Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
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'Person thinking'
"Person talking"
"Jinchuriki talking inside his head with Bijuu"
'Bijuu thinking'
"Bijuu talking"
"Bijuu talking inside jinchurki's head"
Chapter 33 – New Times, Old Faces
It was almost noon when Jiraya and Tsunade landed their gazes upon the gates of Konohagakure. Steadily, the two, joined by Shizune and Ton Ton, approached the entrance all the while taking in the surroundings.
"The air feels different around here, doesn't it, princess?"
"It does… It feels… lighter." Responded the slug sannin, pensively.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
"It's just, it's been so long since I've last seen these gates... So many memories… And not good ones."
"Well, at least this time we're here to help make things better, right?"
"I suppose…"
Silence reigned among the group until they reached the check-in area at the village entrance.
"Lord Jiraya! Lady Tsunade! Welcome back! We were told to be on the lookout for you. Lord Hokage requested your presence as soon as you arrived."
"Ah, you must be Izumo, right?"
"Y-yes, sir. How did you know?"
"I was around when the recent chunin promotions were discussed. And you must be Kotetsu, right? Seems even now you two are inseparable."
"Might as well, since we balance each other out." Replied Izumo sheepishly.
"So, what's going on in the village? Aside from the Danzo thing. That particular news probably reached even the Fence Sitter in Iwa by now. Things feel, different, for lack of a better term."
"Well, you might be referring to the recent changes in the Red Lights Disctrict."
"What changes?" inquired Jiraya, dreading what was to come.
"Well, there really isn't one anymore."
"What?!"
"Yeah. I mean, it's still in process, but many of the former gambling dens and brothels have been dismantled and the ones still standing were 'cleaned up' so to speak."
"What do you mean 'cleaned up'?"
"They're not in the grey anymore. Just white money, all the way."
"You mean, the old man actually got his hands in that district. I thought he had a deal that made it off limits."
"Apparently, he's changed his mind."
"Whoaa… Oh no! My research! So much of my research in the village happened there! What will I do for inspiration for my books now?!"
A sudden punch landed in the occipital region of Jiraya's cranium, sending him head first into the ground.
"I warned you. If you bring your smut talk in my vicinity, I'll pummel you."
"Sorry, Princess…" responded Jiraya, still twitching on the ground.
"Now, what was that about the gambling dens?"
'Wow, she pummeled him for the smut stuff, but she sure is interested in the gambling den situation…' thought the two chunin with a blank stare.
"Well?"
"Ahem… Well, you see, Lady Tsunade, it was found that many of the gambling dens were earning black money, and stricter rules were emplaced to ensure all gambling den earnings within the village also shared a portion of said earnings with the village treasury. Many of the owners did not agree, so they either changed what businesses they're going to run in the village or left entirely."
"But there are still places where we can go and play."
"Umm, yes, one or two. And a betting station at the village stadium for when we host the chunin exams. The gambling den owners that decided to stay were given the chance to also preside over that establishment when we host the event."
"I see. So it's not all bad."
"Um, no? But, from what I hear, the Hokage personally requested that we refer to that district as the Entertainment District from now on. It's a bit more family friendly. And, from what I saw, many business there are indeed more family friendly now."
"Interesting… Come, Shizune. Let's go meet the Hokage. He can probably fill us in on the rest."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Right away!"
Jiraya got up from his position a few moments later, as if nothing had ever happened, and started running after the pair. "Hey! Wait for me! We're supposed to go there together!"
"Then move your ass or I'll leave you behind!"
"Sigh… No one has any respect for the Great Toad Sage…" despondently, the man ran after his companions, leaving a stunned pair of chunin behind.
"That was… undignified."
"You can say that again, Kotetsu."
A knock on the door gave the old Hokage an excuse to shift his focus away from the seemingly infinite pile of papers that dominated the far side of his desk.
"Enter!"
The door slowly opened, only for Hiruzen to gasp in a mix of surprise, rejoice and sorrow. Slowly, feeling much older than he did a few moments prior, the Hokage rose from his desk and made a beeline for Tsunade. He stopped in front of her – she looked towards the ground, her right hand gripping her left arm tightly, no doubt reminded of old pains now resurfaced. He waited, patiently, for her eyes to meet his again. Slowly, as if asking permission, he rose his hands and placed them on her shoulders. She did not pull back and so, as lovingly as a father would for a long lost daughter, he pulled her in for a hug. At first, Tsunade did not reciprocate, but a few seconds later, her arms wrapped around the old man, tightly, as if he was her lifeline.
