Chapter Nine: Executions and Conversations
Author's Note: As always, I'd like to start by thanking everyone who's left a like, follow, and review. I genuinely appreciate it.
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Bold: Technique Name (English Translation)
Italics: Thoughts
Horizontal Line: Flashback
(Scene Change)
The sky was clear, and the sun hung high as the citizens of Nami no Kuni gathered in the town square where the shinobi squad from Konoha and a large elderly man dressed as a kabuki actor stood on a raised platform next to Tazuna, the bridge builder. In the center of the platform was a white sheet hanging on a thick wooden pole.
Some citizens were throwing wary glances over their shoulders, looking for any of Gatō's goons, while Tazuna's workers were confused about why their boss had requested their presence in the town square. Though his employees did notice that a weight seemed to have been lifted off of old Tazuna's shoulders, he stood taller and straighter than any of them could remember.
Tazuna looked out over the murmuring crowd, feeling better than he's had in decades. He looked at the sky and saw a flock of seagulls flying overhead. A smile bloomed on his face as he watched the birds soaring freely. "People of Nami!" the bridge builder announced with raised hands, silencing the crowd. "For too long, we have lived in fear of Gatō, but no longer!" Tazuna gave a meaningful look towards Jiraiya.
Jiraiya nodded, then pulled down the sheet, revealing to the crowd the bloodied, beaten, and unconscious form of Gatō tied to a wooden cross.
The crowd was shocked. The peoples' minds stilled as they tried to process the sight of the dictator who had terrorized their lives for the past few years strung up in the same fashion as their hero Kaiza was. Slowly, tears of relief began to form on some of the villager's faces, while others dropped to their knees as their legs gave out, and others sported vicious grins as they focused on the source of Nami's nightmares getting what he deserved.
"Your eyes aren't lying; this is Gatō," Tazuna assured his countrymen, "Last night, the shinobi from Konoha cleaned out Gatō's forces and captured the bastard."
"But why, though?" one of Tazuna's workers asked. "I thought their mission was to protect you while you built the bridge?"
"That's true," Jiraiya interjected as he stepped forward. "But when our Kage learned of the state of Nami, he tasked us with eliminating Gatō because he could not stand the idea of our neighbors suffering under the heel of a vile dictator." "It also doesn't hurt that the midget was willing to let Kiri set up a base of operations here," the Toad Sage mentally added as he reviewed some of the information he and Zabuza had learned from their interrogation.
"And we are eternally thankful to Konoha for their actions," Tazuna said before offering a deep bow to the sannin and Team Kakashi, one soon mirrored by the rest of Nami's citizens. Tazuna held the bow for a few seconds before rising and turning towards the source of his country and his family's grief. "Could you wake him up? I want him to look us in the eyes when it happens."
Kakashi walked over and placed his hand on Gatō's forehead. He channeled chakra through his hand and into the drug lord's head, breaking the genjutsu he was placed under and waking him up.
"Ahh!" Gatō screamed, his eyes popping open and frantically darting all over the place as he fruitlessly struggled against his binds like a cornered animal until Kakashi silenced him with a swift punch to the gut.
"Thank you, Hatake-san," Tazuna formally addressed the man as he strode forward and placed himself before Gatō. "Do you know who I am?" the bridge builder asked the tyrant.
"You're the bridge builder," Gatō wheezed, his tone dead as he looked up at the old man. "The one I ordered killed."
"Yes, you wanted me dead, just like my son, Kaiza." Tazuna's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. "Do you remember him? He was a hero in this land, and you murdered-"
"-Kill me," Gatō stated, interrupting Tazuna's rant. "That's what you're gonna do, so do it."
Tazuna stared deeply into the man's eyes, finding nothing but exhaustion and a desire for death. A small part of Tazuna's soul begged him to leave the man hanging on the cross, let him slowly wither and rot as the country he oppressed flourished around him. It would be poetic, cruelly so, and that's what made the bridge builder's decision.
Tazuna glanced at Kakashi, sending him a look that the cycloptic jonin understood as he reached into his kunai holster and drew one of the blades. Effortlessly, Kakashi flipped the kunai and caught it by its blade, then offered its handle to the bridge builder.
Tazuna wordlessly took the weapon, gripping it tightly as he used his other hand to raise Gatō's head and bare his throat. The bridge builder took one last look into the drug lord's eyes, spotting relief and, dare he say, gratitude shining in their beady depths before he raised the kunai and slashed the tyrant's throat.
