Loss of a Haven

Jiraiya glanced between his five opponents. He wasn't sure who four of them were, but he knew the leader well enough to know that they were trouble.

Tao Pai Pai, or Mercenary Tao as he liked to go by, was a well known criminal. The man was the self-proclaimed greatest assassin in the world. He killed swiftly and silently, be it a man, woman, or child. The prices were outlandish but the results always prevailed.

'But seriously…' thought the sage, 'ten BILLION zeni?'

"Master, who is this?"

Jiraiya glanced up to see the bearded man's eyes on him. The charcoal orbs studied his face and he could tell that he was a protégé of the mercenary.

"Oh him?" The assassins eyes narrowed. "He's been a thorn in my side since before you were born. I'm sure you've heard of him; Jiraiya, the Toad Sage."

All eyes narrowed at this information. Jiraiya sighed. Sometimes it sucked to be famous.

"Hey, Pop's," he responded, smirking at the man's flustered reaction. "Is it too late to apologize for breaking Tara's heart?" He scratched his chin in thought. "Or was that Emily? Could've even been Rika…"

"How DARE you defile my daughters, and forget their names!"

All attention turned to the fuming assassin. Jiraiya took their lapse of attention to began channeling chakra.

"Hey master," the chubby kid started, scratching his head in thought. "He did… three of…"

In a split second a finger was to the heavy set fighter's neck. "If you finish that sentence Wan, that will be the last thing you do." The man gulped audibly as a bead of sweat trickled down his neck.

"Pssssh three?" Jiraiya released a hearty chuckle. "More like nine!" Tao turned a death glare towards him which he ignored. "Whoops, I forgot. Zay made me swear secrecy…"

"ZAAAAAYYYY?! My baby?" The mercenary began to shake with rage, causing his crew to back away. "I'll kill you!"

'Bingo!'

"Kebari Senbon!" The hair on the Sannin extended and began to shoot at the incoming man. He quickly flew in a circle to avoid it but was put on the run as more followed. A curse soon came as a piece of his hair clipped the man's shoulder, causing him to plummet.

"I got you Master!" The small pale kid held out his hands and too Jiraiya's amazement the falling man began to slow down, almost as if he were being manipulated.

"How in the…" It was then that he really got a look at the boy. Pale skin, the clothes, the powers… "He's from the Jiangshi Clan… But I thought…"

Choosing to think on this at a later date, Jiraiya took this time to began to summon. Before he could place his hands together however he was kicked in the back.

He turned and saw the fat kid smirking at him, foot raised to show that he was the one to land the blow. Jiraiya wondered how he got behind him but thought to not voice it out loud.

"Dodon-ray!" Jiraiya jumped swiftly as the blast of energy sailed under him. He grunted in pain from the effort but ignored it for the time being.

"Ranjishigami no Jutsu (Wild Lion's Mane Technique)!" The man's hair extended and grew a mouth that swiftly dived for the kid. To his shock the boy dissolved into his own shadow and the man was left with a mouth full of dirt.

"Still using the same old trick?" taunted the mercenary. "You're so predictable!" The hair turned its attention from the ground to the voice and dashed at Tao where he stood holding the tiger seal. "Suiton: Teppōdama!"

A howl came from Jiraiya's head as holes were put through the mane. The access hair fell off and landed near him, but he was already unsealing his Fuma Shuriken and letting them fly.

His attackers moved slightly to avoid the attacks. Jiraiya smirked as the small pale child reacted to slowly, barely avoiding the attack. He followed up the Shuriken with a rain of kunai, which was avoided as well.

"What are you doing? Bad time for target practice, don't you think?"

Jiraiya grinned. "Naw, I think I hit it everything perfectly."

Tao glanced around to see what the man was talking about. He could see all of the weapons sitting in the walls and ground. Was he aiming for bugs? That was the only explanation…

And then he saw the glint of light trailing the weapons.

"Everyone it's a tr-aurgh!"

Jiraiya took the moment of weakness to pull on the strings, tying the four people up. The wire was tight enough to cut into their clothing.

"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu)!" In an instant a small ball of flame raced up the different strings. He smirked in satisfaction as the Mercenary and his students began to scream in shock, but his smile fell as the bald kid began shouting and sprouted an extra set of arms.

