Jiraiya traveled far, searching for any piece of information he could. His target had gone completely off the grid. There was hardly a trace of him, as was expected. A former ANBU Black Ops captain and excommunicated Akatsuki member should be extremely hard to find. Jiraiya would be disappointed in Itachi if had made this easy.

But that was the point of all this. Itachi was a wanted man on all fronts. He had no allies. He was on the run from every single government entity, established or underground, on this side of the world. Itachi Uchiha was on the run and all alone. Jiraiya was determined to change that aspect.

The Toad Sannin stopped at the entrance of one of the oldest village's known to man, Howling Wolf Village. This would be the third time Jiraiya visited this aged village. His visit was an accident, he simply stumbled across Howling Wolf Village while wandering years ago. The second stay in this village was for pleasure, a small vacation. This would be first time that Itachi was involved. Which was somewhat surprising, considering his secret ties to the former Akatsuki member.

Trotting slowly through the main part of Howling Wolf, Jiraiya came to the place that would hold the most information.

The local tavern.

The Sannin entered the tavern with no hesitation. Local patrons glanced at him curiously as he walked by them, wondering who was under the cloak. Ignoring the curious looks, Jiraiya sat down at the bar and waited patiently for the bartender.

The short haired blonde female leaned against the counter. "What can I get ya, stranger?"

Jiraiya pulled back his hood slightly to reveal parts of his face. "Hey Sylvie. It's been a long time."

The woman seductively smirked as she recognized the man under the hood. Memories flooded her mind if the time they spent together. "Well, well, it has been a long time, Jiraiya. A little over ten years, right?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Sylvie rested her chin on her hands against the counter, slowly swaying her hips back and forth. "So, what are you doing all the way out here? It's a long way from Konoha." The seductive smiled stayed. "Don't tell me you're here for little old me?"

Jiraiya chuckled slightly. "Not this time, Sylvie. Besides, things are looking up for me these days. I think Tsunade finally turned herself around."

The seductive smile turned into genuine happiness. "Well, it's about time! Took that slug queen long enough."

Jiraiya sighed. While he agreed with Sylvie's statement, he almost felt obligated to defend Tsunade. "In her defense, Tsunade had been through a lot and needed to work through it."

The short haired blonde shrugged. "I mean no argument here. I completely understand. But still, it's you Jiraiya! How she ever could have left you is beyond me."

Jiraiya chuckled at the praise. "I appreciate that. But enough about my love life, I need to speak to him."

"Yeah, I figured that's what was coming." Turning her head, Sylvie called out to someone in the back of the building. "There's someone to see you, honey!"

"I'll be right out!"

A man of similar height to Jiraiya walked out from the back of the building. He had long black hair that was pulled back behind his ears. The man's usual stoic expression was replaced with a large smile when he saw the Toad Sannin.

"Jiraiya!"

"Hello Itazura."

Itazura waltzed right up and vigorously shook Jiraiya's hand. "It's been too long old friend! Too long!"

"Yes, it has."

"So, my friend, what can I do for you?" He said as he sat down next to the Sannin.

"Well, you can tell me about Itachi."

Itazura's joyful expression changed to skepticism. "Itachi Uchiha, eh? And what makes you think I know anything about him? Last a heard, he was in that rogue shinobi group…" Itazura thought for a moment. "Akatsuki, right?"

"I know he makes annual visits to this village. And I know you're the one who supplies his pills. You can't lie to me."

"Who says I'm lying?" A ludicrous, yet mildly convincing, hurt expression came over Itazura's face. "That hurts, old friend."

Jiraiya snickered quietly. "You can't be trusted because it's in your nature. Just tell me where he is and I won't turn you over to the authorities for your outstanding warrants."

Again, Itazura put forth a mildly convincing denial. "Do you truly think so little of me?" Jiraiya simply stared at the man, unconvinced. The man sighed. "You're right about Itachi coming to me about his pills and eyedrops, but it's nothing more than business. He tells me nothing of his plans or where he's headed next. Sylvie can vouch for me."

The man turned to the woman. "But she can't trust. It's in her nature. Someone like Itachi just doesn't come to you for something as serious as the Kotaro medicine without one of you figuring out what he was doing with them." Jiraiya turned serious. "Where is he, Sylvie?"

