcastically.
"Do you want my help or not?" the aforementioned pervert asked.
"I do," Naruto admitted, "but I don't know if I can go."
"Of course you can. Sensei already agreed to it. Go pack your things. We'll be leaving tomorrow."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tenzo's apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naruto was packing his things. He had already informed his teammates about his departure. Both of them were sad about the separation, but they wished him luck. They both agreed that a solution for his problem was a high priority. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were also relieved they would be looking for it somewhere faraway. It stung a bit, but he understood their feelings. He too was scared about what might happen if he lost control again.
The door creaked open. Naruto turned around to see who was coming. His face brightened in a wide grin when he recognized the newcomer.
"Tenzo!" he exclaimed. "You're back!"
"And it looks like you're just leaving," his caretaker replied.
"Yes," Naruto nodded a bit downcast. "So much happened."
"Care to tell me about it?" the jounin inquired.
"Sure."
They spent the evening talking. Naruto told all about his latest mission, his work on his new jutsu and his upcoming trip with Jiraiya. Tenzo told about the time he spent at the frontlines and the skirmishes he had fought in. They went out and had dinner at Ichiraku's, exchanging stories with Teuchi and Ayame.
It was a much happier chuunin who embarked on the road the next day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~On the road~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That jutsu of yours is really interesting," Jiraiya remarked watching his young companion train. "It's quite unusual to use the whirling motion of chakra."
Three days had passed since they left Konoha and they'd spent them traveling. Jiraiya would occasionally stop to talk to a seemingly random person and in the evenings he would study Naruto's seal and the red line and scribble something in his notebook. Oh, and he would also ogle every pretty girl they came across, but it wasn't as bad as Naruto had feared. It seemed that even the Super-Pervert could be serious when the occasion called for it.
"So I've noticed," Naruto replied remembering his long, fruitless search in the library. "But it's highly effective."
"That it is," the Sannin agreed, "but I can't help but notice you having trouble."
"It's just a matter of concentration," the whiskered boy replied. "I'll just have to train more and I'll improve."
"It seems to be slow going, though," the Toad Sage observed.
"Don't I know," Naruto sighed.
"Hey, boy," Jiraiya said after a moment of consideration. "What about you'll take a break from this and I'll show you another jutsu?"
"You'll show me your jutsu?" Naruto exclaimed with eyes alight.
"It's not really mine," the Sannin admitted, "but you'll like it. And there's no-one else left alive who can teach you this."
"Great!" the chuunin exclaimed. "So what is it?"
"Watch."
Jiraiya extended his hand, palm upwards. A swirl of chakra appeared above it, quickly concentrating into a ball. Naruto watched with rapt fascination as he slammed it into a nearby tree trunk. There was a loud crackling sound and splinters flew everywhere. Jiraiya let his arm fall. A hole through the wood was revealed.
"Cool," whispered Naruto wide-eyed.
"See?" the white-haired man grinned. "I said you'd like it."
The chuunin didn't reply. He was staring intently at his palm, trying to form a whirl of chakra above it. Jiraiya was surprised as how well he was doing, but it was far from well-done. For once the shape was completely off.
"Whoa, boy, not so fast," he said. Naruto looked at him. "There are proper steps to the training. Let's start with the first one." He tossed a water ball and Naruto caught it.
"What's with that?" The boy eyed the thing curiously. It appeared to be a regular toy.
"That's the first step. You have to pop it. Look." The balloon in Jiraiya's hand bulged and exploded. "Now it's your turn."
Naruto nodded and the next moment the ball fell apart in ribbons.
"What did you do?" the Toad Sage asked.
"Popped the ball," the boy replied.
"No," Jiraiya shook his head, "you shredded it. That isn't the same as popping. Let me guess: you used Wind chakra."
"Yes," Naruto nodded.
"That's wrong," the older man replied. "The Rasengan uses purely neutral chakra."
"Why?" the child frowned. "Wouldn't it be more potent using Wind?"
"It would," Jiraiya agreed, "if you could make it work. The Rasengan is the highest-level shape manipulation. The chakra in it is concentrated to the max. The Yondaime tried for years to add element to it and failed. Changing your chakra into an element while maintaining the concentration necessary for the Rasengan is impossible."
"Why didn't he start with Wind then?" Naruto questioned.
"What?" The Gama Sennin looked puzzled.
"Why didn't he start with turning his chakra into Wind and then manipulating in the proper shape?" the chuunin elaborated.
"Even if he did, there would be still the problem of manipulating both the element and shape at the same time to such a high degree," Jiraiya answered.