"Welcome home, Tsunade."
"Long time no see, Sensei."
As soon as they ended their embrace, Hiruzen took in the details of her company. "Jiraya, Shizune. And who might that be?"
"This is Ton Ton, Hokage-sama." Responded Shizune, since she was the one holding the pet piglet.
"Nice to meet you, Ton Ton." Replied the old man warmly, to which the piglet oinked happily.
"Come, make yourselves comfortable. I am certain you have many questions for me."
"And first among them, is what happened to the Red Lights District?" asked Jiraya before continuing "I know you had a deal there, and a pretty important one. What changed?"
By the time Jiraya finished his question, Hiruzen was already back at his desk. Tsunade was sitting next to Shizune on the couch, while Jiraya took to standing opposite Tsunade, leaning on the bookshelf that covered that wall.
"Ah, the Entertainment District, you mean." Said the Hokage mischievously. "It was brought to my attention that many misdeeds occurred there. Misdeeds that I indeed chose to overlook for many years. On that note, there is one former associate of ours that I wish for you to investigate through your network. A certain Tadashi Myamoto, former owner of the brothel that went by the name 'Candyland'. When we proposed our reforms, he was among the first to close his establishment. That is not the important part however. What is relevant is that I have it on good authority that a few of his employees disappeared off the face of the Earth. Initially, we were informed that they were relocated to an establishment near Onsatsu village. Until recently, we did not think much of it, that village being outside our immediate influence. We assumed they must have been relocated to a town nearby. However, upon being notified that the other employees were never able to hear back from the relocated personnel, we decided to look into the matter further. Lo and behold, the four people that were 'reassigned' were nowhere to be found. Neither in Onsatsu, or the nearby towns. I'd like for you to look into the matter further. I fear that our lax policies have brought with them significant security risks."
"That does sound weird. Do you have the names and descriptions of the people I should be looking for?"
"Yes, Sumire, my secretary, will be able to supply you with a file. It will have Myamoto's and his associates' information as well."
"Good to know. Thanks. So no more brothels in Konoha, eh?"
"There are still some, though they're now presented as massage parlors and we also decided to provide a 'love hotel' for the freelance professionals."
"Freelance professionals?"
"Yes. During the development of the new policies, we were aided by one Natsumi Unohana in interviewing many of the current brothel employees to determine what their preferred course of action might be, seeing as not all wished to change their current profession. As Shikaku aptly put it, some boots on the ground are sometimes useful so that the higher ups don't go in guns blazing and change things only to make them worse."
"Heh, you can say that again."
"Alas, we discovered that about half of the personnel currently active in the establishments desired to continue their profession, while the rest wished to embark on other career paths. Miss Unohana herself is now a landlady in the apartment building where she's been residing ever since she arrived in the village."
"I see. How did you manage to keep the personnel from being sent elsewhere by the owners?"
"We provided them with the ability to request a certain amount of C rank and D rank missions for free over the next five years to compensate for the cost of labor and other logistic concerns that this reform implied."
"And why care so much about the fate of those folks? Not that I blame you for trying to do good, but it's just, you know, a huge financial burden for us."
"Actually, it's a lot less of a burden than you think. You see, the love hotel and massage parlor, as well as all other entertainment facilities in the district are now run by people who answer and pay taxes directly to us. As such, what we used to lose for the money we got for reconstruction, we now gain as a steady influx in taxes. So, short-term, the missions we offer the businessmen as compensation are actually covered by the taxes they pay and, in time, we will in fact, turn a profit."
"Huh, only you would be able to make them pay you money and be happier for it."
"I shall take that as a compliment." Responded Hiruzen slyly.
"It is."
"Now, onto more serious matters. Tsunade, I deeply appreciate you coming back on such short notice. I know it is not easy for you to be here, but, as you probably know by now, I would not have asked for your presence, were it not of great import."
"I am well aware. Where is the arm?"
"Currently secured by an ANBU team and preserved by an ANBU medic nin, at ANBU HQ. Access is restricted to only the team guarding it, myself, Shikaku, Fugaku and the ANBU medic. Soon, that will include present company as well."
