Thanks so much Sannara and all you others who have been kind enough to leave your reviews. You're the fuel that keeps the light of inspiration burning.
Chapter Six
Tsunade roused from her slumber with a heaving breath, sweat clinging to her trembling form as her honey-brown eyes adjusted to the piercing darkness of the vast cavern. A moment passed with only her harsh gasps filling the space around her as she waited for the vivid images from her nightmare to inevitably fade. She started slightly at the sound of a low sigh from the foot of her bed and leaned over to inspect the source of the sound. A deceptively small hand shakily reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair clinging to her cheek away as she took in the silhouette of her petite apprentice snuggled on the floor. Kicking off the threadbare sheets covering her, the blonde Sannin carefully rose, picking a path quietly around her snoozing student as she felt her way towards the door.
She felt a twinge of envy as she slowly turned to check on Shizune's peaceful features to confirm that she hadn't woken her roommate. Satisfied that the medic-in-training was fast asleep, Tsunade gently shut the door behind her as she carefully stepped into the chilly corridor of Orochimaru's safe house. Although this was the first time that she had been in this particular safe house, she couldn't help but admire her fellow Sannin's resourcefulness as she made her way through the labyrinth of hallways and corridors.
The walls were hard and cold, the ceiling bare save for an intricate network of spirals carved into its dark purple surface. Several of the rooms she passed by were secured by paper seals taped carefully over the locks. The few rooms that were unlocked housed provisions and spare cots and mattresses with a few bedrooms sprinkled here and there for good measure. She hadn't realized that she had paused to admire the snake carving on a nearby torch until she sensed a familiar presence approaching from the corner of the corridor.
"Oh, it's you." Even in the shadows of the dimly lit corridor, Fugaku Uchiha's frown lines were evident to the medic Sannin as she greeted him with a polite bow. He turned to move past her, lantern raised high above his head before doubling back with a thoughtful frown. "You haven't seen Namikaze-san have you?"
"I just woke up." Tsunade confessed slightly taken aback. "I'm a little lost and not quite sure which room he's in. Have you tried—"
"Yes." The Uchiha snapped with a frustrated sigh before flashing her an apologetic look.
"He probably stepped out for some fresh air." Tsunade suggested before adding. "To be honest, I was about to do the same thing myself." Fugaku moved slightly to the side allowing her to walk past him before turning to follow her down the path he had just come from. They walked in silence for several minutes listening to the soft tinkling and stirring of the cavern's snoozing inhabitants. A light breeze of earthy night air beckoned them further as they neared the cave's entrance on the far north quadrant.
Tsunade felt Fugaku's footsteps soften and he fell further behind her as they neared the half-open door leading to Orochimaru's study. A ghoulish green glow crept into the hallway from the gap in the laboratory door as the gurgling and hissing of chemicals reached them. Not wanting to disturb her former teammate, the Senju heiress reached out for the door's handle but was startled by the silky chuckle of the Snake Sannin.
"Well?" Orochimaru asked not bothering to keep the smugness from his voice as he scribbled something into his notebook. "Any luck finding our blond compatriot, Fugaku-sama?"
"We're going to check outside."
"It's no use." Hizashi announced in a clipped tone as he reentered the cave. They watched as he paused to secure the heavy double doors behind him, his forehead creased in annoyance. "I've scanned the entire area twice. He's long gone."
"Any idea where he went?" Fugaku wondered.
"West." Kuromaru offered as he walked past Hizashi. "But his scent faded beyond ten miles so I couldn't tell you where he went after that."
"I don't understand," Tsunade said turning from the ninken to the Hyuga. "What's going on? Why is Namikaze-san missing?"
"He's not the only one that's missing," Orochimaru said with a light chuckle as he turned to address his former teammate with a smirk. "If you had allowed me to kill him when you first arrived none of this would have happened."
"I'm inclined to agree." Kuromaru said with a frustrated growl.
"Kill who? Namikaze-san?!" Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as she turned to regard her teammate with a feral snarl. "Perhaps you've forgotten but that's Jiraiya's student!"
"Ah, yes the vaunted child of prophecy." Orochimaru noted with a sarcastic sigh.
"He wasn't talking about Minato, Tsunade-hime." Hizashi explained. "He was referring to the Uzumaki boy."
