"So you're telling me a legendary Sannin asked you to go on a mission with him to look for another legendary Sannin?" Lee looked incredulous in his hospital bed at his dear and youthful friend with a mix of wonder and realization in his eyes, he has after all spent enough time with Naruto to know he's fairly special. "Yosh Naruto-kun! Even in these dire times your flames of youth burn brightly!"
Naruto laughed at his bushy-browed friend's boisterous attitude and stared in admiration at the way he went on in life despite his current condition, he had been informed of Lee's depression episodes of course, he knew there was more to it than just the facade he put on, but the fact that he even tried to be happy was truly praise worth it.
He wished he was at least a little like him.
"Ero-sennin says this Sannin lady is the best medic alive, I'm going to bring her back and have her look at you, I promise and I never go back on my word!" He just hoped she would deliver, in all honesty Naruto was starting to fear Jiraiya simply oversold the Slug Sannin's abilities to make him more interested in the mission.
"You must have her look at Neji as well, Naruto-kun, even if there's nothing that can be done for me I'm sure she can help Neji." Lee was just so selfless it almost made him sad, but he wasn't wrong.
Neji's situation could only be described as complicated.
Naruto hated his guts, well, he liked to say he hated him but it wasn't hate that he felt for him; he just made his blood boil. It all changed when the chunin exams started, for some reason the young Uzumaki became interested in him and managed to extort his whole life story out of Hinata, he learned all the things Neji had gone through and even though he wouldn't say his actions were justified he could at least say he understood why he did the things he did.
The curse mark.
The Hyuga prodigy caught the attention of the treacherous Sannin and received his… gift. Now he was fully unresponsive. The doctors couldn't give Hiashi a straight answer. Apparently Neji went to sleep after his match with Hinata and never woke up, they had some theories of course, the most likely to be true, his brain suffered a lot of strain when both of the marks in his body came into conflict and the damage was so severe it simply became too much to handle so he fell into a coma.
Some sort of self-recovery mode, at least that's what Doctor Teruya called it.
"I'm going to ask her about that too, don't worry about it," Naruto looked out the window of the room and saw Jiraiya there signaling it was time for them to leave. "I have to go now Lee, I'll be back in 2 weeks tops."
He jumped out of the window shortly after and joined the white haired man as they both walked through the streets of the village on their way to the main gate. It was impressive how well they did in the invasion if you stop to think about it. They had been lucky to find out the truth about the situation in time to prepare for the attack.
The village had lost many brave shinobi and it would take them some time to recuperate but the sacrifices had not been in vane, civilian casualties were few and the village itself didn't need much fixing, they lost some important buildings during the attack, the shinobi academy still in reconstruction being the prime example, but they still managed to come out on top against adversity.
They always did.
Naruto kept on walking along his newest master and godfather, oblivious to the looks of wonder and curiosity he got from the village, he had discarded using his Konoha hitai-ate in the same way Kakashi did, every person in Konoha knew of his sharingan by now and even though no one except for a handful of people knew of the events that led to him having one, his actions during the invasion had been proof enough of his character for the villagers who no longer thought ill of him.
The vast majority at least.
Jiraiya didn't know whether to be worried or proud of him, any kid his age would be delighted with all the attention Naruto was getting and the teen didn't even seem to notice, he knew of course why he was like he was and wouldn't blame him for it, kami knows the kid already blames himself enough.
That's one thing they both had in common.
"Heads up brat, we're here." The main gate came into view and Naruto found his team there waiting for him to say goodbye, it was only then he realized it had been so long since he last saw Sakura.
Kakashi was the first to step forward, closing his orange book and putting it back on the pouch reserved just for the safe-keeping of his most treasured item, once in front of his self-proclaimed brother he eye-smiled like he always did and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Ja ne!" He said as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, not much was said but Naruto knew how Kakashi was by now, he wasn't serious at all but he also wasn't particularly straight forward when it comes to shows of affection and feelings in general.
