Disclaimer – Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters therein.
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Memories Of Others
Chapter 47
A Chunin And Two Sannin
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"This place is totally different from Konoha." Naruto stated as the quartet of shinobi wended their way through the crowds. "I've barely seen any shinobi and only one was roof-hopping."
"Tanzaku Quarters is renowned for its artists and authors." Jiraiya commented as he paused for a long moment to look round for a moment. "You know, I was thinking about getting a small house here… maybe with a couple of scantily-clad maids to-oooooh… you know what? Let's just find Tsunade, shall we?"
Naruto gave Jiraiya a confused look, then his gaze slid to where Hinata was looking far more innocent than he had ever seen her looking before.
"What did you…? No, I probably don't want to know."
Hinata somehow managed to look even more innocent at Naruto's abortive question.
"So, how do we find Tsunade?"
"Well, she's a blond woman with big… ahem, and a blue diamond tattoo on her forehead." Jiraiya said. "She travels with her assistant Shizune and their pet pig, Tonton."
"Then that's probably them in the inn three streets that way." Hinata said, her byakugan active and Jiraiya whistled.
"Okay, that is a very handy skill to have. Please, lead the way and we'll be right behind you."
Hinata caught Naruto's hand and pulled him forwards to lead the group with her, causing Kakashi to chuckle slightly.
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"There he is."
"Interesting. I recognize the old man with him and the girl has to be the Hyuuga, but who is the other one?"
"Hatake Kakashi, former sensei of Team Seven before it was dissolved."
"…interesting. Let us rejoin our partners and plan our attack."
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"Hey, Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted as he barged into the inn. "Good to see you again!"
"Jiraiya." The blond woman growled as she lowered her Sake dish. "What are you doing here?"
"Is that how you treat your only-remaining team-mate?" Jiraiya mock-mourned, earning a shocked glance. "Yep, Sensei killed Orochi a week ago. Nothing left but some spatters which he burned. The Sannin are down to two."
Tsunade stared at him, unmoving and Jiraiya waved his hand in front of her face.
"Is something wrong with her?" Naruto asked and the dark-haired woman sat next to Tsunade stirred.
"It's just… how?"
"I helped." Naruto said, earning a disbelieving look. "I did! It's how I earned this vest!"
"Naruto-kun used a special hijutsu to duplicate Hokage-sama, allowing him… them to deal with the Snake Sannin." Hinata supplied softly. "The technique created a dozen Sandaimes at full power."
"…the hell?" Tsunade finally asked, seeming to drop out of her shocked state. "What sort of hijutsu can do that? The closest I can think of is the Kage Bunshin and that requires the user to split off a portion of their chakra for each clone…"
"It's related to the Kage Bunshin, but you need huge chakra reserves to use it… hey!"
Tsunade grabbed his wrist and frowned as green medical chakra briefly flickered around her hand, then she released him.
"That's a lot of chakra." She said, sounding shaken. "More than even you, Jiraiya."
"Yeah, I know." Jiraiya agreed. "I've read his file and talked to the Toads about how they helped to boost him further. Plus, there's his heritage."
Tsunade raised a quizzical eyebrow and Jiraiya face-palmed.
"Dammit, I haven't introduced them to you, have I? Senju Tsunade, Shizune… Tonton… Allow me to introduce the student of my student, Jonin Hatake Kakashi, Chunin Uzumaki Naruto and Genin Hyuuga Hinata."
"A Sage, a Jonin, a Chunin and a Genin?" Tsunade scoffed. "All you need now is a Kage and you'll have all the ranks represented."
"You forgot a Special Jonin and a Student." Naruto said, earning a long glare from the female Sannin that stopped as soon as Tsunade noticed that Hinata was glaring at her.
"What?" Tsunade asked as Jiraiya sniggered.
"Sorry. Sorry." Jiraiya gasped as he brought himself back under control. "Hinata's very possessive… sorry, protective about Naruto. Not surprising, really. They've found a way of swapping thoughts that isn't a Yamanaka technique."