Sylvie looked at her partner. Itazura gave a slight nod of approval. "Fine…but you didn't hear anything from us, got it? We can't be found out. You know who's after us, right?"

"My lips are sealed. Now, tell me."

The woman let out a soft sigh and she began to tell Jiraiya what she knew…

-With Kakashi-

Kakashi remained unmoving as he stared at the man he had been hunting down for the last two years, who had yet to realize his presence. But the rest of the parlor took notice to the foreigner. It was not until all miscellaneous chatter had ceased that Darui realized something was afoot.

"Darui…" The bartender whispered.

The man sighed. "I know. He's here for me." Darui turned around completely and stood. "Kakashi Hatake…I'm surprised to see you here."

"You shouldn't be. You knew this was coming."

Darui sighed again, seemingly bored. "Was he your student or something? I've never seen such devotion to a jinchūriki."

Kakashi had to keep his anger at the forefront. To Darui's knowledge, Naruto was killed that day. He knew that his student's status was about to change. But, for now, he would use it to his advantage. "He was. And now, I'm going to take you down."

Darui smirked. "Out of revenge? I may not know you but that seems a bit out of character for you. Revenge consumes a person."

"Trust me. I know what revenge can do to a person." Kakashi's voice carried his experience. "And no, this is not about revenge. We are at war. Taking you down will be a victory for us. It'll be a hell of a lot sweeter for me knowing that your dead."

Darui's smirk turned into a full-blown smile. It had been a long time since someone was able to excite him for battle like this. Being the Raikage's second-in-command and division leader, Darui had not seen much of the battlefield. He reached back and gripped the hilt of his cleaver-like sword. "Then let's dance, Copycat."

Kakashi moved his cloak back to reveal his own katana. He drew it quickly.

"Everyone out! Now!" The bartender yelled out, realizing the situation at hand. All his customers and regulars immediately followed the orders of the bartender and quickly exited the building, leaving the two shinobi alone. The bartender left through the back exit and ran through the village towards the outskirts. He needed to hurry.

It was within a matter of seconds that sparks and clashing metal filled the parlor, signaling the start of their duel.

It had been years since Kakashi had welded his blade in combat, but his skill had not left him. It felt like he had regrown a missing limb. But even Kakashi had to admit, keeping up Darui's swordplay was difficult for him.

Shattering a glass window as he jumped out, Kakashi evaded Darui's swipe and simultaneously set up a counterattack. Flipping his blade into his non-dominant hand, Kakashi's dominant hand ignited in blue lightning.

Darui charged through the broken window fiercely, ready to continue this fight. He saw Kakashi's signature jutsu and funneled his own lightning into his sword.

"Raikiri!"

Black and blue lightning fought against each other, flashing rapidly like a light show in the moon lit sky. Equal powers canceled each other in a rumble, forcing the two to separate and try gain the upper hand. Both jumped on top of adjacent buildings.

"The famous Lightning Blade." Darui chuckled. "A wonderful name for a technique that grants a user the speed and strength to literally cut a bolt of lightning in half."

"I'm glad to see that I'm so famous." Kakashi raised his headband, revealing the other reason for his renowned name. "Dealing with you will land a huge blow against your forces' leadership. An opportunity I have to take."

For the first time in a long time, Darui was genuinely excited. It was rare that someone had the confidence to face to him in battle alone, and the skill to back it up.

The two jumped towards each other, clashing swords in midair. Their swordplay was fast and heavy, mixing in taijutsu with their attacks, neither gave an advantage to the other. Chasing each other around the small village, the villagers hid away from the battle. This was their first experience of the war.

Darui landed a heavy kick to Kakashi that sent him flying back. The jōnin landed upright just past the village entrance.

"Ranton: Reziā Sākasu!" (Gale Style: Laser Circus)

The nature transformation of Raiton and Suiton was a rare kekkei genkai in the Land of Fire. In fact, he was sure that there was never a user native to Konoha with that ability. Kakashi had only ever heard of the style. Coming into this fight, the jōnin had to be prepared. Kumogakure was known for having this style in their wheelhouse.

The technique created a halo of light blue energy around Darui's outstretched hands that fired several concentrated beams. Kakashi was quick to dodge but immediately realized that the beams were moving following him, making his evasion that much more difficult. The beams were highly accurate. If it was not for the Sharingan, Kakashi would have been struck multiple times.