Team Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tazuna watched silently as the corrupt businessman quickly bled out, his life's blood dribbling down his chest, staining his shirt, and dripping down to the platform's wooden boards. A moment passed before Tazuna made to return Kakashi's bloody kunai, only to receive a headshake followed by a jut of a chin towards the crowd.
Tazuna nodded and turned towards his countrymen. Raising the bloody weapon above his head, Tazuna roared to the crowd, "We are free!"
The people of Nami rejoiced. Their nightmare was over.
As the people of Nami began to revel, Naruto walked across the platform and tapped Jiraiya on the shoulder.
Jiraiya looked down and met a pair of hard blue eyes.
"Tonight," Naruto mouthed.
Jiraiya's shoulders slumped as he gave a resigned nod before the shinobi got swept away to celebrations put on by grateful citizens.
(Scene Change)
Later that night, Naruto stood in the back doorway of Tazuna's house, his blue eyes studying the large form of Jiraiya, who was sitting at the end of the dock drinking sake and watching the stars.
"Are you ok?" Haku asked as she hugged him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. She could feel the tension in his body as if he was a coiled spring ready to explode.
"I'm fine," Naruto muttered.
"Your tense shoulders say otherwise," Haku remarked as she tightened her hug and kissed his cheek. Internally smiling as she felt him slightly relax.
"Alright, I'm not fine," Naruto truthfully answered as he focused on the kabuki-garbed shinobi. "It's just– knows who my father is. Something I've dreamed about knowing ever since I learned what a 'father' was."
"Isn't that a good thing to learn who's your father?" Haku asked.
"Sure, but…" Naruto trailed off, leaving the thought hanging there.
"But?"
"…but why the secrecy?" Naruto finished as he unconsciously laid a hand on his girlfriend's arms wrapped around his stomach and, more specifically, his seal. "People have been keeping secrets about me, from me, for a long time," the blond explained, then scoffed. "Hell, I didn't know I was a jinchūriki until a few months ago when a traitor told me when he tried to kill me. Until then, I had no idea why I grew up hated and alone."
Haku's eyes slightly narrowed as she felt her hackles rise at that nugget about her boyfriend's knowledge of his jinchūriki status. "To learn something so vital from a traitor? A traitor who tried to kill him?! Oh, there will be hell to pay." Haku put a pin in her plans for retribution on hold as she laid another kiss on his cheek. "But you're not alone. You've got me, Zabuza-sama, your team, and from what it looks like, you've got Jiraiya-sama as well; he did come to save you."
"He did," Naruto acknowledged as he relaxed into Haku's arms.
Haku hummed in agreement as they both fell silent, enjoying one another's presence. They embraced for the next few minutes before Naruto reluctantly extracted himself from Haku's arms and turned to face her. "I guess I should hear what he has to say. I did demand we talk after all," Naruto jokingly said, eliciting a small giggle from his girlfriend.
"You did, and it wouldn't do for the future Hokage to miss a meeting he called for," Haku gently teased before giving her boyfriend a chaste kiss.
"Mmm, are you sure I can't wait for a few more minutes?" Naruto mumbled as she pulled back.
"I'm afraid not," Haku faux pouted as she pointed over his shoulder. "Duty calls."
Naruto smiled. "Yes, yes, I'm going." He then turned towards the doorway, saying over his shoulder, "I'll be back."
"And I'll be here," Haku responded with a smile before adding, "Naruto, give him a chance."
Naruto paused before nodding and walking towards the docks.
(Scene Change)
Jiraiya sat at the end of Tazuna's dock, his red geta sandals by his side as he soaked his feet in the sea and nursed on some sake given to him by some random villager.
"So, Naruto, you're the son of the Yondaime, and I'm your Godfather, neat huh?" Jiraiya thought mockingly. "Yeah, that would go over well. I'd have better luck getting Tsunade-hime to give up gambling and become a priestess." The Toad Sage snorted at that thought as he took a sip of sake and stared up at the stars, losing himself in the innumerable silver pinpricks that dotted the night sky.
Something about the shining dots never failed to set his mind at ease, probably because they were one of the few constants in the man's life. Regardless of where his duties as spymaster took him, his teammates abandoning the village, or his students' deaths, the stars remained stalwart sentinels shining in the night sky. They were one of the things his life as a shinobi hadn't taken from him. That, and his godson.