"Dodonpa!" The string that held him captive was split and he flew away, sending another set towards the small boy. The mercenary simply shook his head and his ponytail sliced through wire, while the bearded man substituted with a log.

"So much for that idea…" Grumbled Jiraiya. It never was a dull moment with Tao, that was for sure.

"Chaozu, make sure he quits squirming."

"Yes, Sensei!"

Jiraiya felt a tingling feeling travel through his body. He could feel a foreign energy inside of him, and it wasn't chakra. It felt… Inhuman.

The man was frozen where he stood. A satisfied smirk traveled across the leaders face as he approached Jiraiya, rubbing his sore shoulder blade. "Good job, Chaozu. There's a reason you are my second favorite student." The small child began to blush at the praise. It was also that instant that the other member of the group Wan made his reappearance through Tao's shadow.

"Jiraiya, I want you to know one thing before you die." The man pointed a finger at the scowling Sage's chest, his smile growing even wider. "Pleased to kill you! Dodonpa!"

The thin blast went right through the heart of the sage. He crumpled to the ground lifeless. Before Tao could celebrate however the figure burst into smoke.

"Rasengan!" The group of five all jumped away as the man fell from the sky with the attack. He left a large crater in the earth and quickly hopped back to his feet, raising a kunai to block one of his attackers swords. It turned out to be the heavily bearded fellow.

Jiraiya grunted in frustration. The sword was much to long for him to face with a kunai, and the man was extremely well with it. They clashed and clanged weapons until Jiraiya felt hands on his ankles. He glanced down and saw Wan gripping him from his shadow.

"Gotcha you old per-ack!" Before he could finish his statement the kunai was lodged into his wrist, forcing him to retreat in the shadow once more. The swordsman took his moment of weakness and aimed a jab at his stomach but the old man nimbly jumped and landed on the blade.

"Almost had me!" he responded as he kicked him in the jaw, bouncing off of the weapon.

"Don't get comfortable!" The sage instantly threw up his arm to block a kick thrown by the bulky bald teen. He realized that the kid was flying, something common in the Crane school. The boy threw a salvo of strikes to the rising man, his face one of determination. With his extra arms he was smacking Jiraiya around, but he's been outmatched before and it never bothered him.

Besides, he got where he was by being a sneaky little bastard.

"Heh, you're outmatched boy!" Jiraiya threw a kick at the teen which he blocked and retaliated with his own. To his surprise however the man merely disappeared in a pop of smoke.

The boy began to lower himself, arms crossed in annoyance. The extra set returned to his body in a grotesque fashion. "Shadow clone," he responded to the group.

Tao growled in anger, still rubbing his sore shoulder. "He can't hide forever! Find him, NOW!"

XxxoxxX

Darkness. All he could see was darkness.

This only further angered the boy. How could he, a member of the bloodline named the all seeing eye not see anything? What had happened to him?

And then it all came back to him. The tournament. The Nara.

The exploding ball of light.

His teeth grit in anger at the painful memory. HE, the elite genius, lost to the laziest kid in the history of Konoha? A boy a full year his junior? Was this some cruel trick on him by Kami?

He raised a hand, ignoring the dull aching that resonated within it. Waving it in front of him, he noticed he could feel the wind it made, but not see anything. So this was his life. From all seeing to not seeing.

It was then he heard a chuckle. "It'll probably help if you opened your eyes."

Idiot.

The boy strained his eyes to open, flinching as the light from the window attacked his sense. The person sitting beside him moved to shut the blinds, much to his relief.

Neji studied the blurry person, trying to find any features he recognized. The person moved swiftly and carefully as he placed a hand to each of the boys cheeks, staring into both eyes.

"You've seem to have fully recovered." He let go and sat beside the boy once more, his eyes never leaving him.

It was then that the room began shaking. Neji thought it was just him, until he noticed that he could hear cracking and fighting in the distance.

Fearing the worst he jumped to his feet, instantly in his Jūken stance. His Byakugan activated on thought, but it only showed images as blurry as his regular sight . "Who are you," he demanded. His eyes were gradually improving, he could see glasses reflecting off of the figures nose.