Darui pursued the Konoha jōnin into the surrounding frost covered forest.

"Why are you running, Hatake?!" Darui called out. "I thought you wanted this fight!"

In a matter seconds, Kakashi disappeared from Darui's sight. Confused and cautious, the Kumo jōnin stopped and analyzed the area. He waited for the attack and prepared to counter.

"Kuchiyose: Tsuiga no Jutsu!" (Summoning: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu)

Kakashi's trusty pack of ninja hounds jumped form hidden spots, bared their fangs, and lunged towards Darui. Realizing that he was tracked by his scent, Darui needed a quick escape before he was captured by the the sharp teeth of the nine hounds. Black lighting appeared around Darui's form, and he suddenly disappeared from sight.

'Where'd he go?!'

Kakashi could barely believe the speed. Out of everything he had learned about Darui, possessing this kind of speed was not one of them. And, though brief, Kakashi saw the black lightning manifest around Darui before he disappeared.

'Some kind of cloak?' He tried to determine the cause of the speed, but without a good sight picture of it that was impossible. 'None of the information I gathered said anything about having this kind of speed.'

"Are you surprised, Hatake?" Darui had appeared behind Kakashi with his cleaver sword ready to strike and deal a killing blow.

Kakashi was able to completely turn to face Darui just as the sword was thrusted forward.

'Shit!'

The cleaver sword pierced Kakashi's body with fury, blood splattered wildly across the frost tainted ground. A sense of familiarity washed over the Kumo shinobi. His stance, the way his sword pierced the body, everything was the same as in the valley. Darui could feel the jōnin clinging to the life that was leaving him. The wound was severe with no chance of survival, considering that the man was here alone. The black lightning disappeared from sight.

"I'm disappointed in you, Hatake. I thought you would have put up a better fight." Darui made eye contact with Kakashi. Shock filled his features, showing the pain and surprise of his defeat.

But then, Kakashi's body began to disperse and ignite into lightning. His body exploded into a lightning shroud. The lightning surrounded Darui and electrocuted him. Darui screamed in pain as thousands of volts ran through his body. His body was stunned and went numb, he could barely move. The man dropped to his knees, trying to regain control over his movements.

From a safe and hidden spot, Kakashi intently watched his opponent. 'That black lightning…that has to be the reason for his speed boost. But it seems he can only move so fast…my Raiton: Kage Bushin no Jutsu was able to completely turn around before being hit. That must be the tradeoff. His speed is boosted but his attacks are slowed. It's like he has to readjust himself to normal speed before attacking so that he doesn't miss.'

A strong theory to go off, but the legitimacy of it being true could only be tested in the heat of battle. And Kakashi could not use another Lightning Shadow clone like he did. Using the one expended more than half his chakra. Another clone would not only drain him completely, but Darui had already seen it once. A good shinobi, especially one with Darui's reputation and experience, would not fall for the same trick again.

'I'm going to have to play this right. Seeing how wind is strong against lightning, I'll use some Fūton techniques to try and negate that lightning.' With a plan formulated, Kakashi left his hiding spot and moved into position.

Darui shook off the numbness from the electricity and scanned his surroundings. He was confused as to why Kakashi had not attacked him while he was vulnerable. It was the perfect opportunity. He had no defenses up, his reaction time was slowed due to the electric shock, and he had no idea where Kakashi would come from.

"Fūton: Shinkū Renpa!" (Wind Style: Vacuum Blast Barrage)

The first wind blast shattered the branch Darui was resting on, rendering it to splinters. The man summoned the lightning cloak back around his body to make a hasty escape, using it to his advantage to find where the shot came from. Another blast came from a completely different direction than the other.

'Another clone.' Darui deduced easily.

More blasts of high velocity winds were fired from all angles. Keeping the speed cloak active, Darui dashed through and around the strong winds. He knew if he was hit, it was game over. His lightning was weak to the wind affinity.

Watching intently, Kakashi began to notice a pattern in Darui's movements. They were linear. Hardly a sharp turn in his evasion. 'He's not as good with the technique as I first thought. He can only move that fast in a straight line with small incremental movements to dodge. I can predict his movements easier now.'