"He's gone too?!" An uncomfortable silence greeted her words as she turned from face to face hoping that someone would correct her mistaken assumption. A tremor shook her knees as the harrowing realization of Minato's betrayal sank in. She steadied herself against a nearby wall as Fugaku abruptly cleared his voice to rally the troops.
"He had to have waited for us to fall asleep so they can't have gone far." The Uchiha declared.
"You're forgetting who we're dealing with here." Hizashi said grimly. "Namikaze-san's mastery of the Flying Raijin Jutsu is unmatched even by Nidaime-sama. He could easily have teleported them to any one of his markers scattered all over the continent."
"He's right." Kuromaru stated. "Which would explain why their trail abruptly disappeared."
"You're forgetting that his chakra network had been sealed for over three weeks now." Fugaku noted. "Even the Sage of Six Paths could not have recovered his complete arsenal of jutsu so quickly."
"Assuming that his chakra was actually sealed all this time." Orochimaru countered with a skeptical laugh. "Minato-kun is a master strategist—he never does anything without reason."
"Impossible." Hizashi scoffed. "Even if he somehow managed to suppress his chakra my Byakugan would have easily detected this."
"He's right." Fugaku added. "Between my Sharingan and his Byakugan his rouse would have been easily detected."
"Do not misunderstand me Fugaku-sama," Orochimaru said with a silky bow. "I am not implying that your eyes were deceived. I'm merely suggesting that we've all been taken by Minato-kun's charms."
"But what could he stand to gain by betraying Konohagakure?" Tsunade wondered as a small finger stroked her jaw distractedly. "If he was that worried about the Uzumaki wouldn't it have been better for him to plead his case directly to Sandaime-sama? Hiruzen-sama is as wise as he is compassionate. Surely Minato recognizes his esteem in the Hokage's eyes." From the corner of her eye, Tsunade noticed the imperceptible flicker of shadow over Orochimaru's otherwise vacant expression but pretended to have missed it.
"This is no time to be lollygagging about!" Kuromaru barked. "We need to get Tsume-sama back to the village for treatment and we need to track down that wayward blond before he gets beyond our reach—if he isn't already."
"Kuromaru's right." Fugaku said. "We'll split up into two teams. Hizashi, Kuromaru and I will go after Daisuke and Minato."
"No." Orochimaru said catching them all by surprise. The deferential tone he often adopted with the Uchiha clan lord had been replaced by something hard and cold. "I will lead the Minato-retrieval team while you return to the village with Tsunade-hime and the others."
"I'm coming too." Tsunade declared. "I can heal Tsume in a jiffy and catch up with you. It's my fault all this happened in the first place. If I hadn't attacked—"
"The puppet master's seal completely suppresses the subject's thoughts and willpower turning them into a mindless tool in the hands of the caster." Hizashi said offering her a sympathetic smile. "Once cast the only effective counter is to kill the caster. There's no way you or anyone could have predicted that he would used that jutsu on you."
"No please! You've got it all wrong!" Rin's voice echoed as she emerged from her hiding place, alarmed and breathless. "Sensei didn't run away with Daisuke-chan. They were both kidnapped."
"Right." Kuromaru sighed as he and Orochimaru turned to leave. Tsunade felt her body move seemingly of its own accord and plant itself directly in front of them blocking their path.
"She's right." Honey-brown eyes gleamed fiercely as she held her comrades' gazes. "His chakra was sealed until very recently when he took me down. Don't forget, my grandmother was an Uzumaki so I know a fair bit about seals."
"No offense Tsunade but Minato-kun has forgotten more about seals than you'll ever know." It took every ounce of the blonde's willpower to not bury her fist inside her teammate's pale visage. She settled for giving him a baleful glare that had cowed many others before him. Orochimaru remained unfazed. "Even if his chakra was sealed away there are ways around this. For instance, he could have drawn natural energy to channel senjutsu."
"But my Byakugan would have still detected it." Hizashi countered.
"Look!" Rin said holding up a cream scroll with smeared markings. "This was on his bed. The formula—"
"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Fugaku moved past her abruptly cutting her off as he marched away, fingers clenched tightly at his side. Kuromaru followed after him, sprinting towards his partner's room before disappearing inside. Orochimaru returned to his study without so much as a backward glance at either kunoichi leaving Hizashi standing awkwardly between them.
