Italics indicate thinking

Bold is for attacks

Kale's POV

I told Tsunade what happened during my encounter with Sasuke, and I gave her my recommendation to stop chasing…and start hunting. Deidara was handed over to the interrogation squad and left up to them.

Everything was quiet for a few days, Sakura and the others got back, told me they fought the masked man, Tobi, and that he had a Sharingan, everything was easy but then I got a call from the Hokage.

In her office was Shizune, Kakashi-Sensei Uncle and a few frogs, the room had a somber feel too it.

"So…what happened?" I asked leaning on the wall.

"Jiraiya went looking into Akatsuki." Uncle spoke up "…He's dead."

"Ha…" I sighed "Damn…so, did anyone tell Naruto yet?"

"No." Sensei said "I was gonna go get him in a second."

"Well hurry up." I shrugged "This isn't something to keep waiting."

Sensei headed out and while he was gone Fu, Sakura and Sai showed up and got the same news I did, Apparently Jiraiya had gotten in a fight with two members of Akatsuki, Pain and Konan, supposedly former students of his. Soon Sensei was back with Naruto.

"So this is Jiraiya's pupil." A little old frog said when the boy walked in.

"Yep." Tsunade nodded "That's Naruto Uzumaki."

"An Old man frog?" Naruto tilted his head "What's up?"

"Watch your mouth Naruto!" Tsunade scolded "This is Fukasaku, he's one of the great hermits of Mt Myoboku. He came all this way to talk with you."

"I'm head sage if you wanna get technical." The old frog explained "You're Little Jiraiya's student."

"Who do you think you are talking about Pervy Sage like that?" Naruto said "What's this frog's problem?"

"I said watch your tone!" Tsunade snapped "He taught Jiraiya Hermit Style Ninjutsu."

"Perv Sage." The frog laughed "You've got good attitude kiddo."

"What do you wanna tell me?" Naruto asked.

"Well it's best to come out with it." The old toad sighed "…Jiraiya's been killed."

"…Huh?" Naruto just stared at him "What…"

"During the fight Jiraiya lost the ability to speak." The frog said "But he used the last of his strength to write a message for you."

The amphibian took off his cloak to reveal an assortment of numbers burned into his back.

"A Code." Shizune observed.

"9, 31, 8, 106, 7, 207, 15…" I hummed.

"He did this so Pain wouldn't be able to understand what he was saying, Jiraiya died to get this information." The old frog said.

"Old lady…did you send him there?" Naruto asked.

"…Yes." Tsunade nodded.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" he snapped "Why did you let him do something so stupid?!"

"Naruto!" I yelled "Stop it!"

"Naruto." Sensei gave him a look "You of all people should understand just how the Fifth feels."

"Screw you." Naruto grumbled walking off.

"Naruto where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"You know if he had been Fifth Hokage…" Naruto looked at Tsunade and Uncle before he left "he never would have sent either of you."

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"It's fine…" Tsunade said "Just leave him be."

"But-."

"Sakura…" I sighed "It's not worth getting angry over. Sorry Mr. Frog, Naruto's an emotional one."

"I understand." The frog said "It's fine."

"Still this destined child prophecy…" Uncle sighed "We better hope it's Naruto."

I took a look at the frog's back "We better get this to the Code Breakers, see what they can come up with."

Shikamaru came by and was assigned to work with me and the Cryptology teams to decipher Jiraiya's final message.

"This is fine…" Shikamaru said "But I came by to talk about something else."

Tsunade ignored him and walked right out.

"Umm…?" he just stood there.

"Shikamaru get to work." Uncle said "We're counting on you."

"Lady Tsunade hasn't left her office all day." Sakura said "so…"

"Alright." Shikamaru sighed "I get it…"

"Pain's a puzzle alright." I said "Even with everything Fukasaku told us I still can't think of a way around it."

"We've got three things to work off of." Shikamaru said assessing our current situation "The Dead body, the hostage and the code, one of them has to have the key."

Later

"Anything?" I asked Dad at the table.

"Nope…" he sighed.

"This code will be the death of me." I groaned "Maybe Naruto…?"

"Yeah…but I'm more worried about Naruto than I am this code." Mom sighed brushing her blazing orange hair out of her eyes.

"I know what you mean, he's barely left his house since he got the news…" I frowned "Uncle has been fairly quiet too."

"He and Jiraiya were close friends, it's not a surprise he's somber." Dad said.

"I'm gonna go try talking to Naruto." I said "I'll talk to you guys later."