Even if he could not hit the dashing Kumo jōnin, Kakashi had the ability pinned down and knew how to counter it. It was time to end this battle before it dragged out longer than it needed to be.

Darui was sure he had outrun all the blasts. He moved as fast as his version of the Cloak of Lightning would allow him. Despite the drawbacks and limits the ability presents, it was still extremely useful for quick evasive moves. He was grateful that the Raikage helped him create a version of the original.

"Raijū Hashiri no Jutsu!" (Lightning Beast Running Jutsu)

A wolf-like creature ingulfed in lightning pounced from the forest floor and absolutely disintegrated the branch. In a split second, the black Cloak of Lightning ignited once more and Darui dashed to the left to avoid the explosion. He traced the lightning trail down to the ground and saw his opponent attached to the Raijū lightning beast. This was his chance to end the battle. Darui's sights were locked in, and he readied his cleaver sword.

"I have you now!"

"I don't think so!"

Kakashi appeared directly in Darui's path with lightning chirping in his dominant hand. Darui had no chance to move or evade. Even if he deactivated the Cloak, he would need a moment to regain his bearings before he could pull off any sort of counter or somehow evade the strike. Kakashi, in a few short minutes, figured out the weakness of the Cloak and exploited the weakness without a challenge.

"Raikiri!"

BAM!

Kakashi's signature technique was prematurely interrupted by a powerful strike that he was not prepared for. The Konoha jōnin was sent flying through the air and crashed against the hunk a strong tree trunk. He gasped for air and pain shot through his system. He clutched his midsection as all movements breathed pain.

"What…the hell…?"

Kakashi musted the ability to look upon the cause of his injury. Darui was no longer alone. Multiple Kumo shinobi had come to the aid of their commander.

"Where…?"

"Did you really think I was alone, Kakashi?" Darui's confidence was soaring with his subordinates around him. "I've been coming to this village for months…years even. How did you not think that we'd have shinobi stationed near by?"

Another piercing pain quelled his surprise and dejection. In a matter of seconds, Kakashi went from having this fight won to being completely outnumbers and nursing broken ribs. He needed to escape.

Darui waved his hand. "Finish him off. I want to go back to finish my drink."

Raiton and Suiton were summoned by the many Kumo shinobi and aimed them at the well-known Konoha jōnin. A tidal wave of fierce lightning and powerful water exploded Kakashi's position, creating a large crater where he once was. There was no trace. No blood splatters. Only the memory of the Sharingan.

"Sir, he's be eliminated."

Darui saw through the façade. "No. He's alive."

"But sir, that's not possible. Every single jutsu was a direct hit."

"You forget who that man was. Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan, son of the legendary White Fang of Konoha. I have no doubt that he has some sort of jutsu to escape like he did. Even if he is dead, without the body, we can't confirm."

The shinobi glanced between each other confusingly. "Why are you so convinced he's alive?"

Darui stopped. He recalled the conversation with his Kage some time ago. He was suspicious that the boy he killed was somehow still alive. Lately, he had been questioning it as well.

"This wouldn't be the first time a Konoha shinobi has escaped death."

-Miles away-

He clutched his eye as he ran. Pain continuously pulsated through his body. This was the first time he used Kamui in battle like that. And to transport that much chakra at once was something Kakashi had not planned on doing. It drained all the chakra he had left. It was a miracle that he was even moving at this point.

He needed to keep moving. He needed to cross back into Fire Country and find a Forward Operating Base for safe place to rest and heal up before making his way back to Konoha.

"Don't you worry, Darui…this is far from over."

-With Jiraiya-

The clouds sprinkled the water down from the heavens. Wildlife hid away from the wet and stayed dry underneath the trees and inside anything they could fit inside. The forest would be an empty environment until the downpour would stop.

But one lone man stood on the highest point of the mountain range. He was covered by a cloak to keep his person dry, minus his feet. The Sannin had been searching and following leads from his informants, all to find a single man. Despite their agreement and cooperation, this man was not easy to locate. But he had finally found him.

At the base of the mountain in a enormous valley, there was a large hideout built into the terraced mountain with a vast forestry growing on each level. Two towers were also built on either side connecting directly to it. The placement of the hideout was a bit unprotected, due to there being multiple advantage points, but this mountain range was relatively unknown. Which made it a perfect spot for a large base like this one.