"I'm the one who gave you sight," the man stated calmly. He then rose to his feet, his hand glowing an eerie silver. "And I can take it back, if that is what you wish."

The teen thought it over for a moment. He was in no position to fight the man, that was for sure. He slowly lowered his guard and sat back down, a frown still on his face. "What do you want?"

"Me? Oh, nothing really." He placed a hand on his chin as he spoke casually, almost as if they were friends. "I was just told by your Sensei to keep you well and seeing."

Neji's features hardened. "Guy?"

Another chuckle. "No. Pai Pai."

The boy rose his head to meet the gaze of silver eyes. He told no one of his meetings with the man, so it had to be true. "Send him my thanks."

"Oh, I'm sure you can thank him all you want in a little while." The man's tone became amused. "He actually wants to assign you to his team."

Neji's pale eyes widened at this. This was what he wanted after all; to be trained by the best, to become the best. A small smirk graced his lips.

"When do I start?"

"Well first, you must pass one more assignment."

Neji furrowed his brows at this. "And what is that?"

"It's actually pretty easy, at least to someone of your caliber." Neji noticed the sarcasm in his tone but chose to ignore it. He was really not liking this guy. "You have to fight the Uchiha boy, Sasuke."

The Hyūga smirked once more. This was what he wanted after all, and now he was given the opportunity. It would be a battle he would much enjoy.

It was also more personal to him. He was hailed as a genius among idiots until Sasuke came. Now he was just another Hyūga, good for his age, but another could come at anytime. Sasuke, being the last living Uchiha, made him better than him to the villagers for some reason. He would change that.

He would make sure they were extinct.

"However," the man continued, "don't kill him." Neji glanced away at this. How did the man know what he was thinking? Was he that easy to read?

"Or what?" he challenged, glaring daggers at the nurse.

"Or else…"

Neji didn't know what happened, but his body stiffened. His breathing became ragged as a foreign feeling traveled up his body. Was this a poison? Genjutsu? But he didn't use any hands!

"Or else you will meet my master, the one man that your's fear."

And with that, the figure was gone. Neji fell off of the bed onto his knees, breathing labored. The pain was gone but he could remember vividly how it felt.

He felt… scared. Terrified. Petrified. A feeling he didn't have since his father went missing.

After a few minutes of recovering he rose to his feet. His vision was better now, he could finally see everything with only a slight haze. Activating his Byakugan he watched as nurses were moving in a frenzy, quickly bringing patients in.

He grabbed his clothes that were hanging and quickly discarded the disgusting hospital gown. After checking and making sure everything was there, he leapt onto the window pane. He could see smoke rising from several places in the village. Many shinobi were battling and with his eyes he could see the headbands.

"Sound and Sand…" he murmured. It didn't matter to him, anyway. He had a mission to do, and he swore that he would handle it.

He rushed out so quickly that he didn't notice the forehead protector laying on the desk. If he had, he would've saw the scratch going down the center.

XxxoxxX

"Show yourself you coward!"

Jiraiya was hiding in a dumpster a few ways away from his pursuers. He wasn't afraid of them in the slightest, he just knew when to pick his battles.

He and Tao met many times in battle. At first he would get his ass handed to him and then saved by his dad, but after a while he slowly began to turn the tides. Now he could beat the man on a bad day. But his disciples added to the mix…

Damn. It was times like this that he wished he had his two Gaki's with him. Sure they probably wouldn't help much, but they could at least prove to be a distraction. He had enough faith in them to take out at least two.

"Don't make me blow this whole town away you sex crazed hermit!" The footsteps came closer, and Jiraiya fought the urge to curse. "And I'll start with your favorite place."

Jiraiya began to sweat. There was no way the man could be serious. He would have to be a monster to destroy the one place Jiraiya found comfort in. The highlight of the village! He began to consider whether to fight or not, and then he heard the familiar sound of chakra being gathered.

"Fūton: Kami Oroshi (Wind Release: Divine Mountain Wind)!"

"Nooooo!" Jiraiya jumped out of the dumpster, but he was too late. He fell to his knees in agony at the sight before him.

The hot bath… was gone. There was nothing left in the area save for a few sprouts of water shooting out weakly. He felt a tear in his chest at the sight. It was truly a bad day for him.