It was perfectly fine, Naruto had gotten to see Kakashi's more affectionate side before when it was just the two of them which is why words were not needed for this, anyone that could see Naruto's soft smile and the hand he used to caress the spot on his head where Kakashi's hand was just moments earlier could see it.
"Take care Naruto, don't do anything stupid." Haruno Sakura, sarcastic as always but still as caring as she has been for a long while now. She hadn't particularly liked it when Kakashi informed her Naruto would be going on a mission with Jiraiya and they were not a part of it, at one point her reaction was more on the angry side, she understood however that this mission was sanctioned by the legendary Sannin himself and as such he was the one to make the calls.
She hugged Naruto and gave him many instructions to take care of himself while doing so, Jiraiya and the chunin guards watching the gate found it incredibly amusing but Naruto - even if he knew all that she was saying by now - couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of someone worrying about him so he nodded and answered all that Sakura said with a positive remark; he ended up watching as she left with a smile on his face.
Shortly after saying his goodbye - and listening to some undesired and much annoying comments from his new mentor - Naruto and company finally left the village on their new mission, looking at the rising sun in the distance all he could think of was of the people he had promised he'd help even before he knew if such a thing was possible.
He better learn not to make promises he can't keep.
"I hear you're interested in learning Fuinjutsu Naruto-kun, is it true?" All he could do while being questioned by the wise old man was look nervously at his own feet, not bold enough to look at the face of the man he thought he'd let down.
"Yes jiji, I want to be more like my mother and stuff y'know?" He finally managed to muster some courage to look up. "It's just that you gave me those books ages ago and I haven't even started with them, I'm sorry."
The man started chuckling softly until his chuckles became a controlled laughter, putting a hand on the troubled teen's shoulder he smiled warmly and said. "You don't have to learn Fuinjutsu if you don't want to, Naruto. I gave you the material because I assumed you would have a knack for it like your ancestors; that does not mean you have to learn it or even be here for that matter."
"I also know for a fact you don't like reading."
Both him and Naruto started laughing together as they sat, one in the chair of the most powerful man in Konoha and the other on the seat right in front of him…
Not many people would approve of Naruto using the Hokage's chair.
"Naruto?"
The young Uzumaki was suddenly brought back to reality by the white haired pervert, they had been walking together for who knows how long, contrary to what Jiraiya would've expected Naruto was very silent during the trip so far, looking ahead most of the time but in his eyes you could see he wasn't really paying attention to the road ahead.
"Are you alright?" He asked the question knowing the answer, just yesterday did Naruto finally start to accept what happened and he was already on a mission, albeit a tracking mission and a safe one at that, Tsunade is not an enemy of the village and even though she might kick Jiraiya a little when they meet she has no quarrel with Naruto.
The aforementioned teen just sighed as he focused back on reality and shook his head a little to set himself free of the memories that haunt him, he decided to set himself into mission mode and focus on the things that make him sad at a later time. "Yes Ero-sennin, I just got a little distracted."
It was convincing enough, even if Naruto completely missed the fact that his 'little distraction' lasted a good 6 hours, enough for them to reach Tanzaku Gai, the next biggest city - after the capital and Konoha of course - and Jiraiya's first stop.
The city was hailed as a paradise for heavy drinkers and gamblers as well as perverts, their current objective happened to be two of those things so, if there was a place where Jiraiya thought Tsunade could be found this would be it. Under normal circumstances Jiraiya would look for a place where Naruto could rest while he did some research, unfortunately for him Naruto happened to be a good sensor, it would be stupid to not include him in the search.
"Listen up Naruto, we're going to start looking for her here, I'll do some digging on my own and I expect you to do the same, meet me at the hotel in the middle of town in 5 hours." Shortly after saying his part Jiraiya went off running in a direction so specific it made Naruto think the pervert was going to be of little help for the day.
No use crying over spilled milk he figured as he started walking in the opposite direction, he looked at every building with his different colored eyes trying to familiarize with his environment the best he could, this was after all the second time he left the village and a new place to know and observe. An idea came to mind as he walked so he stopped in the middle of a less crowded road and bit on his thumb to then perform a quick series of hand-seals.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu!