Tsunade stared at Jiraiya and he gave a small shrug, then pulled out a small scroll. Rolling it across the table, he motioned for Tsunade to open it.
"Senju Tsunade." Jiraiya said formally as Tsunade stared at the scroll as if it had turned into a rabid chipmunk that was threatening to attack her. "By order of the Sandaime Hokage, your self-imposed exile is ended. You are required to return to Konoha within a week… or you will be declared to be a nukenin and lose Konoha's protection. Of course if that happens, I'd be happy to give you my protection…"
Half a second later, the wall exploded outwards as the Toad Sage was sent flying by a backhanded punch delivered by an enraged blond Iryonin.
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"Fuck!" Onoki growled and by the door, Akasuchi looked at him in worry.
"Sir?"
"You remember that group with a name similar to yours that I've been hiring for the more… deniable operations?" Onoki asked almost rhetorically. "Well, my son-in-law's recovered enough to give a full debriefing about everything he could find out about them. Their leader has what can only be the rin'negan!"
"What?!" Akatsuchi gasped in shock. "Is he certain?"
"It gets worse." Onoki growled. "Confirmed members of the Akatsuki group include Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Sasori and my former pupil Deidara! Deidara! If I'd known, I'd never have hired them!"
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"Pervy sage, you feeling better yet?" Naruto asked as Hinata held a green-glowing hand over one of Jiraiya's wounds, moving her hand slightly in response to Shizune's directions.
"He deserved it." Tsunade sulked from her chair in the corner of the hotel room.
"Yep." Jiraiya agreed cheerfully. "Sure did. But it worked, you're sober now. Nothing like a good fight to burn off the alcohol… ow!"
"Sorry!" Hinata apologized as Shizune moved to take a closer look.
"It's okay, just a bone fragment moving back into position." She declared after running her own analysis jutsu on Jiraiya's torso. "Relax, Jiraiya-san. You'll be back to almost full strength very soon."
"Good." Jiraiya smiled, then he frowned. "Anyone pick up the scroll or is it still in the inn?"
"I've got it." Naruto said, holding up the rolled-up document.
"Fine. Give me the damned scroll." Tsunade grumped and Naruto held it out. Tsunade grabbed it from his hand, unrolled it and frowned.
"…the hell?"
"What?" Jiraiya asked curiously.
"I don't understand this." Tsunade complained as she unrolled the short scroll, then turned it round to check the back in case anything had been written there. "What does 'I need to talk to her personally. Come and get me' mean?"
Naruto blinked, then he grinned and vanished in a flash of light. Tsunade stared at the empty space, then Naruto and two clones flashed into existence, surrounding a very familiar robed figure.
"Sensei!" Tsunade gasped as Hiruzen stepped forwards, holding his arms out. Tsunade's eyes filled with tears and she almost threw herself into the Hokage's arms, letting him hug her as she burst into tears.
"How's Pervy Sage?" Naruto whispered.
"I've done all I can, why?"
"I think we should leave them alone for a while." Naruto replied, glancing at Kakashi, Shizune and Jiraiya, who both nodded in agreement. "Come on."
The group left the Hokage and his crying student behind as they silently slipped out of the room and made their way downstairs to the small bar. As Jiraiya ordered a round of drinks, the other four moved to claim one of the few tables available.
"So…" Naruto started, then he sagged. "I have no idea how to start this conversation. Kakashi? Hinata?"
"So, how's the princess been over the last few years?" Jiraiya asked as he sat down, sliding beakers of watered fruit juice to Hinata and Naruto, then pouring out small saucers of Sake for himself, Kakashi and Shizune. Shizune shrugged as she took the proffered saucer.
"Doing some healing to raise funds, keeping just ahead of the debt collectors… but I'm sure that your spies have been reporting virtually everything we've done to you."
"True." Jiraiya confirmed with no trace of embarrasment.