'I should have figured this is where you'd be.' Jiraiya thought to himself as he began to descend the mountain towards the long-forgotten hideout.

The Toad summoner approached the tattered entrance with mild caution. He had a feeling that his target was expecting his arrival. Out precaution and simple paranoia, Jiraiya summoned a small sensory toad to keep watch and alert him if anyone got to close. Jiraiya ventured through the hideout, the halls were laid with overgrown grass through the cracks in the cement and decorated with the Uchiha clan symbols.

Jiraiya came to vast meeting hall which had symbols of the Uchiha clan framing either side of it. At the front of the meeting hall, elevated above the rest of the room by a platform was a throne with a small table next to it.

And there he was. Calm and collected. Itachi Uchiha opened his Sharingan eyes. "…I was wondering when you were going to arrive. I was beginning to think you had stopped looking."

Jiraiya pulled back his hood, allowing his long ponytail to be released. "You aren't the easiest to find. Though, considering who you are and what you're up against, I should count myself lucky I even tracked you down at all."

"You should. If I didn't want to be found, you wouldn't be here."

Jiraiya snickered. "That narcissistic confidence of yours. I'm glad to see that the Akatsuki didn't change you completely. Your mother would be happy for that."

At the mention of his murdered mother, Itachi sunk into the throne slightly. Enough for Jiraiya to notice. This was the second time Jiraiya had brought up his dead parent. "What do you want to know that you don't already know, Jiraiya? The longer you're here, the bigger the risk we run of being discovered."

"Let's start with the obvious then." Jiraiya's bottled up frustration finally corked loose. "Why the hell did you leave the Akatsuki? We had a damn deal!"

"Wrong." Itachi answered calmly. "The Third, Danzō, the two elders and I had a deal. You were not a part of it. I brought you into it so that we could keep Danzō out of the loop. His end goals have never been in Konoha's favor, only his own."

"I pieced that together when you told me about his eye. But we're getting off topic. Itachi, what the hell happened?"

Itachi could hear the sincerity in the Sannin's voice. "The deal changed, master. After Sasuke was taken captive by Orochimaru, I knew I had to do something. That's when it started."

"When what started?"

"My downfall in the Akatsuki. Our leader was already upset with me about the failed Kyūbi capture. Then we learned about Orochimaru's doings, and he gave me a second chance to right my wrong and finally kill Orochimaru. I planned on using the opportunity to free Sasuke and return him to Konoha."

That part surprised Jiraiya. "Free him? But I thought you wanted him out of the village to hunt you down? Wasn't that the whole point of it all?"

"I wanted Sasuke to become stronger to defeat me in battle, thus avenging the Uchiha clan. It was not my intention to have him fall into Orochimaru's hands like he did. When I failed to kill Orochimaru and free Sasuke, the leader became suspicious of me and my motives. He assigned Kisame to report to him about my doings. Kisame thought I didn't notice, but I was fully aware."

Jiraiya nodded. "That explains why I never received anything from you lately. So, what have the Akatsuki been doing then?"

Itachi took in a breath. "Each team had their own assignments. Nothing note worthy happened until the extraction of the One-Tail. The Akatsuki have their first tailed beast captured."

"Was that your doing? Or the other guy?"

Itachi's hesitation gave Jiraiya an answer. "…I had a cover to maintain for a little while longer. I had to wait until I was certain Sasori was going to be killed so that my cover could stay intact. But then he showed up…"

There was no question who Itachi referred to. "Madara…"

A simple nod of confirmation from the Uchiha murderer. "You talked to Kakashi then?"

"He's still alive? Are you certain?"

"I would not be saying his name if I wasn't. He may hide his face behind a mask but there is no possibility of it being someone else. That power…it can only be him."

While Jiraiya was still shocked that Itachi was this convinced that Madara was still alive, he was not as shocked as he probably should be. This was Madara Uchiha they were talking about. An evil genius that knew all. That man fought the Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi. The First Hokage was the only man to ever defeat him in battle. Madara even had the Kyūbi under his control and still lost. That's how powerful the man was. When it came to the name Madara, nothing was surprising.

"He started the Akatsuki then, I presume." Jiraiya concluded. "That explains why so many powerful rogue shinobi ended up in the same group. None of them wanted to stand against Madara."