A puff of smoke manifested and then cleared with the wind revealing a little reddish toad Naruto had gotten to know since signing the contract, Gamakichi smiled at the sight of his human friend and was just about to greet him when the blond interrupted him by performing the same jutsu again, only this time out of the smoke a different kind of summon was revealed.
"I wondered when I'd be seeing you again, what do you need?" Eiji emerged from the smoke looking as uncaring and annoyed as he did when they first met, they didn't really dislike each other but they weren't friends either, Naruto would have to change that.
"I don't need anything, I'm on a mission right now and it's not really exciting, you said I should summon you and hang out some time, that's what I'm doing." Naruto took Gamakichi from the ground and put him on the toad's usual place on top of his head. "This is Gamakichi, the son of the toad's summoning clan leader and a friend of mine."
"Yo!" Was Gamakichi's greeting, carefree as ever before he looked at Naruto and asked a question. "You signed another summoning contract, did you tell pops?"
Naruto sighed and looked at the ground in something akin to embarrassment. "No, I pass out whenever I summon your dad y'know?"
"So you also summon toads? Interesting…" Eiji looked at Gamakichi and politely greeted him, surprising them both. "Hello Gamakichi-san, I suspect we'll be seeing each other more often than not" Gamabunta and Enma had met on many occasions during their lives after Jiraiya happened to bump into the toad contract. That's why Enma taught all the monkeys to respect the Toads and expect respect to be given in return.
Being done with his musing, Eiji fell in line with Naruto, getting a kick out of the people watching in amazement as some blond kid with a toad in his head and a monkey the height of his shoulders walked together around the town. "So dude… what exactly is your mission?"
"We're looking for one of the legendary Sannin, the pervert says she's the only one that can become Hokage." Naruto wasn't too convinced about it, and it wasn't because he felt like Hiruzen would be replaced and forgotten, he understood perfectly why the village needed a new and strong leader, he just didn't think they were going to find that someone in Tsunade. One of the Sannin was a no-good pervert and the other was a sick and twisted bastard.
How is she going to be any different?
Naruto and company walked around the place looking for any sort of evidence as they talked among each other about everything and nothing in particular, he had to admit Eiji wasn't really a bore to hang with, he could definitely see them becoming a good team along with the toads, the young monkey seemed to agree with him judging by his current calm and relaxed mood.
Hours went by and Naruto never managed to spot a chakra signature that felt particularly outstanding or at the very least different than that of a regular civilian, still for some reason, he couldn't help the feeling of being watched. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and focused his sensing abilities the best he could, he even made his onyx eye turn red hoping he would be able to find some sort of evidence with the help of the sharingan, much to the confusion of his animal companions.
He found nothing.
Was he imagining things now? He could hardly be the one to blame, losing someone as important as he did and then being tossed into a mission right after was bound to be a stressful situation. Naruto took a deep breath and let his friend's eye go back to its normal onyx color before going back to meet the pervert in the hotel he set as a meeting point.
Fully unaware of the truth going on besides him.
"He seemed to feel we were here, most curious don't you think… Itachi-san?" A blue shark-like giant man with a big bandaged sword strapped to his back and a toothing grin that showed his pointed teeth suddenly materialized out of thin air, revealing alongside him the subject of his question. A young man no older than 19 with long black hair and two sharingan eyes.
Uchiha Itachi.
He looked stoic and said nothing, his eyes following the path Naruto walked until he came out of sight before simply turning back and leaving the place, not bothering to spare his companion so much as a glance, which only served to irritate him even more.
"Why are we even here?!" He asked, his irritation and annoyance now clear for all to see. "You were the one who discovered the kid wasn't Konoha's secret Jinchuriki, why did you come here only to observe him?"
"You yell too much Kisame," Itachi glanced at him for a second before continuing his path away from the city. "All the information we can get for our leader is our priority, besides… I was curious."
"What information?" Kisame hated Itachi and that air of superiority he always had around him, like he knew everything or at least more than him. "We went to Konoha looking for information and we got nothing! What information could you possibly gain from that brat? Unless… the information you were looking for wasn't for the leader."