"I see. What do you hope to find?"
"For one, how this procedure was possible in the first place. Then, I'd like to know its implications and what we can do to disable Orochimaru should he indeed manage to provide himself a body with the physical abilities of the First Hokage."
"That's a tall order old man, but I'll do my best. I'll never forgive that snake for doing what he did. Nothing is sacred to him anymore it seems."
"There is another matter that requires your attention, aside from Danzo's arm. It is linked to it, in a way. I wish for the two of you to work with the Uchiha clan and develop a seal similar to the caged bird seal, but without the enslavement features, in order to ensure Orochimaru cannot possess any of the clan's bodies or eyes for his schemes."
"And what happens if, say, we fail to design one?"
"It's been a long time since I used this phrase, but, in this particular situation, failure is not an option and time is of the essence. The longer the Uchiha remain vulnerable, the more opportunities Orochimaru has to react to these changes."
"Even so, it may take months before we have something that works. And that is assuming the Uchiha will even let us in on all their secrets."
"Fugaku has agreed for you two to have access to any and all information you need, in order to develop this sealing technique."
"Wow. If they're willing to this far, then Danzo's little stunt really spooked them."
"Please keep in mind that only four years ago, a Kumo delegation attempted to kidnap the Hyuga clan heiress for their eyes. That memory is still fresh in everyone's minds here in Konohagakure."
"Is there anything else? I remember my letter saying something about some sealed rooms." Intervened Jiraya.
"Ah, yes. There are two rooms that are sealed with Danzo's blood directly. We need you to take a look and see if you can breach them, so we can, hopefully, find out more about his moves."
"Ok. Who's gonna assist me in pointing them out?"
"Hiraku Uchiha will most likely be your assist, as well as an ANBU squad with Kakashi on it. They both have some sealing knowledge so they might be of help should you need it."
"Noted. I think I'll take care of the sealed rooms first, while Tsunade takes a look at that arm. Then we can both focus on the Uchiha seal. That seems like the long term project. That said, I can't stay in the village all the time. Someone's gotta manage that spy network. And, say what you will about Danzo, without him to take care of the shadows for us, others among us will have to pick up the slack."
"Indeed. It will be much more work, but at least this way, Shikaku and I will be in the know on all fronts and we will be able to make better decisions."
"Sensei, I have one request if you want me to take care of all of these items." intervened Tsunade with a dangerous yet recognizable glint in her eyes.
"And what might that be?" asked Hiruzen, though he somewhat suspected what this was about. He hoped it wouldn't be, but alas.
"…Well, you see, I have a little debt that I need paid. Figured you could cover it in exchange for my work here."
"… How much debt are we talking about?" the old man was already dreading what he was about to hear.
"Oh, not much. Around one hundred and twenty million ryo."
Hiruzen immediately choked on his pipe as he heard the sum, while Jiraya discretely sighed in relief, having dodged that particular bullet. A few minutes later, the Hokage steadied his nerves, though his heart was still aggravating him.
"…I shall see what we can do. Though I hope we can pay it in annuities."
"Thanks, sensei." No one missed the greedy eyes Tsunade threw the Hokage's way, reminding them of how she used to be quite the extortionist with her own grandpa, the First Hokage.
"Tsunade, I assume you still have the spare keys to the Senju residence. I made sure it was looked after, while you were gone. It should be well preserved."
"Thank you, sensei. Shizune, you will live with me. Plenty of rooms in that old house."
"Understood, milady."
"Oh, on that note. Sensei, I'd like for Shizune to accompany me when I analize Danzo's body and arm."
"It will be arranged. Are you still, uncomfortable, around blood?" asked the old man hesitantly.
"…Yes." Guilt, shame and frustration could be read on Tsunade's face as clearly as the first pages of an epic tragedy.
"If you wish, I can ask Inoichi to work with you in overcoming this issue."
"I… I'll keep that in mind."
"No pressure. I just wanted you to know that we can help, should you wish it."
"Thank you, sensei."
"By the way, how were you able to find out about Danzo's dealings? Neither of us were told how. Just that it happened." inquired Jiraya, wanting to do away with the subject that clearly made Tsunade extremely uncomfortable. Perverted he might be, but he was never one to allow pain to linger in the hearts of others if he could help it.
"The Fourth Hokage's legacy." Responded Hiruzen proudly.