Itachi shook his head. "No. The Akatsuki leader is someone completely different. I'm certain the leader has no idea Madara is alive."

This caught Jiraiya's attention as much as Madara. But there was some relief. Madara was a separate problem from the Akatsuki. He hoped that was a good thing. "Then who's the leader of the Akatsuki? There absolutely no information on him…anywhere."

Itachi adopted more of a serious expression. "We never knew much about him. Not even every member has seen him in person. What little I've been able to gather while I was in were just rumors."

"What kind of rumors?" As an intelligence gatherer, Jiraiya thrived off rumors. A rumor could easily be the truth that had been misconstrued.

"Possible locations and a few different monikers. Nothing too concrete to follow up on."

"Monikers? Such as?"

"A self-proclaimed God."

Jiraiya instantly pictured a man with an inflated ego the size of a mountain if he called himself God.

"There is one thing I can confirm and how he has been able to keep all the Akatsuki members in line. They fear him like he is a god."

This intrigued the Sannin greatly. The Akatsuki were a group a S-Class rouge shinobi. And this self-proclaimed god could keep in them to carry out a plan of his design. "How does he do that?"

"The mythical powers of the Rinnegan."

Jiraiya's eyes instantly went wide as they could out of pure shock. Aged memories from decades ago immediately flashed through his mind. Three young kids. A girl with purple hair. A boy with orange hair. And another with red hair and those mythic eyes…

'It…can't be! He's dead! They're all dead!'

Jiraiya's mind was in overdrive. How could this be possible? No, it was impossible! If he was alive then Jiraiya would definitely know about it. At the very least, he would have heard something through his channels of information that someone possessed the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths.

"The Rinnegan has been said to be possessed by the Sage of the Six Paths, the founder of shinobi and whose knowledge gave birth to ninjutsu itself. They are called a tool of heaven for God to create or destroy…I've seen them before."

Itachi narrowed his Sharingan eyes slightly. "You've seen them? Where?"

"…In the weeping country, back in the Second Shinobi War. It was just after the three of us fought Hanzo the Salamander."

Itachi was perplexed for a moment, then it came to him. "…Amegakure. That must be where he's hiding. It never stops raining there and it's surrounded by water. It's only accessible by boat."

Jiraiya let out an expatriated sigh. There was a lot of information to take in. Everything from Madara possibly being alive to the Akatsuki leader having the Rinnegan and being his former student weighed on the Sannin's mind heavily. A strong sense of guilt and regret filled him. He felt responsible for the creation of the rouge group. He should have been more attentive of their red flags and trained them to be better. He even felt guilty for not figuring out that Madara was running around. He was the spy master. Learning the dark secrets of the was his job and he was failing miserably. He felt ashamed to call himself a Sannin.

'Naruto would be so disappointed…Wait!' A thought entered his mind. 'Madara has always been linked to using the Kyūbi. I've always had a suspicion that the beast never just appeared and attacked Konoha on a whim. Could that mean he was behind it?' A gut wrenching twisted his insides. 'Minato…what the hell happened?!'

A signal set off Jiraiya's chakra senses. His sensory toad detected multiple chakra signatures approaching their position rapidly. The signatures were not ordinary shinobi nor that of another village. They were from Konoha.

"We have company!" Jiraiya ripped off his cloak. "Get ready!"

Itachi immediately jumped from the throne he sat on and landed next to the Toad Sannin. They stood back-to-back, waiting for the enemy to show themselves. Itachi could feel them approaching as well.

In a matter of seconds, twenty shinobi dressed in cloaks and faces covered with different styles of animal masks with their weapons drawn appeared in the meeting hall around to the two shinobi. They surrounded them like a pack of wolves hunting their prey.

"It seems you were followed."

Jiraiya glared at the Uchiha over his shoulder. He could hear the condescending tone in Itachi's voice, but that was quickly forgotten because of the situation at hand. They were outnumbered and had no route of immediate escape. A bad situation all around.

One the operatives stood out above the rest. His presence screamed dominance over the others. His mask was resembled that of a wolf and there was a 'x' scar over the right eye. "Jiraiya…by the order of the Konoha Council, I hereby place you under arrest for conspiring with the traitor Itachi Uchiha."