The true last Uchiha wanted nothing to do with the conversation the shark-man was about to start so he cut him off before he could even begin. "We're losing time Kisame, let's go."
Earlier that day
"What are we doing here Itachi-san? Are you feeling Homesick?" Kisame and Itachi were walking together in a path leading outside the village. The scenery was… beautiful, green leaves scattered all around trees oozing with life and that crystal clear river that flowed beside them; it was hard not to get homesick.
Yet Itachi's face showed none of that.
"We're being followed"
Two figures emerged from the trees revealing themselves to be none other than Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai, two of the best Jōnin in the village. They knew what Itachi was capable of, they knew what he did and they were ready to put a stop to him… or die trying. "Uchiha Itachi… tell me, what brings you here?"
Itachi turned around and looked directly in the eyes of the person who asked the question with a look of complete and utter calm in his face. "Asuma-san, I don't wish to fight you, I would advise you just let us go… for your own good."
Asuma didn't exactly like the threat and reacted as one would expect. Fishing two chakra knives out of his pouch and holding them in a cross guard; Kisame decided he would be the one to fight him and unfolded his bandaged sword to fight him. Both shinobi jumped at each other and traded slash after slash, the Sarutobi found himself to be overpowered slowly but surely and was hit by the weird sword wielded by his opponent.
Asuma had felt the pain of a sword slash before, this wasn't anything like it.
The part of the sword that hit him didn't look like an ordinary blade, not even close to it. The bandaged object set itself free revealing the real composition of its body, it definitely wasn't any normal sword, there were tons of scales in it, dangerous hard and sharp scales; Asuma looked in both amazement and confusion at the object that had managed to hit him, a look Kisame found hilarious. "My beloved Samehada doesn't cut, it shreds!"
The fight once again started and both Asuma and Kurenai found themselves terribly outclassed, they were both Jōnin and good ones at that but their strengths simply didn't seem to be enough against these two, a failed attempt at capturing Itachi in a genjutsu left Kurenai their victim of her own attack while Asuma simply didn't have what it takes to overpower Kisame.
"I told you it wouldn't be wise to underestimate them, Asuma, Kurenai."
An imposing figure, calm and collected made his way to the place where the battle was taking place looking not at all bothered by the scene, he didn't even bother to pocket his ever present orange book until he was standing right in front of the treacherous Uchiha.
Itachi looked at the man with caution, he knew it wouldn't be wise to ignore the threat that meant being in the presence of this man. "Hatake Kakashi… it's been a while, senpai."
Asuma and Kurenai looked in relief at Kakashi and decided their victory was secured with his arrival, something the lone Hatake wasted no time in refuting. "This man was made ANBU captain at 13 years old, you haven't seen what he really is capable of yet."
This wasn't good, Kakashi was sure this is not what the third wanted but there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he had to play it out, he allowed himself to be pushed by both ninjas, trading Katon and Suiton ninjutsu with them left and right with the help of Asuma and Kurenai but it proved to be fruitless. What frustrated him the most was how obvious it was that Itachi was not putting too much effort in the fight.
At one point all three Konoha shinobi stood in the water and watched as Itachi's sharingan eyes morphed into a different shape, one that Kakashi knew to avoid. "Kurenai! Asuma! Close your eyes, NOW!"
They both did as they were told and avoided being captured by the most powerful genjutsu in the world… at the moment. Kakashi didn't share in their situation and found his reality shaping again, finding himself crucified in a world of red black and white with multiple Itachis surrounding him, all of them carrying swords. "Welcome to my Tsukuyomi Kakashi-senpai, don't try to break free from the genjutsu, it will be pointless." A Sadistic glim took over Itachi's expressions as he slowly made his way closer to his victim's body "I wonder how long will someone without a Kekkei Genkai last."
"I know everything, Itachi."
The last Uchiha stopped just in time to avoid stabbing Kakashi and looked him directly in the eyes with a look that could only mean he was waiting for further explanation.