"Why?" Naruto didn't understand.
"Didn't you hear me the first time?"
"I did," the boy answered, "but I don't understand why it is such a problem. Wind chakra is more potent than neutral. There's no need to keep it so concentrated to do the same amount of damage."
"Well," Jiraiya scratched his head, "that's something that requires more research. Unfortunately I'm not a Wind type."
"But I am," Naruto replied. "I can do it."
"Sure, but first learn the Rasengan properly. Here's another ball." It didn't pop as easily as the first.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Town~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again, Jiraiya had left to talk with a shady-looking shopkeeper, leaving Naruto to his own devices. The young chuunin was currently wandering the marketplace, taking in the sights, sounds and smells. It was refreshing to be just another face in the crowd. Even though the hateful glares in Konoha had diminished over the years, people still tended to look at him oddly. But here nobody knew who he was.
As he was enjoying his freedom, he almost failed to notice Jiraiya's approach. But as soon as he spotted him, he could tell something was wrong. The Sannin's usual goofy grin seemed forced. For another person it would be hard to notice, but Naruto had some personal experience with faking expressions of happiness. He was just opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, when the older man beat him to it.
"We're going," he commanded. Naruto followed him without a word. He had never heard the Toad Sage being so serious.
"So what's wrong?" he asked once they had left the settlement behind.
"That's what I'd like to find out," Jiraiya replied. "I've just heard foreign shinobi were spotted nearby.
"Which ones?" the chuunin asked. He couldn't help but feel excited. Were they perhaps from that unknown village with the musical note they were looking for?
"My contact didn't know."
They spent the afternoon searching through the forests. Naruto was contemplating what shinobi could be at such a location. They weren't that far from the places he had travelled through with his team on the way to Frost Country. They were still in the Fire Country, but close to the borders with Hot Springs Country. It was a remote rural area and Naruto didn't know what anybody would want there. Even the trade routes between Fire and Lightning Countries were further north.
They were almost ready to call it a day, when Naruto spotted something.
"Hey, what's that?" he pointed at the northern horizon.
"Where?" Jiraiya looked.
"There, the smoke," Naruto elaborated.
"Oh that?" the man shrugged. "Somebody's cooking dinner."
"But it's big," the boy pointed out.
"You can see that?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "It's almost dark."
"Yes, I can," the jinchuuriki nodded. "I could always see well in the darkness."
"Than let's check it out," the Sannin decided and jumped through the treetops, Naruto at his heels.
As they were nearing it, Jiraiya frowned and his frown was deepening. Though the night was falling rapidly, it was now apparent that the smoke wasn't from a kitchen fire. Something much bigger was burning. And if he remembered correctly, the only thing big enough in that location was...
"Hey, what's that?" Naruto's voice interrupted his thoughts. The young chuunin was pointing at something in the undergrowth. Jiraiya stopped. The leaves and small branches were clearly broken and there was a darker stain visible. He brushed away the bushes, revealing what was concealed underneath. It was a body dressed in shinobi outfit.
"You have good eyes," Jiraiya commended. "I would have missed it."
"I smelled the blood," the demon vessel admitted. "So where is he from? Could he be from the mysterious village?"
"No," Jiraiya shook his head. "Look again." Now Naruto noticed what the older man was talking about. The ninja was from Konoha.
"Who did it?" he asked.
"I don't know," Jiraiya frowned, "but..."
"What?" Naruto prompted.
"That smoke... that's where a small outpost is."
"That's bad," Naruto grimaced.
"Let's go."
Once again they took to the trees. They noticed a couple more bodies before reaching the tiny fortress, or what was left of it. Somebody had burned it thoroughly. Naruto's breath caught in his throat. He had seen war before, but here they were far from the frontlines. There weren't supposed to be any enemies here.
"Do you think they are still here?" Naruto whispered.
"No," the Sannin shook his head. "I can't detect any chakra signature."
"Shall we pursue them?" the chuunin proposed.
"They just took out a whole outpost," Jiraiya reminded. "A small one, but still. There are only two of us. So you figure."
"So what are we going to do?" Naruto asked.
"Look for clues," the man answered, "what else."
They split up and searched the smoking ruin. Most of the bodies they discovered belonged to Konoha shinobi, but one was foreign.
"Kumo," Jiraiya stated when he saw it.
"What does it mean?" Naruto asked. He had the sinking feeling that he already knew.
"War."
A.N.: That's it for today. I originally planed the invasion to start while Naruto&co were still in Claw Country, but it didn't work out. So sorry if the last arc came out as fillerish.
Next time: More about the war and Naruto's training.