Jiraiya played off the declaration. "Me, conspiring?" He laughed loudly. "I would never get caught dead with this asshole. I've been hunting him down for months by order of the Hokage. Tsunade won't be very happy to hear that you interfered with my mission."

"It was the Hokage that sent us." WOLF stated. "It was by her and the council's orders that we follow you and eliminate the traitor Uchiha and take the Sannin prisoner. Besides, we've known for years that he was your informant in the Akatsuki. You're track record is extensive."

Jiraiya had mental red flags being set off. It was an obvious lie. Tsunade would have never taken action against him, especially using ANBU Black Ops operatives. She would prefer to do the dirty work herself. And there was no way none of the council knew that Itachi had been secretly feeding him information on the Akatsuki. Not even Tsunade knew that until recently. Something else entirely was going on.

'So, there was someone listening in!' Jiraiya concluded. 'And I've got a pretty good idea who.'

Itachi remained focused but curious. "Even I can tell he's lying, Jiraiya. Don't believe a word he says."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Oh, I don't. Tsunade would never let me turn like this. She'd kill me before I stepped out of the village. No…I know exactly what's going on now."

Itachi examined the operatives surrounding them. "These ANBU…they aren't like ones I knew. I can tell just by their stances and body language, they're different."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, I had feeling about that. Since these aren't ANBU under Tsunade then…"

"Danzō sent them…They're ROOT."

It was small, so subtle that no one besides of the strongest shinobi in the world would have noticed, all ROOT operatives clutched their weapons slightly more tighter than they were. Their organization had been found out.

Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!" (Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu)

A powerful blade of slicing wind was fired with emotionless fury. This technique is powerful enough to cut through practically anything. There was not much that could save the target.

"Suiton: Suidon no Jutsu!" (Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu)

Jiraiya fired off a bullet of concentrated water from his mouth. Using the elements weakness, the two jutsus were canceled each other out and caused a small rain storm in the large meeting hall.

Another flurry of hand seals was executed from a ROOT Operative. "Raiton: Shichū Shibari!" (Lighting Style: Four Pillar Trap)

Usually used for binding large summons, four giant rock pillars were summoned in a square figure. Each pillar began to emit static bolts. Itachi realized that they were planning to immobilize the two of them for an easy kill shot. But it would take more than simple paralysis to defeat a Sannin and a former Akatsuki member.

"Lord Jiraiya! Stand next to me!"

Without hesitation and complete trust, the Toad Sannin moved next to the Uchiha prodigy. An orange aura in the shape of a rib cage and skeleton arm with a shield surrounded both Jiraiya and Itachi as the bolts began to arch between the pillars. The Sannin looked at the construct with surprise. The lightning was not affecting them, in fact, it was avoiding them entirely. As if it was being redirected.

"This aura…could this be…?"

"The Susanoo, yes." Itachi answered. The Uchiha looked up to see a construct of mud and rock forming a giant, boar-shaped lid that was about to drop on them and effectively trap them. "Shit!" 'I can't block that with my Susanoo, it won't manifest in time!'

Jiraiya had already begun his counter. "Don't worry, I have it covered!"

"Doton: Otoshibuta!" (Earth Style: Buta Futa)

The giant boar lid fell heavily onto the two shinobi, trapping them underneath it. The group of ROOT Operatives came together at the base as they examined the trap.

"Did we get them?"

The commander nodded. "This technique was created to create beings stronger and bigger than those two. There's no way-"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The giant boar lid exploded from within, shattering in multiple large pieces that crushed a few of the ROOT members as they crashed. The large toad summon, Gamabunta, towered over the operatives and barely fitting inside the meeting hall.

"Jiraiya!" The chief of the toad army shouted angerly. "What've I told yer about summonin' me in tight spaces?!"

"Shut it, you overgrown frog! We needed an escape!" Jiraiya shouted back. "Now, dose some oil on those bastards!"

"You owe me for 'dis!" Taking the proportionate sized pipe out of his mouth, Gamabunta gathered sizeable amounts of toad oil in his mouth and spit it all over the remaining ROOT Operatives and the entire hall.

"Katon: Gamayu Endan!" (Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb)

Jiraiya spit a massive fire bullet and ignited the flammable toad oil, setting the entire meeting hall ablaze. Some of the ROOT Operatives screamed at the fire burned them alive. The remaining few gathered together, trying to survive.