Kakashi was all too happy to oblige and avoid being tortured non stop for Kami knows how long. "I know all about the coup d'etat and the slaughter of the Uchiha, I know Danzo forced you into it and I know of your mission in the Akatsuki; Sandaime-sama told me all about it."
The scenery around Kakashi immediately started to change, the world created by Itachi no longer took the form of hell on earth, the color scheme that made the copy cat gulp in fear quickly transformed into that of his everyday life all while the multiple forms of Itachi disappeared leaving but one of them still there alongside him; he looked around and found himself in a familiar place yet never seen before at least not by him, the extent of the Uchiha's power was just… impressive.
"I believe we should talk, Kakashi…" Just like that a little tea shop was in front of them both, unlike the first time Itachi made his world shift, this little safe abode simply appeared, one moment there was nothing and the other it was there; in a similar fashion, the Hatake couldn't remember ever sitting at a table right in front of him, but there they both were. "I assume you still have some questions despite what Sandaime-sama told you… I will also assume that he told you the version of the truth he believed in as opposed to some of the more gruesome facts."
In a way it was refreshing for Kakashi to see Itachi had not really changed in all his time, then again, the possibility of the Hokage's truth not being all that legit did unsettle him. "You make it sound like there's more to the Hokage's story than one would think."
"Sarutobi-sama was a great and honorable man, that's part of the reason why he failed to see the full reality of the situation; he liked to think of the Uchiha as mere victims and failed to acknowledge their transgressions." Images, visions of a past not too distant came to the mind of the tormented shinobi, the things he had seen, the things he had done will forever haunt him and his clan. "My clan was prideful, arrogant and obsessed with power. They were put in a bad position, yes, but I can't say it was fully unjustified."
Faint memories and conversations came to mind in Kakashi's head, pieces of a puzzle slowly taking the right shape. "Are you saying The Uchiha deserved to die?"
That's not what Itachi wanted to say, but he didn't blame Kakashi for reaching that conclusion. The truth is that there was little anyone could do to save them, they allowed themselves to be manipulated by anger and the carvings in some old stone. When looking at the situation from a distance one could reach the conclusion that Itachi held no love for his clan and his family, and one would be terribly wrong.
Itachi was said to be one of the most loyal shinobi by the Sandaime, he loved his village immensely and would've done anything to keep it safe, some say at seven years old he already had the mindset of a Hokage… it makes you wonder, in the situation he had been in, would the other Hokage do the same?
Hiruzen said Shimura Danzo had been the one to manipulate Itachi into eliminating his own clan and even though he was a man sick as they came and someone who was on the lone Uchiha's kill list, it would be a lie to say Danzo had forced him into it. Itachi wasn't easily deceived, he knew what had to be done, he merely used the opportunity to keep his brother safe for as long as possible.
We all know how that turned up.
"Naruto-kun…" The sudden mention of his surrogate brother put Kakashi on edge, there was something about the way Itachi ignored the question and remained in silence to then change topics that made him understand there were things he just would never open up about. "He is in possession of my brother's Sharingan, yes? Tell me, how is he?"
Kakashi suddenly remembered a time when he was in charge of Itachi's ANBU squadron and the young shinobi inquired about the origin of his own sharingan eye, to be completely honest, he didn't know if Itachi would approve of Naruto taking his brother's eye or not, he never actually considered it. "Naruto is doing as well as one could hope, he and his teammate worked hard to move on past Sasuke's untimely death, they truly cared for him, Itachi."
Kakashi chose to forgo how bad the Sandaime's death hit Naruto, he knew that even though the question was asked it wasn't really about the young Uzumaki. He could feel Itachi simply wanted to know about his brother. "Are you against him having Sasuke's eye?"
Itachi for his part, sipped at the cup of tea in front of him before answering the question, it made Kakashi wonder why he even bothered when they both were on a genjutsu. "I know the way my brother's life came to an end and, knowing what I know of Naruto, I don't think he would steal it but… am I against him having Sasuke's Sharingan? I guess that's for me to know and for you to find out."