"Just, go." Tsunade said a blonde eyebrow trembling impatiently as the Hyuga shuffled his feet uncertainly, eyes darting from them to the corridor behind them as he considered the most respectful way to make his escape. He hurried away at her dismissal bristling slightly at her curt tone but accepting it nonetheless. Tsunade's shoulders trembled violently as her knuckles tightened menacingly. She began to walk away, the sound of her high heels clacking loudly beneath her before a soft whimper halted her in her tracks. She slowly turned to glance over her shoulder and felt a stab of anger at the sight of the petite brunette sniveling into her hand.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"Although her voice was dangerously low she could tell that Rin had heard her as she jumped slightly. Thankfully the sobbing had stopped but that didn't stop the anger shaking Tsunade as she turned to face her. "Rin, was it? I asked you a question!"
"I'm sorry!" The girl gasped backing away from her with trembling legs. "I didn't mean to—It's just that I don't know what to do. I know that sensei didn't run away—he would never betray us…or leave me behind."
"If crying is your first instinct…" Tsunade trailed off as she turned away biting her tongue. She remembered Jiraiya's constant criticism of her bluntness and infamously quick temper. Her shoulders shook as she drove her fist gently into the wall, envisioning the message she was trying to relay in kinder terms. Unable to discern a gentler method, Tsunade turned and grabbed a fistful of the girl's blouse, lifting her trembling form off her feet as she drove her against the wall. "If your first instinct is to break down and sob when things fall apart then your sensei has failed you and have no business calling yourself a kunoichi!"
Tsunade noted the shock in the girl's features with a satisfied grunt as she roughly released her. It was evident from the girl's reaction that this was the first time anyone had bothered to point this out to her. Tsunade balled her fists up in annoyance as she grit her teeth painfully together. Unfortunately, this was a reality she was all too familiar with. It was the main reason that she opposed the three-man genin squad system. A shinobi's development could not fully be entrusted to a single individual. She herself was proof of this having drawn from her experiences working with a myriad of talented shinobi over the years.
"I'm sorry." The girl repeated weakly tiny hands hugging her small shoulders protectively as she lowered her gaze to her feet.
"Someone always gets left behind. Overlooked. Dismissed as a lost cause." Tsunade said quietly with a sympathetic smile. "With my team it was Jiraiya. He was never supposed to amount to anything—unlike Orochimaru and I. It took me years to realize how tough it must have been to be stuck on the same squad with the both of us. The prodigy and the Shodai's heir. Tell me, who are the other members of your genin squad?"
Rin blinked up at the blonde for several moments in confusion as the buxom Sannin placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Slowly but surely, like the vicious anger that had been reflected in the Sannin's eyes, Rin felt her fear and helplessness dissipate. Before her a living legend stood prepared, ready to hear her out.
"O-Obito Uchiha…and…Kakashi Hatake."
"Sakumo's kid huh?" Tsunade chuckled. "Interesting. Very interesting. Between him and the Uchiha it's no wonder your sensei has neglected you. Tell me, how did he choose you over the other two for this mission?"
"I'm not sure." Rin admitted weakly. "Truth be told…I was planning on asking him to bring me along but I could never find the right time."
"I see." Tsunade observed with a knowing smile. "A true sensei anticipates their students' needs even before the student becomes aware of them. He probably figured that you wanted to come along before you even did."
"And here I thought…." Rin paused as a small smile spread across her lips. "I thought the only reason he brought me along was because I would obey his orders without question."
"That might have been one of the reasons," Tsunade admitted with a small nod. "But, if Jiraiya is to be believed, Minato is a very careful and thorough individual. Every act, every word, every decision is made and done with a specific goal in mind. He brought you along for a very specific purpose. Can you guess what it was?" Rin thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Well I barely know the man so this is all speculation at this point," Tsunade shrugged. "But the first time I met him he directly appealed to my pride as a medic-nin because he wanted me to heal—" The Sannin's eyes widened as she turned and took off in the direction the others had disappeared. "Tsume! I completely forgot about Tsume!"
"Took you long enough!" Tsume growled as Tsunade barged into her room sweaty and out of breath. She watched as the blonde leaned against the doorframe for a brief second to catch her breath.
"Lie still! And stop talking so much!" Tsunade snapped as she approached the irate kunoichi with chakra-laden palms. The Sannin paused as she scanned the room briefly for the nin-ken's presence. "Where's that out-spoken runt of yours anyways? It looked like he was headed here to check on you?"
