Chapter 23: The Legendary Sanin Jiraiya Arrives!
"Chidori!" Sasuke shouted, a ball of electricity in his palm as he ran toward the rock wall. His attack hit the hard rock and there was a sharp -CRACK!- that echoed around us before a massive fissure appeared along the wall and suddenly it was crumbling, dust floating up toward the sky.
I watched in aww from the side, my eyes wide. Sasuke had gotten strong over the past few weeks and had been training with Kakashi almost every day. I knew Kakashi had merely done it to keep a better eye on Sasuke but the new jutsu was just a good touch. The dust cleared and Sasuke stood hunched over by the rubble of the rock wall, his hand on the rock, his breathing labored and his training clothes filthy. He was exhausted, even a little pale and I knew he had reached his limit instantly. If he kept pushing himself the way he was, I'd have to drag him back to his apartment.
"Looks like you only have it in you for three bursts." Kakashi called to him. I glanced up at the White Fang, his arms crossed, her gaze strong. Sasuke slowly turned to face him, is eyes dark.
"I can keep going." Sasuke grumbled and pushed himself away from the rubble as he clenched and unclenched his now trembling hand.
"No." Kakashi said. "You've reached your limit and bad things could happen to you if we continue." Kakashi glanced down at me and I flushed, looking away quickly before rising to my feet. I didn't want to know what bad things other than passing out would happen to Sasuke and I didn't want to stand around and find out to see it happen either.
"You can practice later." I said as I walked toward Sasuke. He looked at me, his eyes turning a shade softer as I took his trembling hand in mine and offered him a small smile. "Why don't we go eat? It's getting pretty late and you haven't eaten anything since this morning."
He stared at me, looking half torn between biting my head off and maybe, possibly agreeing with me. Unless, of course, it was all in my head, the agreeing with me part. He shot a sour look at Kakashi who shot him one of his lazy, easy-going smirks and shrugs before looking down at our hands.
Ever since the kiss in the infirmary, something about him had changed when it came to me. He was still cold and unreadable and in a lot of ways still the same Sasuke, but he would listen to me a little bit more. Either way, I could see the protests building behind his mouth and judging by the sour look growing on his face, it was taking everything in him to not tell me off.
"Fine." He grumbled before pulling his hand away from mine and sliding it into his pocket. I managed a smile and was ready to start walking when I sensed chakra coming from behind us. Sasuke and I swung around and my stomach dropped as soon as I saw Gaara standing a few feet away from us, his eyes their usual shade of dark, his arms folded.
I had almost forgotten about the Sand shinobi and liked the fact that they were keeping to themselves since the preliminary round. All three of them had made the cut and while that didn't surprise me much, Kyoske had told me about Gaara's brutal fight with Lee. I had remembered the excitement in his eyes as he recalled Lee's swift kick to Gaara's face, the splash of blood sliding down Gaara's cheek and the shock in not only his face but in Temari and Kankuro's faces as well. I knew Lee was in critical condition and had even heard that he was at risk of continuing on as a shinobi. Gaara had done a number on him and judging from the hard look in his eye, he was setting his sights on Sasuke next.
"What do you want?" Sasuke growled, not helping. He was tense too, his eyes just as dark, his lips pressed into a hard, firm line.
"Sasuke Uchiha…" Gaara breathed, making Sasuke's eyes narrow. "I came to fight you."
"Gaara." I said, unable to think of much else to say. Was he serious? I didn't doubt that he wasn't but it still blew my mind regardless.
"You're Gaara, right? Kakashi called and slowly we all looked back at him. "Gaara of the Sand?"
Gaara didn't say anything, he just glared at Kakashi who smiled softly at him, unaffected by the dark aura surrounding the boy.
"I know you're eager to fight Sasuke here, but why don't we save it for the Final round?" Kakashi said. "It's only fair."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed back at Kakashi before turning into a glare as he turned back toward Gaara who was just staring at Kakashi. I wondered if he was considering Kakashi's words or if he was considering killing him instead. Regardless, I stepped in front of Sasuke and Gaara's eyes shifted over to me.