When he was young and posed with the same question, Itachi didn't understand why Obito would willingly give up his Sharingan for Kakashi and now after all these years facing the same scenario he still didn't have a clear answer, it irked him in some weird way. One thing was clear: Itachi doesn't hold any ill will toward Naruto and that's reassuring enough for Kakashi. Having spied on his brother for as long as he did, the Uchiha had come to understand and appreciate the influence of Naruto in his late brother's life, for however long that lasted.
He will always be grateful for that.
The atmosphere became a little lighter and both men relished in the moment of silence that came between them, but it had to be broken, there was no point in extending things any longer. "The mission the Sandaime told you about… it was both and order and self-imposed, I have my reasons for being a part of the organization that I'm in and was never actually given an order to spy on them for the village but to protect it, rest assured that I will never do anything to harm my home, I will keep on leaking the information you must know of to Jiraiya-sama's spies as I've been doing, there's no need for you to find me."
"But, what does the Akatsuki want? Why did they send you here?" Kakashi asked in a pleading tone and Itachi decided it wouldn't hurt to tell him that, it was hardly going to be kept a secret any longer with how close Jiraiya had been getting himself.
"Akatsuki is after the Bijuu, I was sent here of my own bollition to investigate if the village had managed to make a new Jinchuuriki in secret." He didn't need or wanted to explain what it was that he wanted by showing up there himself but Kakashi wouldn't question that.
"Now I'm sorry Kakashi-senpai…" Itachi's voice could suddenly be heard in the back of Kakashi's head as his form disappeared from view along with the teahouse they were both sitting in. "But I have to make this believable." He said as a sword pierced right through his chest and sent them both back to reality.
The world once again shifted in front of Kakashi's eyes… he felt like shit, who would've thought a fake sword going through you in a fake world was so effective in the real world? The Hatake knew he was just about to lose consciousness… props to Itachi for making it look real.
He just hoped he wouldn't go too far against his Jōnin companions.
Kisame wanted to wait no longer in order to intervene and even though Itachi wished there was something he could say or do to avoid the slaughter of two Konoha shinobi it just wasn't possible, stopping Kisame while there was no real opposition or impediment in their way would just be suspicious, they'd have to die.
With no hesitation, the shark-man raised his mighty sword as he ran at the Sarutobi heir and one of Konoha's newly minted Jōnin, Kakashi watched in despair as he fought to stand up, he knew Asuma was no pushover and Kurenai was skilled in her own right but… against the might of the Akatsuki, not even he would be able to stop them.
Time slowed down when the mighty Samehada stood centimeters close to Asuma's head… only to be stopped and pushed away by a man in green with a toothy grin and the bushiest eyebrows in the village. "Fear not Asuma, I will help you fight these two."
Kisame found himself confused at the fact that such a ridiculous looking man had been able to stop his attack and even more so push him away but it didn't matter to him, to him it just meant he had the chance to enjoy himself, Itachi it seemed had other plans. "If you fight that man you won't leave unscathed, we shall be going now we've attracted much attention as it is."
He didn't like it, not at all but even in his blood lust and thrill for battle Kisame could see reason in Itachi's words, no matter how strong he was a whole battalion of shinobi meant trouble especially this new guy the Uchiha seemed weary of, for this time he would comply with the orders he was given.
Both men started their retreat and knew better very well that they would not be followed, well… that's what they thought. Kakashi's warning did little to stop Gai's youthfulnes from attacking the back of the retreating Itachi but there was no way such an attack would hit the legendary shinobi…
Right?
Much to everyone's surprise, even Gai's, the flying kick actually managed to hit Itachi head on as his blue companion kept on running away. Everyone seemed to watch the last of the Uchiha falling to the ground almost in slow motion… only for him to burst into a cloud of smoke.
Kakashi started chuckling softly on Asuma's arms as he processed what happened, his mind never even noticed when it fell into the realm of unconsciousness being carried to the hospital by his green-clad friend. Itachi had really committed to making their confrontation as realistic as possible, sadly for the one-eyed shinobi that meant he would be asleep for a little while.