"They already left if that's what you're really asking." Tsume huffed as she shifted into a more comfortable position on her back. "Just patch me up as quickly as you can. Fugaku-sama already told me everything so the sooner we leave this creepy place the better."
"Are you just going to stand there?" Tsunade asked without turning around to address Rin who had been watching quietly from the doorway. The little girl blinked for a moment uncertain of how to react or respond. Tsunade turned towards her with a firm look. "You're a medic-nin are you not?" The brunette nodded. Tsunade wordlessly stepped away from Tsume's bedside crossing her arms as she watched Rin expectantly.
A spark of realization brightened the girl's features as she quietly made her way towards the waiting patient who was watching the exchange apprehensively. As Rin reached her bedside, Tsume turned towards Tsunade with a questioning frown that the blonde pretended not to notice. Healing chakra brightened the girl's palms as she directed them over the patient's body.
"Shizune was able to patch her up well but her organs are still bruised and in need of treatment." Rin diagnosed with a nervous glance at Tsunade. The Sannin languidly stretched her arms high above her head with an exaggerated yawn as she settled down into the furthest seat from the patient's bedside.
"Well, I guess you'd better get to it." She said with a challenging smile. "Show me what you can do."
Tsume Inuzuka was examining her reflection in the mirror, eyes cautious but appreciative as she gingerly moved her newly-healed limbs. When she was done, she turned to ruffle the petite medic-nin's hair with an appreciative smile.
"Right!" Tsunade said rising to her feet. "We'll leave for Konoha in the morning. For now get some rest. The both of you." As she turned to leave Tsunade felt Rin's small hands grab the sleeve of her blouse and turned to face her with a raised eyebrow.
"But what about sensei?" The girl wondered, brown eyes wide and confused. "You said you were going to help me find him."
"I never said that." Tsunade scoffed arching an eyebrow. She watched the sputtering girl recount their earlier conversation with the others in the hallway. Slowly but surely Rin's shoulders slumped as the realization that the Sannin was right slowly dawned on her.
"But what about sensei? What's going to happen to him?" Rin asked as she pulled out the scroll with smudged characters she had been showing them earlier. "I know it's not very clear and hard to read but I'm sure sensei deliberately left it behind as a clue for us. He's in trouble and needs our help."
Tsunade calmly accepted the scroll from the girl and lowered her gaze to study it briefly. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of the nonsensical formula.
"Well if that's the case then this clue isn't very good." She said dismissively tossing aside the offending tome as she turned to leave. Rin paused to retrieve the scroll from the ground with a surprised gasp. "His handwriting is atrocious enough as it is and the characters are completely backward and the ink is badly smudged."
"But I'm sure he did it for a reason. There must be a way to decipher it." Rin insisted with a defiant gleam. "Give me until morning and I'll try to—"
"Enough!" Tsunade's voice sliced through the space between them resonating with as much force as a smack. "Even if you deciphered his hidden message right here and now are you honestly asking me to sacrifice the fate of millions for a single shinobi?"
"I never—"
"Where is your head?!" The blonde barked. "Running after your sensei is exactly what the enemy wants. It's probably the only reason they're keeping him alive. Have you forgotten about the toxin in Daisuke's bloodstream that we extracted? We've wasted enough time with these petty diversions! We need to get back to the village to analyze the toxin and develop an antidote as quickly as possible. We'll have to entrust his retrieval to Orochimaru's team."
Rin's shoulders slumped heavily as she let out a defeated sigh. Although she didn't say anything, Tsunade caught the sheen of unshed tears in her gaze as she turned away. The Sannin walked out allowing the girl some privacy. As she marched back to her room, she felt her nails digging painfully into the palm of her hands but did not unclench her fists. While she took no pleasure in the girl's misery, she knew that reason had to prevail at all costs. No matter how hard and cold.
"It's been a long time!" Jiraiya greeted as he poked his head into the tiny booth. An easy smile tugged at Tsunade's lips as she shifted to create space beside her, tapping the bench for emphasis. The Toad Hermit slid easily into the space turning to address the waitress with a lecherous blush.
Normally Tsunade would have smacked her former teammate upside the head for such a brazen display but she allowed herself a light chuckle as she rested her face on her palm with a patient glance. He jumped slightly when he turned to find her watching him and gave a nervous chuckle as he threw up his hands reflexively sputtering some incoherent excuse for his perverted gaze.