"Don't be so pushy to start fighting." I said to him. "Kakashi's right. In a few weeks you'll be fighting each other. No need to rush things."
"Fine." Gaara said after a moment before turning to face Sasuke. "I will be looking forward to our fight."
Sasuke stepped in front of me and fixed a hard look on Gaara. "Same here."
I stared between the two of them, the tension so heavy, it made a light sweat light my brow. Gaara looked about ready to send his sand after Sasuke and Sasuke looked about ready to deliver a Chidori to his heart. With the way Sasuke was with the newfound strength he was getting each day, as strange as it felt to say, I could see him standing a chance against Gaara. Finally after what felt like an eternity, Gaara turned around and disappeared down the side of the rocky hillside Sasuke had chosen to train on. We watched him go, waiting for him to disappear into the trees at the bottom before we turned toward Kakashi who continued to stare off at the spot Gaara had been standing.
"I'm leaving, Kakashi." Sasuke said, gaining his attention. Kakashi merely nodded and watched as Sasuke headed down the opposite path and after shooting him a small bow, I followed quickly after. Together we walked to downtown Konoha in silence and while I couldn't help but wonder what was running through his head, an angry voice ahead caught my attention.
"C'mon Pervy Sage! Hurry up! Let's get back to training already!"
We stopped walking. It was Naruto's voice just around the corner and suddenly there he was in his orange jumpsuit, pulling at the sleeve of an older man with a waist-length, spiky white hair and a sleazy, deluded smirk on his face.
"I told you to stop calling me that kid!" The man grumbled, slightly irked as he glared down at an angry Naruto. "Especially in front of the ladies."
"Stop being so perverted and I wouldn't have to!" Naruto growled which only irked the older man more, that is until he caught Sasuke and I staring. He turned to face us and slowly, so did Naruto, who brightened at the sight of me before glaring at Sasuke.
"Miyuki!" Naruto greeted before leaving the older man's side and running toward me.
"Hey Naruto." I smiled. I hadn't seen much of him over the past few weeks. But, I had heard how he had put up a decent fight during the preliminary round and had only won by sheer luck, or as Kyoske had put it, "bodily functions". He hadn't elaborated and I was too afraid to ask, so I had just accepted it with a firm nod.
"How are you doing?" I asked, focusing on Naruto instead of the white haired ninja who was regarding me with an unreadable expression.
Naruto smiled his usual toothy and wide grin, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "I've been training my butt off." He admitted.
"That's good." I smiled.
"Tch." Sasuke said, folding his arms across his chest, making Naruto's smile pull down into a frown.
"What?" Naruto growled at him.
"Nothing…loser." Sasuke said, sliding his hands into his pockets.
Naruto's glare hardened. "I'm gonna beat you Sasuke! Believe it!"
"Hmph." Sasuke said, turning away, his eyes closing, as an amused smirk spread across his lips.
"Grr! Sasuke!" Naruto growled.
"Who are your friends, Naruto?" The white haired man asked. I looked up and found him hovering just outside our small circle. Sasuke's eyes snapped open at the closeness of his voice and cut over to him.
Naruto looked back at the man before turning and smiling at us.
"This is Miyuki." Naruto said, motioning toward me. He glared at Sasuke and pointed a finger at him. "And he's not my friend! He's my rival! Sasuke."
Sasuke scoffed. "You're the last person I want as a friend."
A vein pulsed in Naruto's forehead and just as I was about to attempt to diffuse their fight, the old man cut me off.
"Miyuki what?" He asked, his voice firm, his eyes hard.
I flushed, Naruto and Sasuke looking away from each other back toward the man.
"Miyuki…Miyuki Obanji." I said, my voice cautious. The man arched an eyebrow and was about to say something when a new voice joined our circle from the side.
"Jiraiya."
It was Megumi-sensei with Kyoske and Hideki at her side.
The old man's eyes widened a small fraction in what could only be described as shock. They stared at each other for a moment before the old man, Jiraiya she had called him, composed himself.
"Well, well, well." Jiraiya smirked. "If it isn't the biggest heartache."