"Dodonpa!"

Jiraiya screeched as his moment of weakness caused him to be hit in the shoulder. The attack aimed for his heart, but a last second transition caused him to shift. The heat from the attack was intense! He jumped away, only now noticing the assassin standing near him with that damn grin on his face. Quickly checking the wound he noticed that it was cauterized luckily.

Still hurt like hell, though.

"Hehehe, I finally got you you old fool!" Jiraiya jumped away and dodged a punch aimed for his head and the kick that followed. He noticed that the man's stance was similar to the Hyūga, mainly pointed strikes, but much more brutal. The attacks were weaker with the right hand and Jiraiya then noticed the blood flowing from the older man's shoulder.

The next strike being thrown at him with the man's right hand was deflected with enough force to cause him to stagger. Tao grunted in pain as did the Sannin, since it was his left shoulder that was hit. The two jumped away and quickly began going through seals.

"Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)!"

"Ninpo: Dassui (Ninja Art: Dehydration)!"

"What the-"

As Jiraiya finished his jutsu he was shocked at the retaliation. As quickly as he created his swamp, the moisture was sucked out leaving it as barren as a desert.

Tao smirked at the shocked face on his enemy. He stood and dusted himself off. "Did you like that? Made it myself. When you fight someone as annoying as you, you learn new tricks."

The sage grunted in annoyance. "Well, you finally one upped me." The look of triumph on the man's face was too much for his liking, however. "Eight more of those and you'll finally catch up, hehe!"

The anger on the ageless man was priceless. Jiraiya could actually SEE Emily's scowl on his face, something that disturbed him greatly.

"You insolent little whelp! Do you find this amusing?" The killing intent being radiated was enough to deter a seasoned Jonin, but Jiraiya was immune to it. "I will have your head, Jiraiya Son! Dodon Ray!"

The Sannin quickly jumped away from the ray. He continued to dodge, ignoring the pain that was quickly growing in both his arm and leg. He released a Great Fireball at his foe only for it to be outed with a spray of water. Using the steam as cover the Sannin ran from the scene of the battle into an alley.

"Where are you going?" Someone jumped on his back and knocked him to the ground. Jiraiya landed hard on his stomach getting the wind knocked out of him. He struggled as he was pummeled from behind.

It annoyed Jiraiya that he was nursing an ailing leg and shoulder. He couldn't shove the portly teen off no matter how hard he tried. If only he was given a few more minutes he would've called on his toads!

"Wan that's enough." The older disciple stood in the alley. He looked bored as the boy continued to punch the older man. The kid was rather strong and he could see the pain the sage was going through. "I said that's enough, Wan!"

Wan paused mid punch and glared at his teammate. "You're not the boss of me, Quin, and don't fool yourself into thinking it." He threw another punch into Jiraiya, resulting in a growl from the man.

Quin sighed in annoyance. "Your heart is clouded, Wan. You will never achieve ultimate peace without the proper balance of physical and emotional understanding." Wan ignored him and continued socking the poor Sennin.

"Good job, Wan. You always make me proud!" All eyes rose and met Mercenary Tao's as he approached. His arm was a little stiff but his eyes held the same fire as always. "Where's the other two?"

Quin bowed low. "They went to clear the area, master. The less people around, the easier it will be to find Jiraiya if he were to run off again."

"Smart." The mercenary approached the bloody mess of a Sennin and smiled down at him. He didn't order Wan off of him, however. He knew that the man only needed a fraction of a second and he could turn the tides. There was a reason he was legendary, after all.

Jiraiya stared up at Tao. He glared defiantly at the man, ignoring the blood oozing down his face. If he was going to die then it would be with dignity.

"Are you sure you want to kill me? Zay will have your head you know."

Boiling rage exploded from the man. "Shut up! You think you're so cool, huh?" He kicked the sage in his face, smiling as he heard the squish of his nose. "Well I'm in the drivers seat now. Destination?" He kicked once more. "Straight to Hell!"

"Stop!"