While all that happened the real Itachi could be seen standing by himself in an open area of the village, the memories of his Kage Bunshin suddenly rushed into his mind and he wasted no time in voicing it out-loud. "It appears my time in the village has been cut short… " he tried to speak normally but found himself stopping at the lumps that kept forming in his throat "I will try to come and see you again soon, there's still much I want to tell you I- I'm sorry, I really am."
A soft breeze caressed Itachi's face as he turned his back to whoever it was that he spoke to; little droplets of water started falling to the ground but there was not a single cloud in sight; not many would believe the reason behind it but if one were to look but a little closer they would realize those drops of water were all pouring out of his own eyes. "So don't wait for me okay? I'll try to be back before you notice…"
And so he walked away; he never once turned his back to the person he spoke to or rather the thing he spoke to, he left the place where hundreds and hundreds of names could be read, all carved in beautiful stone tablets set on the ground to remember what once was, he swiftly distanced himself from the name of his greatest regret and didn't look back… he couldn't show himself to him like that.
Itachi… crying?
After everything he had done he firmly believed he didn't deserve to cry, not in front of him.
So he didn't, he suddenly disappeared from view, most likely running to catch up with his partner in retreat. If you listened closely, you could hear his parting words being carried by the wind "rest well… Sasuke."
"She's not here anymore Ero-sennin, the people at the bar said she left town yesterday." Naruto and his animal companions stood in front of Jiraiya in such an orderly fashion it might be disturbing enough to distract him from the ruckus behind them. Broken doors and windows, a hole in the wall that was most likely the exit of the drunk bastard who laid unconscious a few meters away.
Jiraiya just couldn't understand how that happened, after reuniting in their hotel both with no real clues about Tsunade's whereabouts Jiraiya and Naruto agreed on searching on every single bar and casino in the place as opposed to extorting information, hell, even Jiraiya sobered up and actually let go of his less desirable habits to look for her, so the question is: how in the fifteen minutes they were away from each other did Naruto manage to destroy a bar.
The blonde in question anticipated the question simply by looking at his sensei's eyes. "You see… when we walked in some random guy thought he was hallucinating when he saw two animals talk and tried to eat Gamakichi just to see if 'imaginary things had flavor' so Gamakichi used some water jutsu on him which caused him to fall onto some other drunk who fell into some other drunk and before long everyone else was fighting each other." Both animals kept on nodding through all of the story as a way of showing their agreement and veracity to the story.
"If no one really fought you… how did you get that information?" Jiraiya was now more curious now than angry and it was pretty obvious by the amused look on his face.
Naruto started rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish way as he let his black eye turn into a two-tomoe sharingan. "Well Kakashi taught me how to use the Sharingan to extract information from people, I can't do it on him but it's really easy on civilians y'know? The bartender knew a lot about her spending habits, people here know how and when to get money out of her… I don't know if that's sad or funny 'ttebayo."
Jiraiya sighed and nodded, he didn't know if it was sad or funny either and that only frustrated him more. Tsunade, a legendary Sannin reduced to a depressed drunk with terrible spending habits, was her loss really that traumatic? Everyone had lost something in the war from all those years ago so why? Why was she allowed to leave the village and become the person she is today? Why is her trauma more important than everyone else's? Why did Sarutobi and he let it happen?
Maybe if she hadn't left the old man wouldn't have died, maybe if she hadn't left Orochimaru wouldn't have betrayed them, maybe if she hadn't left Naruto wouldn't have had to grow up with only the Sandaime.
Maybe if she hadn't left things would be different….
He quickly shook his head off from those intrusive thoughts and continued on his journey to the next town along with his newest apprentice, Jiraiya let Naruto get in front of him and admired the person he was becoming, there was something about the way he walked and the way he did things that made him want to trust him.
There was more about Jiraiya's insistence on bringing him than just needing a sensor, if there was someone that might have the exact words to get the slug sannin back on her feet it would surely be him.
They just have to find her.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hurry up neechan! We're going to miss Sarutobi-sama's ceremony!" The young boy proved to be stronger than one would give him credit for, after all… how easy could it be to pull around one of the more capable shinobi of her generation? The sister and brother duo parted on their way to the Hokage tower where their beloved uncle and leader of their village would be giving a speech.