"Nensuikai!" (Vicious Water Mass)

Creating water from pure chakra, WOLF molded the water in a barrier shield around the remaining ROOT to protect them from the fiery oil. They each discarded their respective cloaks to remove the oil that Gamabunta had spit onto them.

Exploding in a massive plume of white smoke, Gamabunta returned to Mount Myōboku. Jiraiya and Itachi used the smoke screen to escape the meeting hall and out to the roof of the Uchiha Hideout. It was there both of the men realized the gravity of the situation.

The land throughout the surrounding area of forest, an entire platoon sized element of ROOT Operatives laid in wait for them to emerge from the hideout. As if they were expecting them to escape the initial contacting force.

"Danzō really doesn't mess around, does he?"

Itachi shook his head. "He'll do anything within his power to get what he wants, as long he doesn't have to exert himself."

"How many do you count?"

"There's, at least, thirty Operatives down there. Normally, they are sent out in platoon elements for a mission of this caliber. For us, I'd expect no less."

Jiraiya nodded. "Honestly, I don't know much about this ROOT Organization. Are these guys like ANBU?"

"In a sense. ROOT are selected…well, I'd say captured is a better term. They put through an extensively brutal training program that kills all emotion from them, making them a perfect tool. Each operative has some sort of special ability that sets them apart from others."

"Captured?" Itachi answered with single nod. "How do you know this?"

"I once protected Naruto from one of their attempts."

Jiraiya's breath hitched. He should have thought that Danzō would have done something like that, but it was still shocking and troubling to hear. He made a mental note to talk to Naruto about it upon his return. "So, seeing how you are the resident expert here, what's the best course of action?"

Itachi closed his eyes in thought. Escape would be the safest option. But these were ROOT Operatives. Expert trackers and fighters. They could be split and fight on their own. Again, these were ROOT. ANBU level shinobi that harbored special abilities these types of scenarios. Not a likely option for survival. He, and Jiraiya for that matter, could sense the ROOT Operatives approaching their position atop of the Uchiha Hideout.

That left one option.

"We fight them together."

The Mangekyō awakened in Itachi's eyes.

A similar train of thought ran through Jiraiya's mind. He was somewhat excited to how their teamwork would come about, considering that they had never fought together like this.

Jiraiya chuckled slightly as he prepared himself for battle. "The Traitor and The Toad Sage. This would make one hell of a chapter in an action book."

"You can write later. Here they come!"

The two jumped into the forest below, engaging in a battle against the secret arm that was never thought possible because of the paths these two shinobi were walking. A traitor that slaughtered his entire clan for the sake of the village he loved, only leaving his younger brother alive to loath and hate his very existence. And a Sannin that traveled the world to uncover the secrets of his own prophecy, only to realize that the key was within his own godson all along.

The Traitor and The Sannin fought valiantly against the ROOT Operatives. Their teamwork was flawless, thanks to Itachi's Sharingan. He read Jiraiya's movements and used his copious amounts of copied ninjutsu in tantum to enhance their strength and veracity. And Jiraiya used his amazing battle intelligence and foresight to realize special abilities and figure out a counter to it to defeat the Operative.

Neither were sure of the amount of time the battle took but Jiraiya and Itachi defeated very single ROOT Operative in the area, leaving no survivors. Blood, bodies, and equipment riddled the damaged landscape. Trees were uprooted and sliced to pieces. Fields were ablaze from Katon techniques. Even the inextinguishable black flames of Amaterasu burned away bodies, leaving no trace of them until their ashes were washed away into the wind.

Jiraiya wrapped his bicep in a gaze wrap, like Tsunade had taught him years ago. He multiple different injuries, but nothing he could not handle. Itachi approached him, covered in the enemies' blood and fixing a sling to hold his dislocated shoulder.

"Well…that went well."

Jiraiya chuckled as he sorely stood up. "Yeah…certainly one for the ages."

"What do you plan on doing now with the information I've given you?"

"I'm going to report back to Tsunade, let her in on everything between us. After probably getting the ass chewing of a lifetime, and a little recovery, I'll try and gather more information on that leader…what was his name that you knew him by?"

"…Pain…"