"I didn't expect to find you here in the village." Tsunade said abruptly steering the conversation to a lighter topic. "What brings you here?"
"Well, I popped by the check on how things were going here and got stuck helping Orochimaru and Minato." Tsunade stilled her features at the sound of his student's name but did not otherwise react. Naturally, Jiraiya noticed this subtle shift in her demeanor. His mouth widened into a mischievous grin as he leaned closer. "So you've met him huh? Well what do you think? Quite the looker isn't he?"
"Is he?" Tsunade asked with a hard frown. "I didn't notice." Before he could say anything in response, Tsunade dug the heel of her shoe into his foot causing his words to jumble into an incoherent cry of pain. "So Nawaki, how's your training going?" Tsunade said pointedly addressing the other occupant of the booth.
"Oh, it's awful!" The blonde's chest shook with a doting chuckle at her younger brother's pout. "I wish my sensei would stop babying us and would actually give us some real training." An excited gleam sparkled in his eye as he turned to Jiraiya who was still whining about never walking again. "I have an idea!" He declared dramatically pointing at the stunned Hermit. "You should totally teach me a new jutsu. I heard you've been working on one! Whatever it is, it's going to be awesome! If I can learn that jutsu and show it to sensei, he'll be forced to acknowledge my strength and will start taking me seriously."
"Sorry kid." Jiraiya huffed. "But I already have my hands full with Minato's brats. Honestly that Hatake kid is a handful by himself and then throw in that hyperactive Uchiha and their spandex-wearing rival…how does Minato keep it together with those freaks around?"
"Speak of the devil." Tsunade said with a small nod of her head towards the restaurant entrance. Jiraiya's shoulders slumped when he turned to find a dark-haired boy with goggles glaring at him from the entrance.
"Yea, no kidding." Jiraiya muttered as the waitress returned with his order. He pretended not to notice as he pulled apart his chopsticks and prepared to dig in.
"You're getting a lot easier to find." The dark-haired bow barked as he shoved his way past his silver-haired teammate. "That shadow clone you left behind was a complete joke. Kakashi took his down in less than a minute."
"Oh? And how long did it take you to defeat yours?" Jiraiya asked already knowing the answer. The Uchiha bristled at this, clenching his fists with a frustrated growl as his teammate took over.
"That's not the point!" The boy snapped. "You promised Minato-sensei that you would train us while he was gone. It's been two weeks and the only training we've received is tracking you down."
"An immensely useful tool in a shinobi's arsenal." The Toad Hermit offered with an insincerely sage expression.
"Cut the crap!" Obito roared slamming his fist on the table. "We already learned tracking at the academy!"
"Really?" Kakashi noted distractedly. "I couldn't tell."
"What the hell, Kakashi?! You're supposed to be on my side!"
"Well if you'd just take the hint and give up on chasing him all over the village like I did weeks ago you would have learned a lot more training by yourself." The silver-haired boy retorted quietly.
"He made a promise to Minato-sensei!" Obito snapped pointing accusingly at the white-haired Sannin. "I'm just trying to hold him to it."
"Suit yourself." The Hatake shrugged as he turned to walk away. He paused as he noticed Tsunade refilling her cup from the corner of his eye and turned towards her. "You're Tsunade of the legendary Sannin aren't you?" Tsunade turned to give him a small nod of acknowledgment.
"Huh? The legendary what?" The dark-haired boy asked turning from his teammate to Tsunade in confusion. "Wait, how do you know who she is?" Tsunade felt a vein pop on her forehead as the Hatake brat pointed wordlessly at her ample cleavage. Beside her Jiraiya chuckled nervously.
"Oh, so those are the legendary mounds Jiraiya-sama can't shut up about?"
"Jiraiya you…" Nawaki caught her elbow as it arched backwards dangerously.
"Don't hit him please! I need him to train me!" Tsunade's expression softened as she took in her brother's hopeful eyes. "I know he's a creepy perv but he's still a splendid shinobi."
"A creepy perv?" Jiraiya repeated with a disheartened sigh.
"Hey, if you're a Sannin too then maybe you could train us!" The boy's goggles bobbled with his excitement as he turned to Tsunade.