"Though I haven't been much of a godfather, have I?" Jiraiya regretfully thought as he let out a mournful sigh and focused on an exceptionally bright star, the Northstar. "I should have been there for him, Minato, Kushina. I should have raised him."
"Hey, Old man, are you ready to talk?" Naruto asked as he walked down the dock.
Jiriaya patted a spot to his right. "Take a seat." The elder shinobi waited for the blonde to sit before asking, "What do you want to know?"
"The old lady toad, she knew my father, said his name was 'Minato," the blond stated, getting right to the heart of the matter. "Who was he?"
"…He was my student. The best I've ever taught," Jiraiya let loose a sharp bark of laughter that dripped with years of regrets. "Though given, I've outlived every one of them. I don't think that makes me a good teacher."
Naruto was silent for a few seconds, staring out to sea as he processed that information; his father was dead. He expected that to be the case, but he couldn't or wouldn't deny the tiny flicker of his soul, an orphan's vain hope that wished his father was still alive. "…How did he die?"
"He died sealing the Kyūbi," Jiraiya answered, watching realization dawn in the boy's eyes.
Naruto felt his breath leave him. "My father was the Yondaime?" the boy whispered. Unconsciously, his right hand reached toward his stomach as he bowed his head.
Jiraiya turned towards his godson, his eyes showing concern. "Naruto-"
"-I'm his son?" Naruto mumbled, his right hand balling his shirt up as tears began falling from his eyes, his breaths ragged. "Why?"
"Wha-"
"-Why do people hate me?!" Naruto yelled, his head shooting up to glare toward the sannin, his blue eyes burning with years of resentment and anger. "If I'm his kid, then why did no one help me?! Why did no one care for me?! Why was I alone?!"
Jiraiya quickly hugged Naruto to his chest. "I'm sorry," the elder shinobi repeatedly whispered as he felt the boy begin to sob, every convulsion of grief adding another stab of guilt to Jiraiya's heart. Jiraiya held his godson as the blond cried out thirteen years of pain and loneliness.
The boy's sobs subsided a few minutes later, and his breathing calmed. "You're right," Jiraiya acknowledged, "You shouldn't have grown up alone. Someone should have raised you—I should have raised you."
Naruto pulled back at that admission, his eyes red-rimmed, and his face was splotchy. "Why would you raise me?"
"Because I'm your Godfather," Jiraiya answered, though he quickly regretted it when his godson leaped from his arms and slugged him in the face, sending him tumbling off the dock and into the sea.
Naruto was seething as he stood at the end of the dock, his fists clenched so tightly he could feel his knuckles popping as he watched the water, waiting for his apparent godfather to resurface. It didn't take long before Jiriaya's hand breached the water's surface, followed by the rest of his body. The toad sage looked like a drowned rat as he knelt on the sea, coughing up lungfuls of brine.
"I-" Jiraiya began, only to be interrupted by another set of hacking coughs. "-deserved that," he finished in a wheeze.
"You deserve a hell of a lot more than that!" Naruto yelled. "Where the hell were you?!"
"I am Konoha's spymaster. My job requires me to travel, track down leads, meet with contacts, and confirm information," Jiraiya explained as he stared straight into his godson's eyes. "But that doesn't mean I couldn't have stopped by and visited you and done more to let you know that I cared, and for that, I deeply and sincerely apologize." Jiraiya bowed, touching his forehead to the water, awaiting Naruto's judgment.
Naruto stood there, mulling over Jiraiya's words and, more importantly, his actions. The man had left him alone for thirteen years, but he was Konoha's spymaster, and from Naruto's time spent around Anko, the blond understood how vital information was to the protection of the village. Even so, Jiraiya could have visited to let the blond know someone cared. But as Naruto watched the man kneeling on the water, begging for forgiveness, he remembered his conversation with Haku about how the Toad Sage had saved him. Naruto unclenched his hands. "Thirteen years….you've got a lot to make up for."
Jiraiya's head snapped up, his coal-black eyes shimmering with hope. "Thank you. I promise that I will," Jiraiya said before bowing again. Then he rose to his feet and stared at his godson standing on the dock as an idea popped into his mind. "And I think I have an idea of how to start; do you know how to water walk?"
Naruto tilted his head, confused for a split second, before looking down at Jiraiya's feet and realizing where the older shinobi was going with his offer. A grin slowly wormed onto the blond's face as he shook his head.