I headed off to Naruto's house but when I got there it was empty. I didn't really care, I was just happy Naruto was getting out for once. On my way to the Cryptogram office I found Uncle meditating in a park.

"Hi…" I walked up to him.

He just blinked.

"You um…wanna talk?" I asked.

"Haa…" he sighed "You know…I should have just gone with him. Jiraiya and Tsunade were always the doers, Orochimaru and I were the thinkers…kinda like you and Naruto. This is the second friend I lost in a short period of time…I'm not liking this trend."

"Well it stops here." I said standing up "I'm gonna figure out the trick to Pain and end it there."

By the time I got the Cryptogram office they had figured out the first prt of the code and now were looking at a punch of lines from one of Jiraiya's books.

"I can't get it." The girl from the office said "It's just inncoherrent garbage."

"The first words." I took on look at the page "They make something that makes sense?"

"Huh?" Shikamaru looked over my shoulder.

"Look." I dragged my hands over the page "It says…"

"The Real One Isn't With Them."

"What the hell does that mean?" Naruto sighed.

"Talk to the old frog." I suggested "He saw the fight up close."

"Let's go right now!" Naruto demanded.

He's back in the saddle.

We headed to Tsunade's office and showed what we had to the frog.

"The Real One Isn't With Them." Fukasaku hummed.

"Anything?" I asked.

"With only this…it's too vague." He said "I'm sorry."

"Anything else you can add?" Shikamaru asked.

"I've told you everything I know about Pain, He's the kind of guy who comes back after he dies, it's dangerous to go against him without knowing the key."

"How about the autopsy and the interrogation?" Sensei asked.

"We need more time." Sakura said.

"We're running out of time." Fu said "At this rate Pain will show up looking for Naruto and I."

"It's gonna be a week before the tests in the autopsy are done." Tsunade said.

"So what are we gonna do?" Shikamaru asked.

"With Shizune on the Autopsy it'll move faster, but all we can do is wait." She sighed.

"I'm telling them to hurry up." Naruto grumbled.

"If you get in Shizune's way I won't forgive you!" Sakura scolded.

"I'm getting revenge." Naruto said "I'm not just waiting around here."

Revenge…be careful Naruto…don't end up like Sasuke.

"Secrets or not Naruto, you can't fight Pain." The frog told him.

"What did you say?!"

"Come with me." The old frog said "I'll train you on Mt. Myoboku, I'll just have to beat lessons into you like I did with Jiraiya."

"Will that let me beat Pain?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not sure, but as you are now it's no good." Fukasaku said "Do you mind Tsunade?"

"Of course not, work hard Naruto."

"This training will be harsher than you'd imagine." The frog said "Can you handle it?"

"If Pervy Sage could than so can I." Naruto smiled.

"Well then…let's go."

They left us with a communication Frog and said they'd be back soon, the rest of us were left to decipher the messages left by Jiraiya.

Later

"Tell me what you know about Pain." I said looking into the cell.

"I'm not telling you squat." Deidara said "Because of your interference my masterpiece was ruined…I should have burned up."

"You're not in a position to resist." I said "I've got all day."

Deidara was in a cell, with all his mouth sowed shut and kept far away from anything he could make a bomb out of.

"If you won't tell me then let's chat." I took a set across from the door "Why'd you join Akatsuki."

"None of your business." He said.

"You used to be a ninja from the Hidden Rock." I said "Why'd you leave."

"None of your business." He spat.

"Normally you never shut up…odd to see you so quiet now." I smirked.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue.

"Who taught you?" I asked.

"What's it matter?" he said.

"Right before you blew up you asked if your master was proud of you, I was just wondering who that wad." I said.

"…A very big person in the Rock." He responded "But he was an old fool who never understood my art."

"Deidara what is Akatsuki's goal?" I asked.

"The capture of the Tailed Beasts as a weapon, with the beasts in our control wars would start and we'd be hired to turn the tide…war as a business…or no war at all."

"Now you're talking?" I asked.

"What's the point in not…I'm dead anyway." He shrugged "I couldn't do it myself…and if you're asking about Pain he must be coming here for Nine and Seven…he'll clean me up while he's at it."

"You sound sure of yourself." I said "Are you that confident your allies will betray you?"

"Allies." He scoffed "You're under the impression that we all actually liked each other."

"You used to be a great Ninja Deidara." I said standing up "Maybe it's time you realize the mistakes you made and use your art for something good."

AN

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Till Next Time!