Megumi-sensei's lips trembled slightly, as if she was about to smile, but then she stopped herself.
"What are you doing here, old man?" Megumi-sensei asked.
Jiraiya smiled softly. "I'm just visiting."
Megumi-sensei seemed to weigh the words in her head and by the looks of it, she didn't buy it and something told me Jiraiya knew that.
"What about you?" Jiraiya asked.
"Chunin Exams."
"Oh…so you're a Jonin now?" Jiraiya said before giving my team a cursory glance, his eyes lingering on me a fraction longer than necessary. "These children are yours?"
"Problem?" Megumi-sensei asked, her voice clipped.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Interesting collection."
"Pervy Sage, you know each other?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya looked about ready to hit Naruto over the head but was stopped when Megumi-sensei chuckled into her shoulder.
"Pervy Sage? That about sums it up, doesn't it?" She snickered.
Jiraiya looked at her, his own smile tense. "It's not even half of it."
He looked down at me again, something shining in his eyes. I couldn't place it but I noted the distance between us and couldn't help but feel like he was doing it on purpose. It was a safe distance, his feet planted on the ground in such a way, he was also ready to run for cover. It made me feel like I was some sort of ticking time bomb and I felt my shoulders slump at the mere thought.
"Something wrong?" Megumi-sensei asked, her voice closer, her hand coming down on my shoulder.
"Obanji…huh?" Jiraiya asked, lifting a hand to stroke his chin. His eyes moved over toward Kyoske and Hideki who didn't seem to really care much for the man.
"As much as I'd love to stay and chat with you, Jiraiya, we have to go and train." Megumi-sensei said, her voice dry.
Jiraiya placed a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder and pulled him back to him. Naruto stumbled and seemed a bit mystified as he stared between our two sensei's. There was tension now and it was so thick, it felt impossible to cut through.
"We'll have time later I'm sure." Jiraiya said, his eyes firm again, matching the seriousness in his voice.
I looked back at Sasuke who seemed agitated and as Megumi-sensei's hand slid off my shoulder, Jiraiya and Naruto watching her walk away, he leaned close to my ear, his breath making Goosebumps rise on my skin.
"Come by later." He whispered, his breath warm, so close, it made my head spin with thoughts of his lips brushing over mine. Excitement burst in my belly and as I turned to look at him, my cheeks instantly hot, Megumi-sensei called out to me.
"Miyuki, let's go." It was clipped and all business and I knew better than to keep staring at Sasuke. We needed to leave and we needed to leave now and even though it was the last thing I wanted, I turned away, struggling to hide my red cheeks as I walked over to my team.
"We'll talk soon, Megumi." Jiraiya said as we started walking away.
"Don't count on it." Megumi-sensei grumbled under her breath.
…
The boys were in their own world, stuck behind Hideki's makeshift desk, their eyes glued to the monitor. Megumi-sensei was sitting by the window and I was sitting off to the side of her, stealing glances in her direction every so often. We had practically ran back to the hotel and while the boys had jumped back into trying to tease out as much as they could about the Sound Genin, I couldn't shake Jiraiya from my mind.
Megumi-sensei sucked in a breath before rising to her feet and heading for the door. She slipped out, no one but me seeming to notice. I felt my hands ball into tight fists at my sides and before I could give it another thought, I was jumping to my feet, telling myself that I was tired of staying quiet and expecting the best from my sensei. It was clear she knew something about Jiraiya and I wasn't going to let her get away.
"Sensei." I called out to her as I stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind me. She was halfway down the hall and her body stiffened at the sound of my voice before she turned herself around to face me.
"You should help the boys." She said, her voice even, on the edge of disinterest.
"I want you to tell me more about Jiraiya." I said, starting toward her.
She glanced back at me, her eyes unreadable.
"What about him?"
"Everything you know." I countered which made her lower lip tremble.
"He's a Sanin, one of the legendary shinobi."
My eyes widened just as my heart dropped. "Just like Orochimaru." I remembered Orochimaru going on about his teammate, his perversion and at the same time passions. He had never gone into great detail and while I wasn't sure how Orochimaru had felt about Jiraiya, there was always a slight edge of respect in his voice.