"Sorry kid," Tsunade said holding her palm up. "No can do. Besides, I already have my hands full mentoring your teammate at the hospital." Both boys perked up at the mention of their teammate. While the silver-haired boy's eyes narrowed suspiciously, his teammate's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Rin's back?!" He roared, practically shoving his teammate aside as he sprinted for the exit. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!" He had disappeared into the street beyond without waiting for the blonde's response.
"Rin and Minato-sensei left together." The Hatake stated. "Did something happen to him?"
"He was called away on another mission." Jiraiya said pointedly cutting Tsunade off before she could even respond. "Top secret. Highly classified."
"Indeed." Came the youth's skeptical response as he turned away no doubt to track his recently-returned teammate for answers.
"I swear, that Kakashi is too smart for his own good." Jiraiya sighed as he slumped back in his chair. Nawaki choked on the drink he had been sipping. Tsunade patted his back affectionately, rubbing healing chakra to sooth his clogged passageway.
"Wait? That was Kakashi Hatake?!" Nawaki asked. When Jiraiya nodded weakly he screamed, pulling at his hair as he leapt out of his seat. "He has the second-highest score on the written Chunin exam! I need to find out how he did it!" Before either of them could say anything or even react, he sprinted out of the restaurant calling anxiously for the prodigious Hatake.
"Boy, it sure is good to be back." Tsunade chuckled as she leaned back in her chair with an appreciative smile. "I forgot how much I missed all the bickering and banter from the good old days."
"Well, it's certainly good to have you back." Jiraiya nodded as he refilled her cup for her. "Once Orochimaru returns we should all drag sensei to that teashop shop he favors for old time's sake."
"I'd like that." Tsunade said as she rose to her feet. "But it might have to wait till after the war. I'm not sure when Orochimaru will be returning and I can't wait around for that long. There are still a lot of unprotected civilian villages in danger zones and I have to make sure that they're ready when war breaks out."
"Do you really think it'll come to that?" Jiraiya wondered. "Is war really that inevitable?"
"Afraid so." Tsunade replied grimly. "How easily we forget the lessons of the past." Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh as he rose to join her.
"So I take it you won't be staying for long?" He asked already guessing the answer.
"I'm needed elsewhere." Tsunade replied. "With the proper training and skills those civilians will be able to withstand the horrors of war—even one between shinobi."
"That's quite noble of you," Jiraiya noted with a warm smile as they paid for the meal.
"I'm just following your lead from the last war." Tsunade said returning his smile. "In times like these, we all need to do our best to help those weaker than us."
"If only Orochimaru saw it that way." Jiraiya mused with a woeful smile. "But I'm sure he'll come around. He has to."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Tsunade cautioned quietly as Minato's words came rushing back to her.
"Have you reported any of this to Sandaime-sama?" She remembered asking him. When Minato had shaken his head in response she had continued. "I suggest you do so as quickly as possible. With any luck, he'll send you proper reinforcements—no offense but I'm a little surprised he didn't send Orochimaru on this mission."Lesser men would have been insulted by her suggestion
"Really? I'm not." He had replied with a casual shrug.
"How do you figure?" She had challenged crossing her arms she watched him with a smirk.
"Given Orochimaru's…macabre inclinations…well…one can hardly fault Sandaime-sama for not wanting to tempt him. We all know he's very close to experimenting on human subjects…if he hasn't already."
Could that be it? Did he flee with Daisuke to prevent Orochimaru from experimenting on him? No, that couldn't be it. He's a shinobi. Surely someone as talented as him would have been privy to the horrors they were required to commit for the sake of their country. Doubt flooded her as she recalled their conversation the first time they had met.
"Please, my comrade is badly poisoned." He had implored. "If you don't help him, he'll die."
Comrade…while it's possible that he only referred to him as such to make me heal him, it's impossible to fake the sincerity in his voice. Then again…
Suddenly she was transported back to that moment in the tiny lobby at the heart of Tanzaku Quarters as she traced his bright blue eyes as they shifted to watch Daisuke. Within the icy sheen of his gaze, his intentions were plain. She remembered bristling at the thought as she confronted him.
"I see. So you're using him as bait, huh? Do you think it wise?"
"You said it yourself." Came his calm reply. "If Lady Chiyo's poison was complete, then Daisuke would be dead by now or pretty close to it. The fact that he's still alive makes him an invaluable asset to her experiment. She will go to any lengths to recover him but cannot risk his body being damaged in any way."