"So… back to Konoha?" Shizune asked with a wistful smile. "It's been years since I was last there. Why does Hiruzen-sama want Tsunade back? Is he getting sick? He looked okay…"
"Sensei wants to retire." Jiraiya said and Shizune stared at him in shock. "I'm too busy trying to keep Konoha safe from outside threats… even if my sources did drop the kunai regarding the Finals. Of the other candidates, Kakashi has the skills, but not the drive. Asuma hates politicing due to his time in the Daimyo's court as one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, Maito Gai…"
Jiraiya and Kakashi both suddered.
"Danzo is too much of a Warhawk to be considered and he hid away during the Finals… although we can't prove anything, we think he knew it was going to happen." Jiraiya continued. "Hyuuga Hiashi is a possibility due to his experience as a Clan Head, but since you can't be Hokage and Clan Head, he'd need to find a replacement and there aren't that many potential leaders in that clan."
Hinata stared in shock at Jiraiya. "Tou-san is one of the Godaime candidates?"
Jiraiya nodded. "The last candidate is one very few suspected, Umino Iruka."
"No way!" Naruto gasped. "Iruka-sensei?"
"He's one of the best teachers at the Academy." Jiraiya noted. "He's also ex-ANBU and when he was younger, he helped with several missions vital to the security of Konoha, missions he's never talked about. He knows how Konoha works and where quite a few political bodies are buried. On the downside, he hates being in a position where he has to choose who to sacrifice for the mission, which is why he became a Teacher."
"The more I hear about Iruka-sensei, the more badass he becomes." Naruto marvelled and Hinata nodded in agreement.
"I think that Sensei will convince Tsunade to take the Hat." Jiraiya said between sips of his Sake.
"…I don't think I could call Iruka 'Old Man' if he took the Hat." Naruto mused, causing Hinata to giggle and Kakashi to eye-smile.
"By the way, just how are you drinking that through your mask?" Naruto asked Kakashi curiously.
"It's an ANBU trick." Kakashi evaded. "I did teach it to Sasuke, though."
"How's he settling in?" Naruto asked and Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at him.
"He's still going through the integration protocols." Kakashi stated. "It'll be another couple of weeks at least before he goes back into the field… then there's finding a partner for him since ANBU always deploy in pairs… or multiples thereof."
"He did seem rather quiet during the meal… had he been told about the possibility of him joining ANBU?" Hinata asked, earning a respectful nod.
"He had." Kakashi confirmed. "He was considering the pros and cons. He was listening, though."
"Okay." Naruto replied. "So what do we do now?"
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"So, Lord Pein, what do we do now?" Orochimaru asked as he twitched his newly-bestowed black-with-red-clouds cloak into a more comfortable position. Beside him, a teenager stood, his right eye a red Sharingan, something that was earning the occasional glare from Itachi, who was standing beside the hulking form of Kisame. Before the four Shinobi stood six men, all of whom boasted facial piercings and eyes with the characteristic ripple pattern of the rin'negan.
"We shall move in at dusk." The foremost man decided. "Itachi, you and Kisame will enter through the back, keep a low profile and be ready to block them should they try to retreat. Orochimaru, you and Shin enter through the front. Get their attention and pull them onto the street, since they believe you deceased, it should not be difficult. I shall be waiting."
The four Shinobi vanished, leaving the six Paths of Pein standing on the rooftop, looking in different directions.
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"…soon…" The emaciated man in the crab-like life-support chair croaked in a clearing several miles from where the six who had the same eyes as him stood. "…soon we shall start to collect the Biju… and we will bring peace to the world…"
"As you say." The woman standing just behind him agreed, her expression calm, but with an undertone of long-suppressed sorrow. "As you say…"
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Author's Afternote - Nope, the teen with the Sharingan is not an OC invented for the story. He's been taken from the Naruto/Boruto series and is indeed canon.
Award yourself bonus points if you know who he is.