She had always found it weird, how the people of the village loved her and her family despite not having done anything particularly remarkable, other than being related to their heroes that is.
"Look! Dan-san it's over there! Don't you like him or something?"
A vein started popping on her forehead as she bonked the head of his little brother for his lack of common sense, she disappeared from view alongside him to avoid being spotted by the subject of her fantasies. She did like Dan after all… she just wouldn't be admitting that to him anytime soon.
The speech went smoothly, like always, Hiruzen knew very well how to handle a crowd and even inspire some among them. The little boy being no exception. "One day It's going to be me Nee-chan, I will become Hokage and take care of the village, just like grandpa."
"I know you will Nawaki, I know you will."
Almost in an instant the air around them changed, it became heavier and for some reason Nawaki seemed very comfortable in it, he took the necklace he had been given by his own sister in his hand and stroked it very lovingly and carefully as he looked up into the eyes of the older and confused Senju.
"It's time to wake-up Tsunade-neechan"
Oh… that's right.
"It always is…"
A soothing voice welcomed her back to the land of the awake, it was weird for her really, the drunk Sannin appreciated and cared for her companion like she cared for no one else but she still couldn't help but wonder, why was the feeling reciprocated? It's not like she did anything to deserve it.
"Oh Tsunade-sama you're awake, do you already know where we're going today?" Of course she knew, and Shizune knew as well, she just kept on asking every single day hoping someday it would all be different.
That moment was yet to come.
The legendary Sannin turned gambling-addict and borderline alcoholic shook herself from her drunken stupor and stood up almost immediately after, her itinerary for the day very clear in her mind already; first breakfast, then some sake and then some gambling.
After that it's all rinse and repeat… it always is.
Something was bothering her today though, her dream with Nawaki, it sure wasn't the first and she was sure it wouldn't be the last so… why did it seem different this time?
Why did Nawaki's tone change when he asked her to wake up?
What did he really mean?
AN: It's been a while hasn't it?
I did say I wouldn't be abandoning the story and it still holds true. I've just been so busy these last few months, it's exhausting, I don't really feel like sharing much of what's been going on but… yeah, busy.
This chapter isn't action packed or anything but I do think it's worth a read, I know someone said I'm just rewriting canon with some changes here and there and it's kinda true? I do have plans for events and story arcs that deviate from canon but at least this part of the story has always been this way in my mind. How would these events go without Sasuke there? And that's what I'm trying to do, fear not though we're close to making the Shippuden transition of the story and that's where the more interesting things will start to happen.
On the subject of Itachi… I don't know if I'm writing him correctly tbh, I chose to acknowledge the history behind him rather soon in the story because we all know how things really are and even though I could change some things, Itachi is not one of the things I felt like changing. I don't idolize him or anything and I've always found it weird how sometimes people fail to acknowledge the many many flaws in his character.
Homeboy needs some therapy.
That doesn't mean however that I can't see the appeal to his character and I do want to make him justice.
Now, I got a comment from Write Your Wrongs I would like to address (this is not a personal attack or anything I truly appreciate criticism) They said Naruto's Kongo Fusa is a sad imitation of Kushina and well, yes. That was never supposed to be a secret you know? Naruto is not only just learning how to use the chains but he's also not a full blooded Uzumaki, which is why I made his chains only come out of his arms, think of it as a limitation of sorts, I didn't think that detail would get lost. On that part I also don't want to make Naruto overpowered especially because even though he has a shit ton of Chakra, he is no Jinchuuriki. I have some plans for what the Kyuubi's chakra in him is going to mean for him further down the line (which is also why I wrote his chakra purple) but that's yet to come. I gave him a Sharingan and the chains, making him able to hold a bijuu at bay on his own with a jutsu he pretty much just learned would be a little too much, I think? I might just be wrong. Anyway, I felt like it was worth explaining myself on this point.
Either way I do hope I will keep on writing a story that's worth your time and I will try to have the next chapter out sooner rather than later.
Stay safe!