"Jiraiya is a very skilled shinobi, very powerful." Megumi-sensei said, giving me her back.
"Why is he here?" I asked.
She shrugged. "How should I know?"
"Orochimaru is here, in the village, and now that Sanin is here too." I said. "Are they working together?"
She scoffed. "No."
"Then why else would he be here?"
"It's probably the Leaf's idea of pooling together all of their resources." Megumi-sensei said. "It's none of our concern. We have bigger things to worry about."
"Then why was he looking at me the way he was?"
She looked back at me.
"Don't think I didn't notice it."
She hesitated, her eyes hard before she turned around to face me. We stared at each other and the more the silence stretched on between us, the more aggravated and on edge I felt. My hands were balled into tight fists at my sides.
"I think you're just being paranoid." She said finally, which didn't help the anger bubbling in my stomach. If anything, it made it surge up and I could taste something sour in my mouth.
"Don't call me that." I growled.
"You're paranoid and you're thinking too much into something that means nothing." Megumi-sensei said, her voice calm with an edge. "Focus on the mission and get back inside and get me tangible results."
She didn't wait for me to speak again. Instead, she turned around and continued walking down the hall, disappearing around the corner. I watched her go, feeling a furious heat building in my cheeks. I was fuming, on the verge of screaming after her and fighting the urge to hit something. I knew going back to the boys would only involve questions that would only make me more upset. I didn't want to go for a walk either. I wanted answers. I was tired of being left in the dark and it struck me then that after all our time in Konoha I had never once questioned my sensei's commands. I had always defended her while the boys questioned, always insisted she had us in her best interest. But, I didn't know what her intentions were and what's more, I had no idea what she did all day, where she disappeared too. She claimed one thing but suddenly I wondered if that was even true.
I stared at the corner she had disappeared behind, my questions and suspicions swirling around in my head. There was only one way, I realized, that I would be granted an answer and as my anger settled in my chest, I was struck with a new sense of resolve. Suddenly, I knew exactly what to do.
…
I trailed behind Megumi-sensei as she walked through the crowded Konoha streets. I was taking the high route, jumping from building to building, hiding behind billboards when I thought she was glancing back at me. We had been walking for a while and from what I could tell, sensei didn't appear to be walking with much of a purpose. I wondered if she was angry with me and was just walking to walk. But, then I wondered if this was what she did all the time and found that that angered me just as much, the thought of her just walking around while we slaved ourselves.
The crowd was growing thicker and I began fearing that I would lose her. I jumped down into the crowd, still staying a good distance away when a voice called out to Megumi-sensei from the crowd.
She stopped walking and was turning just as I dove behind a nearby building. My heart was slamming in my chest and as I struggled to get a good, yet conspicuous look. Megumi-sensei was turning toward the voice and my eyes widened as I saw Jiraiya walking through the crowd, stopping a few steps away from her, an easy smile on his lips.
"Megumi." He greeted. "It's good to see you."
She blinked at him, seeming about as uninterested as someone could be in a conversation. But, if Jiraiya noticed, he didn't let it bother him.
"Jiraiya." Megumi-sensei managed in a tone that sounded just a tiny bit above respectful. Jiraiya's smile deepened and he managed a nod.
"It's been a long time." Jiraiya continued.
"I suppose." Megumi-sensei said, her eyes looking to the side, watching the midday crowd move beside them.
"Out for a walk?" Jiraiya asked.
"You gonna keep going with this terrible small talk of yours?" Megumi-sensei asked. "Or are we going to cut to the chase?"
Jiraiya seemed a bit miffed by her words, but composed himself. His easy, light as air smile, deepened even more until it looked as if he was grinning at her.
"Fair enough! I supposed I owe you at least that, don't I?"
"You don't owe me anything." Megumi-sensei said.
Jiraiya's grin lessened and he reached up to scratch the back of his head. It was a nervous gesture, but it wasn't at Megumi-sensei's coldness, it was over the topic at hand.
"I'll cut to the chase then." Jiraiya said, his voice firm, the friendliness in his eyes disappearing into a sea of sternness.