"Kushina's boy?" asked Tsunade in shock.
"Yes. It would seem he was able to take Mito's ability to a whole new level and, in doing so, helped prevent a tragedy of catastrophic proportions."
"Leave it to the Uzumaki to stir things up wherever they go." Responded Jiraya fondly. "Tell us everything."
Hiruzen then proceeded to explain about Naruto's involvement, the source and nature of his abilities, as well as his performance during the investigation and the assault operation itself. With each uttered phrase, the two sannin felt equally increasing pride and guilt. Pride in the boy's guts and results, and guilt for not being there for him in his darkest hours.
"Tsunade, Jiraya, don't blame yourselves so harshly. You were not allowed around the boy until now in order to prevent people from connecting the dots about his heritage. If anything, I'm to blame the most for not doing more for him and his protection."
"I get what you're saying old man, but you know very well that this doesn't make it any easier for us to take in. The villagers should thank their lucky stars that things turned out ok. If Naruto had been any less resilient, Konoha would be a crater now and the Uchiha coup would have been the least of our concerns. And that is assuming there would have been anyone left standing in its wake."
"The Kyuubi is a him, you know." Responded Hiruzen mischievously.
"Ah, right. Kurama was it?"
"Yes. Also, the boy has taken a liking to fuinjutsu already."
"Really?"
"Yes. He's well on his way to learning level one sealing. By the time he graduates, I expect he'll be at least level three, if not four."
"The Uzumaki blood runs strong in him it seems."
"It surely does." Said Hiruzen proudly.
"When do you want me to start training the boy? With how he's progressing, I think he'll be a good candidate for the Hiraishin. It's his inheritance after all. And if he's even half as talented as his mother in sealing, he's the only one who'll be able to figure out his father's jutsu and the only one I would feel comfortable entrusting such a power to."
"Hmm. It is true that he is growing rapidly. I would say after he earns the rank of chunin, but that is a preliminary milestone. It heavily depends on how he develops in both mind and body. He has experienced significant trauma and will no doubt require consistent support to ensure it does not cripple him mentally. For now, I wish for him to be able to enjoy his childhood, such as it is. We are lucky Natsumi found him when she did and that they took to each other so well. They both desperately needed family. Of course, Tsunade, should you wish to stay in the village on a more permanent basis, I am not opposed to you taking him in. He is one of your last kin after all."
"I-I… I'll need to think about it."
"I understand. I will not tell you how to live your life Tsunade, but as an old man that had a brush with death not long ago, I must warn you: don't let past tragedies keep you away from the potential for happiness in the present. Of course, if you choose not to heed my advice, I will not judge you, but I am willing to bet Naruto would be very happy to know that he still has some family around. And, with you around to protect him, I am much less concerned about the risks involved with the potential disclosure of his heritage, particularly since, by the time he graduates, I expect him to become more than capable of protecting himself."
Tsunade said nothing, though her expression was clearly troubled. Loss and tragedy flashed before her eyes. 'Dan, Nawaki… if I let him in, will I lose him too? What if that curse spreads over to him as well? Should I dare to hope?'
"Well, I suppose there isn't much left to discuss. Tsunade, let's go check out this new Entertainment District. See what it has to offer. The sake is on me."
'Jiraya always to the rescue.' Mused Hiruzen while smiling discreetly at the two.
"Y-yes. Let's go. Sensei, we'll see you tomorrow to look into the matters we discussed."
"Of course. Have fun!"
As soon as the group left, Hiruzen sank into his seat, feeling older than he ever did in his life. 'One hundred and twenty million ryo? No wonder Jiraya was quiet as a mouse. He could at least have sent a forewarning… No… He did it on purpose. He knew I'd talk my way out of it if I knew about it in advance. Little prick. Sigh… Alas, it's a small price to pay for having Tsunade back home. I look forward to seeing what she will decide about the boy. Naruto and Natsumi are not the only ones in need of family, no matter how much she denies herself that happiness. One problem at a time, I suppose.'
A/N:
Thanks for reading so far! Things will steadily unravel in the next few chapters so stay tuned!
Also, assuming it's your cup of tea, I encourage you to read my other one-shot stories "Superman - Dawn Again" and "Why bother with the Cat?". Leave a review as well if you wish to let me know your thoughts on those stories.