"You seem remarkably calm about this." Sakura commented.

"It just... hasn't really settled in yet." Sasuke leaned back, carefully examining the contents of folder that Hiruzen had given him.

Naruto was standing up, holding a scroll that had been sealed within.

The bottom of it was already at the floor, and he was barely a tenth of the way in.

His expression was set in a confused grimace as he looked over it. "I hadn't even realised that Konoha had this many laws." He shook his head, before rolling the scroll back up and setting it on the table.

"That bad?" Sakura asked.

"Every single crime, listed by individuals." Naruto frowned. "There's... there's a lot. A lot of them are the same, so I'm pretty sure that means there are multiple people involved in the same crime, but still... holy fuck, y'know?"

"Tell me about it." Sasuke grunted. "How do you think I feel? I just discovered that my clan was planning a coup and fucking Itachi had an accomplice and he might not even be as completely fucking horrible as I thought-"

Sakura drew him into a hug, causing Sasuke to release a slow, deep sigh.

"Just... fuck." Naruto sat next to them, wrapping his arms around the both of them.

Sasuke remained silent for a few seconds, before sighing again. Both Naruto and Sakura let go, though both of them stuck very close. "I... just... what the hell do you even feel when you learn something like this?" He sounded very agitated, which, of course, was understandable.

"There is no answer to that, Sasuke." I floated forwards slightly. "What you might feel and what others might feel are could be completely different. Anger, confusion, emotional upheaval... all of these things could be expected."

The second was especially prominent in his Heart. The first flared up from time to time, alongside other emotions of various natures, obviously.

"You don't have any other world-shaking revelations, do you?" Sasuke sounded almost bitter. Indeed, I saw a flash of anger and bitterness, but regret replaced it a moment later. "Sorry." He apologized, sighing again. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't have..."

"It's alright." I glided down, moving to the opposite side of the table. "And no- at least, not for you, specifically."

"Specifically?" Sakura said that this time.

"Sakura, I know things about the nature of existence that would shatter the beliefs of everybody in this world." Many people in many Worlds... "Those are matters that, if I'm lucky, I'll never need to tell you." Or anyone.

Because there were precious few situations where I would speak about Darkness and Light, Hearts and Souls. And I didn't want any of them occurring.

"But enough about that." I turned to the side, floating backwards as I did. "Jiraiya's about to arrive."

On cue, the signature puff of smoke from the Shunshin came, heralding the pervert's entry.

There was a rather unusual note of happiness in his Heart, at odds with equally unusual seriousness.

Interesting...

"So kids," Jiraiya was smiling. It was kind of unsettling. "Want to learn how to be a Sage?"

...

"A what?"

Say fucking what?

"You're going to teach them Senjutsu?" Oh how I regretted that my words couldn't carry my tone.

"Sen-what?" Naruto asked.

"You know of it?" Jiraiya looked at me.

"I am aware of the concept, yes."

"Sen-what?" Naruto repeated, a little more forcefully.

"Senjutsu is the art of drawing in Natural Energy from one's surroundings into one's body, and then combining it and balancing it with their own Chakra." I answered, still staring at Jiraiya. "Such an act enhances one's physical abilities, and also allows access to a number of other abilities."

"Well, you actually do know about it." Jiraiya nodded.

"It is also exceedingly dangerous." I continued "Drawing in too much Natural Energy will cause one's body to petrify and slowly transform into stone. Jiraiya, are you seriously going to teach them that?"

"I believe they can handle it." Jiraiya stated, resolute.

I didn't... really doubt that, but... "All three of them?"

"Yes." He straightened up, briefly acting serious. "It quite a bit of convincing for Shima and Fukasaku to allow it, but in the end, the Great Toad Sage said yes, and... Well, he's the Great Toad Sage for a reason."

The old toad allowed it?

That... was somewhat surprising. Or... not? He was prophetic, after all...

Though I doubt that his prophecies took into account my presence...

"Oh, speaking of..." Jiraiya reached into his coat, before pulling out a small, oddly shaped and oddly coloured block.

Which I immediately recognized.

One which I really didn't want to recognize.

Oh, that's not good.

"The Great Toad Sage said he wished to meet the... 'Thinking Darkness'." He gave a frown. "He didn't explain what he meant by that."

'Thinking Darkness'.

He Knew.

I glanced away from the block, looking at Jiraiya. "For good reason..." A minor shift of gravity pulled the block out of Jiraiya's hand, bringing it to just in front of me. "Where did you get this?"

"He gave it to me." Jiraiya was still frowning. "Shima and Fukasaku don't know what it is, and he wouldn't explain it to me, either."

"For good reason..." I repeated, looking at it.

No doubt about it.

Well, that's interesting.

Gummi Block.

"You're not going to explain either, are you?" Jiraiya asked.

"No."

"I take it that means we also won't be getting an explanation for 'Thinking Darkness'?"

"Yes."

I needed to know how much he knew.

"When are you going to meet him?"

"A day or so."

That... Yes, I could wait that long.

A flash of Darkness consumed the Gummi Block, dumped in hammerspace.

Though he and I would be having an extended conversation.

...

But why only now? I've been here for twelve years. Why is it only now that he asks to see me?

Questions. Far too many of them, with far too few having answers.

And if there was anything I needed more than everything right now, it was answers.