"Megumi?"
It was a new voice and I slinked further behind the building, a bead of sweat forming on my brow. Sensei stiffened at the sound of it and slowly looked toward the voice. Kakashi, Kurenai Yūhi, and Asuma Sarutobi were walking toward them. I knew of the other two Jonin and remembered that they were the team captains of the other rookie teams as well. Kakashi was nursing a concerned look, while Asuma seemed more interesting in trying to light the cigarette in his mouth. As for Kurenai, she was wearing a look of great contempt, her ruby red eyes dark as they glared at Megumi-sensei, who merely flipped her hair onto her shoulder, blocking the woman's hateful look.
"Jiraiya-sensei." Kakashi said, staring between the two shinobi curiously. "What are you doing here?"
Jiraiya merely smiled at the new faces in the group and before he answered, he motioned toward sensei.
"Megumi and I were just catching up." He said breezily.
"About what?" Kurenai growled. "Can't be anything good if it's with her." Kurenai said sourly.
Megumi-sensei scoffed which only made Kurenai angrier and before the woman could protest, Jiraiya cut her off.
"I was asking her about her team, those three Water Genin." Jiraiya said.
"What about them?" Asuma asked, successfully lighting his cigarette and taking a long drag.
"That's what I wanted Megumi to tell me." Jiraiya said, his eyes cautious as he looked my sensei over.
"There's nothing to say." She said, closing her eyes and folding her arms. "They're my students, nothing more."
"There's a lot more." Jiraiya said, his eyes narrowing. "And we can start with that Obanji girl."
"Miyuki?" Kakashi asked, more confused than before. "What about her?"
Megumi-sensei was silent for a moment and didn't look like she was going to continue, but when Jiraiya cleared his throat, her eyes snapped open to his face.
"If you won't tell them, I will." Jiraiya said. "Feel free to jump in whenever I miss something."
It was a spiteful comment and I could see that Megumi-sensei felt the same way judging by how quickly a flush lit across her cheeks. Jiraiya ignored it though and faced the other Jonin.
"The members in Megumi's squadron were all followers of Orochimaru when they were younger, but Miyuki was his most prized possession." Jiraiya began. "He kidnapped her from the orphanage where she was staying and began to train and travel with her until he also began experimenting on her."
"I'm not sure how he did it, but somewhere along the line Orochimaru discovered a dark power, a dark, ancient energy. He wanted to test it out, but more than that he wanted to control the energy because he was sure it would make him, in the long run, the strongest shinobi and would aid in his search for immortality." Jiraiya continued.
"That's enough." Megumi-sensei growled, earning a look from the Sanin.
"You can tell it better?" He countered, which made the flush return to my sensei's cheeks.
"What power did he discover?" Kurenai asked.
"It's from before the Great nations were created." Megumi-sensei explained. "Before the demon spirits were split."
"Demon spirits?" Kurenai asked, her anger replaced by confusion just as a lightbulb seemed to go off in Kakashi's head.
"The Tailed beasts?" He breathed, his eye wide as he looked between Jiraiya and Megumi-sensei. My heart stilled in my throat as a cold sweat began to form on my skin. What were they talking about?
"The power was thought to have been split evenly between all nine demons." Jiraiya cut in. "But that wasn't the case. There was a piece of the power that somehow slipped away and Orochimaru collected it."
"Miyuki's Kekkei Genkai allows her to copy any jutsu just by looking at it. It's a powerful strength, but it could lead to devastating consequences as well. Using it too often could result in blindness not just in her eyes, but in her mind as well. With Orochimaru, she had nearly reached her limit only a year in. She was becoming weaker and Orochimaru decided one day that he would try to implant the rest of the power to her, testing out her Kekkei Genkai, betting that it would somehow save her."
"Wait, you said the rest of the power?" Asuma asked, taking a puff of his cigarette. "What happened to the other half?"
"It wasn't his first test." Jiraiya said, his eyes stern. "Orochimaru had the power with him for a long time, he was just looking for the right shinobi to implant it into. There was another before Miyuki, a failed experiment that holds the other half of the original tailed beasts power."