All eyes turned to the top of the building. Staring down was a figure wearing an all black spandex suit with a purple X on it. The sleeves were missing from the suit, showing off his slim yet hardened arms that was covered by wire armor. His hair was short with brown spikes silver streaks going throughout it while his eyes were a dashing green. On his left hand was a clawed gauntlet while the right was bandaged. Two hoop earrings adorned his ears and standard shinobi sandals were on his feet.

Quin was the first to step forward. "I am unaware of who you are, or even your affiliation since you bear no headband. I will say this: if you wish to live, turn and forget that this is happening."

The man smirked at Quin. "Oh yeah? Well unfortunately for you I have the memory of an elephant. And you kill me? Pssssh!"

This response got the desired effect. Quin gripped his sword with both hands and flew towards the top of the building. "You were given the option!" Much to everyone's surprise, the teen kept smirking.

What happened next was shocking to say the least. When Quin was a few inches away from the boy, he shifted to the right and shoved his claw right into the man's abdomen. The smile on his face didn't falter a bit, nor did his eyes move from Tao's.

"Told ya," he responded coolly. The limp body of Quin fell to the ground with a thud, bouncing on impact. "Now, as I was saying; Stop. Leave. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy killing, but right now I'd rather not."

Wan smirked at his fallen comrade. "Little wuss. I knew he'd be the first to die." He then turned his gaze towards Tao. "Can I have my fun with him?"

The Mercenary narrowed his eyes. Something about the brat seemed familiar, he just couldn't put his finger on why.

"No." Wan's eyes narrowed at the answer. "You will go and gather the other two and we will meet at base."

"But-"

"That is an order. And you know what happens when you don't follow orders."

The boy grunted, giving one final look towards the new foe. The man no longer smiled but gazed at him calculatingly. It sickened him to no end, but he rose off of the sage and sunk into his shadow.

Jiraiya rose to his feet, thankful for the extra weight to be missing. He glanced towards Tao and stuck his tongue out like a child, agitating him once more. The general simply grunted and took off to the sky.

"Whoa… he can fly? Awesome!" Jiraiya turned his gaze to the boy that saved him. Now that he could see him he realized he was just that… a boy. He watched Tao fly away with childish wonder in his eyes.

It was then the sage was hit with pain. The adrenaline rush was over and now the battle was hitting him full powered. He fell to the pavement hard. When he opened his eyes again they were being stared into by green orbs.

"Just sleep old man," a voice that seemed far away said, "I'll getcha to a doctor."

XxxoxxX

And that's a wrap. Right now I'm surviving this hurricane, so I figured while power's out I might as well type this up. So yeah, hope you guys enjoy. Whose the new character? Will NejI carry out his mission, will Jiraiya survive? Find out next tIme on Z shinobi!

XxxoxxX

You guys don't have to read this part. It's an idea I got from another story: a character freestyle battle! Today we have two very special guests: Mr. Jiraiya and Mercenary Tao! Let the battles begin!

Tao: Really? I don't know what a rap is, but whatever it is, the price is –

Jiraiya: Yo mercenary Tao, that is your name?

You're a shitty side character in all of your games.

Your signature move is the Dodonpa

A little tiny blast of energy, not even a wave.

Now this is where it starts to hurt,

Your girlfriend said its wider than your girth, Ha!

Now you know the definition of a Sage,

Killing you in a lyrical yet literal blaze

No rasengan that'll make it to easy

And before this raps over you'll beg please forgive me

Bars! (Drops mic and smirks.)

Tao glared at Jiraiya. "So, its poetry you want? It's poetry you'll get!

I'm a mercenary who happens to get scary

When the price is right, you don't have to double dare me

So when you come near me the situation is very dreary

I do think you should fear me. I'll kill you with my hair be

Cause! I'm strong like that. Did you know that cranes eat frogs, by chance?

So let me dissect, fry it, then digest.

And leave you looking like a melted snicker in the toilet, little pest!

You tried your best, but I'm a killer by choice

You are too, but see I do it with oh so joy

I'm too old for you , you're just a boy

I'm not the one to play with, Go and get some toys!"

(Stands panting heavily, a grin on his features. Jiraiya's face stares back, paled.)

Jiraiya: dude… How old are you?

So who won? Did you like it? Should I just let my characters be characters, or do you enjoy them disrespecting each other? R and R if you like!