"So we let them grab him? Just like that? Hasn't he been through enough?"
"He's still alive isn't he?" He had replied flippantly.
"Is everything alright?" They were sitting on a bench on the hospital rooftop watching the orange glow of the sunset journey lower towards the horizon. Jiraiya was watching her with bemusement.
"Sorry, I was just thinking," Tsunade replied quietly.
"I figured." Jiraiya chuckled. "Anything I can help with? I'd hate for you to develop frown lines on that beautiful forehead of yours." Tsunade rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her seat with a heavy sigh.
"Your student, Minato." She said after turning the issue over in her mind. "You've heard about what happened." Although it wasn't a question, Jiraiya had nodded in response as he shifted to watch her expectantly. "Well, what do you think? What would compel him to behave the way he has?"
"I don't have all the facts but if I know Minato…he's probably doing what he feels is best to protect the village." Jiraiya replied with a proud smile. Tsunade watched the fatherly expression on her friend's features as he thought about his student.
"I'm shocked that you haven't taken off to find him." Tsunade teased with a small nudge.
"I'm sure Orochimaru is more than up to the task." He replied.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Tsunade blurted out before catching herself. It was the second time she had voiced her reservations about their reclusive teammate. Jiraiya had noticed.
"What makes you say that?"
"I've known Orochimaru for years. He can be blunt, tactless and even dismissive of those he deems inferior for whatever reason." Tsunade's eyes widened. "But I've never known him to be disdainful—at least not openly."
"He feels threatened by Minato," Jiraiya explained with a soft sigh. "It doesn't help that they're both being considered to succeed Hiruzen-sama when he retires."
"No way!" Tsunade gasped. "That scrawny kid? Succeed sensei? He's barely past puberty!"
"He turned twenty in January." Jiraiya amended.
"Still? That's still way too young to be even considered for the post." Tsunade scoffed. "Orochimaru should prevail on age alone."
"Winning by default or on a technicality is exactly the type of victory Orochimaru detests." Obviously, the Toad Sannin was right so Tsunade allowed her protest to die in her throat and turned away. "Still, that's not the real reason you brought Minato up."
"He's your student." Tsunade began hesitantly. "So I want to believe the best in him—I really do. But he's not making it very easy for me."
"You think he escaped with that Uzumaki boy, don't you?"
"I want to." She admitted with a frustrated groan. "It'll be so much easier than the alternative."
"Talk me through it," Jiraiya said crossing his arms.
"When I first met him, he referred to the boy as his comrade even though he was from Sunagakure. He even risked his life to fetch me in a sandstorm so I could save the boy when he was in danger of dying. Then days later when the boy was finally healthy enough to be out and about, he didn't hesitate to use him as bait to lure out enemy forces that had been tailing us."
"Minato is one of the few shinobi who views empathy and compassion for one's enemies as a strength." The white-hairs on her teammate's shoulders seemed to glow in the fading sunlight as Tsunade watched him. "That said, he would never let such emotions cloud his judgment and endanger Konoha. I'm sure it will come to you soon but there's probably more to his behavior that you're overlooking. Some clue you haven't noticed yet."
"That's it!"
When Tsunade found Rin Nohara she was in the hospital break room hunched over a stack of patient charts and reports. The dark-haired boy with goggles was perched on the window sill beside her. Beside him, Kakashi Hatake was leaning against the wall, eyes closed with an exhausted frown as he listened to his teammates. It took Tsunade a moment to realize that the stack of paperwork was actually concealing the real source of the teammate's curiosity. She moved to clear her throat loudly to announce her presence just as the silver-haired boy's eyes opened to meet hers. His elbow moved reflexively for the blade at his back nudging his dark-haired teammate in the process.
The Uchiha cried out as he flailed his arms in wide ungraceful arcs before losing his balance and tumbling down unto the pavement below. Rin rushed to the window with a concerned shout sending the scroll they had been reading tumbling to the ground. Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the sound of shattering glass.
"Obito! Are you alright?!" The girl called out to her groaning teammate below.
"Kakashi! What the hell?! I almost died you bastard!" The Uchiha screamed as he jumped to his feet, his goggles hanging off a large comically-sized bump on his forehead.