"The power was implanted and it made her better, stronger, but it was out of control and Orochimaru did the only thing he could think of to control it." Megumi-sensei said. "He planted the Cursed Seal of Heaven on her."
"Which did what?" Kurenai asked.
"Helped control the power, but not completely." Jiraiya said. "Did you ever hear about that demon terrorizing the east a few years ago, a terrible monster appearing in the middle of the night, ripping villages to shreds?"
"It was a rumor." Asuma said. "ANBU investigated that and found that the villages destruction was natural, nothing more."
"It wasn't." Jiraiya said before glancing down at Megumi-sensei. "Tell them."
It seemed difficult for her, all eyes burning holes into her face. I felt bad for her but I also wanted her to continue while secretly hoping she wouldn't say what I thought she was going to say.
"It was her." Megumi-sensei said and suddenly it was harder for me to breathe. The Jonin were struggling to turn over this new revelation in their heads.
"She's a Jinchūriki then?" Kurenai asked.
"No." Megumi-sensei said. "She only received some of the demon's chakra which her Kekkei Genkai took and made her own. The only issue is that it consumed her, pushed her over the edge and made her unstable. The cursed mark helped bring her back, but with the way Orochimaru used her, it wasn't any better. She was stronger and yet weaker than before."
"What demon is this? This before demon that was a Tailed beast?" Asuma asked. "All the beasts were sealed into humans, weren't they?"
"This was the original beast." Jiraiya began. "This power comes from when the power all the Jinchūriki have was in one solid body."
"What beast was that?" Kurenai asked.
"The Ten Tails." Kakashi breathed, earning a look from Megumi-sensei. There was a hushed silence while I struggled to control myself, my mind thinking back to all my nightmares, screams floating on the outside of them. I thought back to the feeling in my chest, the strength I had felt just as something sinister took over.
"The part that that girl has inside of her is stronger than the one the failed experiment had." Jiraiya said.
"Wait, let me get this straight." Kurenai said. Orochimaru is here, in this village and we've been worried about what he's going to do to that Uchiha boy rather than focusing on this girl, a holder of the Ten-Tailed beast power?"
"What are you implying?" Megumi-sensei growled, her eyes narrowing at Kurenai.
"I'm saying we should be focusing on her. Who knows if Orochimaru is using her again?"
"She wouldn't help him."
"'You don't know that."
"I know my students."
"Enough." Jiraiya said and both women turned away from each other.
"Does she know?" Kakashi asked after a moment which made Megumi-sensei flinch.
Megumi-sensei lowered her head, her eyes sad. "No."
"And it should stay like that." Jiraiya said. "There could be serious consequences if she finds out."
"There could be serious consequences just having her here with Orochimaru too." Kurenai snapped.
"She's not working with him." Megumi-sensei growled.
"How do you know that for sure? He took her once, he can take her again." Kurenai growled.
Megumi-sensei took a step toward Kurenai but Kakashi stepped into her path, steadying her by the shoulders with his hands. Sensei looked up to shoot a dark glare at White Fang but something in his eye must have said it wasn't worth it. She looked away as Asuma reached up to clasp a hand down on her shoulder.
"My worry isn't with the fact that Orochimaru is here." Jiraiya said, folding his arms across his broad chest. "I'm more worried about the control Miyuki has over the power."
"I can control her." Megumi-sensei growled, her head snapping back over to Jiraiya, her eyes sharp.
"You don't know—"
"I can control her but what about your village's demon? That boy? Uzumaki?"
There was a hushed silence as sensei stared up at Jiraiya almost triumphantly and all the Jonin stared off in different directions, their eyes nervous.
"I can control Naruto." Jiraiya said, his voice firm. "But are you sure you can control Miyuki? I heard all about your heroics back then and I was proud and happy for you."
Something in sensei's expression shifted. She moved away from Kakashi's hold, her resolve weakening.
"But at the same time I want you to think back to what almost happened to you as a result, what your beloved student almost did to you. I want you to remember that and I want you to question if you could do it again." Jiraiya said. "Because if you barely survived the first time, how could you survive it a second time?"