"Well, that'll teach you to not secure your footing with chakra." Kakashi retorted coolly as he stooped to gather the broken pieces of Rin's mirror from the floor. "Did you need something?" He asked Tsunade as he straightened up. Rin jumped backward with a stunned gasp, nervously sliding the scroll they had been reading beneath a nearby desk
"That scroll—more specifically the jutsu formula scribbled on there, what can you tell me about it?" Tsunade asked pointing.
"It's um—"
"What's it to you anyway?" Obito snapped as he climbed through the window. "Rin told us about how you brushed her—youch! Rin what's the big idea?!"
"A thousand apologies my lady," Rin said, wrestling her whining teammate into a headlock as she slapped a palm over his mouth muffling his indignant cries. "It seems the fall—"
"Spare me and answer the question." Tsunade barked losing her patience. "You were using the mirror to read it since it was written backwards, right? So you've already deciphered what it does."
"It's a seal," Rin replied with a hesitant glance at Kakashi as he discarded the broken shards of glass into a nearby waste bin. "Before the mission sensei gave me a notebook of seals he had invented. I recognized that formula from the notebook."
"What does that seal do?" Tsunade pressed on with an impatient grunt.
"It overcomes the subject's willpower preventing them from divulging sensitive information to enemy forces no matter what type of interrogation techniques they are subjected to," Kakashi explained calmly. "It's the ultimate defense against intelligence extraction." When he noticed his teammates' perplexed expressions he shrugged. "It's the jutsu sensei invented to pass his Jounin Exam six years ago."
"How did you know about that?" Rin wondered stunned.
"I read about it in the jutsu archives when we were assigned to inventory them a few years ago and asked sensei about it."
"Impressive," Tsunade remarked allowing herself a small smile.
"I disagree." Obito huffed. "That seal sounds like a death sentence for anyone dumb enough to use it on themselves."
"I'm sure sensei had his reasons for using it." Kakashi's grey eyes narrowed defensively as he glared at his teammate.
"What makes you think sensei would be dumb enough to use such a jutsu on himself?!"
"The only reason sensei would have written the formula backward was if he had intended to use it on himself," Rin stated quietly. "The seal is only effective once marked on the subject's skin. Think about it, writing it backward would have made transferring the formula a lot easier than him standing in front of a mirror and marking his body."
"But isn't that what shadow clones are for?" Obito wondered scratching his head in confusion.
"But then how would we have figured out that sensei was in trouble?" Tsunade replied. "That scroll is your sensei's way of telling us that he's in trouble."
"What are we waiting for?! We have to go rescue sensei!" Obito declared moving to jump out of the window. Kakashi moved his arm blocking his path as he turned to face him.
"Sensei might have wanted us to know that he hadn't betrayed the village but I doubt that he would have wanted us to come after him."
"But he's in trouble Kakashi." Rin protested. "The fact that he resorted to this proves that he needs help."
"Sensei sacrificed himself so that the rest of your team could return to the village with the intelligence you had gathered. That seal was merely an insurance policy to ensure that his knowledge would never be used against the village and nothing more. Besides an enemy capable of backing sensei into a corner is hardly one either of you is a match for."
"Move your arm." Obito's voice came out in a trembling whisper as he turned towards his teammate with a fierce look. When the silver-haired Chunin returned his gaze unfazed, the Uchiha barked. "Move or I'll move you!"
"I'd like to see you try." Kakashi taunted.
"You guys please stop!" Rin begged, shoving her way between them.
"That's enough," Tsunade said slamming her palm unto the desk angrily sending several sheets of paperwork crashing to the ground. A stunned silence filled the room as they turned to face her as she slowly straightened up. "Kakashi is right. Your sensei was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the village. Never forget that." Rin and Obito hung their heads sadly as the blonde turned to leave. She paused at the doorway glancing over her shoulder at them with a sympathetic smile. "That being said, Lady Chiyo cannot be allowed to continue her work on Daisuke."
"I agree," Rin said. "The antidote we've developed would be useless if she's allowed to enhance her toxin."
"Right! We'll save this Sasuke guy along with sensei and bring them both back to the village!" Obito declared drawing an exasperated sigh from Rin.
"For the last time Obito, his name's not Sasuke, it's Daisuke." She corrected
"No, it's not," Kakashi stated matter-of-factly.
"Actually Kakashi it is," Rin said turning towards him with a polite smile.
"No, it's not." The silver-haired boy insisted narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "And something tells me he's not an Uzumaki either."