"Well, we can't have that," Jiraiya stated before explaining the mechanics of water walking to his godson, who stood eagerly on the dock.
(Scene Change)
While Jiraiya was bonding with Naruto, Haku was helping Tsunami in the kitchen by chopping up some greens for soup.
"Thanks again for the help, Haku-chan," Tazuna's daughter said as she stirred a large silver pot on the stove. "It's nice to have another set of hands in here."
Haku shrugged off the thanks as she finished dicing up some daikon radish and brought it to the pot. "It's no problem, Tsunami-san. It's only fair that someone helps you since we're staying here. Plus, I enjoy cooking." Haku then scraped the vegetables into the brown soup with a pleasant plop.
"Really? That's surprising," Tsunami commented as she put down her ladle and checked on the rice.
"How so?" Haku asked as she brought the knife and cutting board to the sink to wash.
"I thought shinobi would be more interested in training rather than something so domestic," Tsunami answered as she lifted the lid of the saucepan and used a nearby spoon to lift a bit of rice to her lips. Chewing the grains, she found them to be perfectly tender. Humming in delight, the housewife replaced the lid and took the rice pan off the stove to let it stand for a few minutes.
"Just because we're shinobi doesn't mean we aren't human; we've all got our interests outside of the profession," Haku explained as she began washing the dishes.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend," Tsunami said as she turned away from the stove and walked to the sink to help dry the dishes.
Haku threw the housewife a good-natured smile. "No offense taken." The last Yuki clan member looked out the window above the sink, seeing Naruto try and fail to water walk. Haku's smile turned softer as she watched her boyfriend emerge from the sea. "Honestly, I'd rather be a housewife than a shinobi."
"Really?" Tsunami asked, surprise and a bit of disbelief coloring her tone.
Haku nodded. "Really. There are a lot of dark aspects to being a shinobi, killing being one of them, that I do not care for. I want to give life, not take it, and I can see no better way than building a home with my future husband and raising our children together."
"That's nice," Tsunami softly commented, though her brow soon creased in worry. "I do hope that you will wait for children, though. I think that you and Naruto-kun are a bit too young to be parents."
"Parents," Haku mumbled as unbidden, the image of a young boy, no more than five, appeared in her mind. The boy had blonde, spiky hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a foxy grin that only belonged to one person, stretching his tiny face as he held out an ice sculpture. Haku blushed and quickly shook her head, banishing the image to the back of her mind. "No, Tsunami-san. Neither Naruto-kun nor I are ready to be parents right now," Haku assured the concerned mother.
Tsunami breathed a sigh of relief as she placed a set of chopsticks in a nearby drawer. "That's good to hear."
Haku arched an eyebrow as she handed Tsunami a clean dish to dry. "And why is that?"
"Because you and Naruto are so young; you have plenty of years ahead of you before you have to settle down and have children. Probably somewhere in your mid-twenties."
Haku sweatdropped. "Um, while I appreciate your concern, did you forget that Naruto-kun and I are shinobi?"
"No, but why would that matter?" Tsunami asked, sounding confused.
"Our profession and long lives rarely go hand-in-hand," Haku delicately explained as she finished washing a measuring cup. "So, while it might seem rushed by a civilian's standards, most shinobi start families by their mid to late teens."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Tsunami apologized with a quick bow. "I appear to have stuck my foot in my mouth again," Tsunami said as she rose from her bow and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "It's just when I look at you, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, I see you as children first and not as shinobi."
Haku waved off her apology before washing a whisk. "No offense taken."
They continued washing and drying dishes in silence for a moment before Tsunami decided to ask, "So, when were you planning to have your first child?"
"Well, I'm fifteen right now, and I would like to have my first child no later than my twentieth birthday," Haku answered as she finished cleaning the whisk and began on the last dish; a brown bowl.
"So, within the next five years?" Tsunami asked for clarification as she dried and placed a knife in a knife block.
"Yes," Haku responded as she glanced outside and saw Jiraiya and Naruto stepping onto the docks, with the latter dripping wet while the former was dry as a desert.
"And what does Naruto-kun think of your plans?" Tsunami asked with an arched eyebrow as she dried the whisk.
Haku felt her mind skip like a scratchy record as she dropped the bowl into the soapy water with a tiny splash. "Err, I don't know," she admitted sounding embarrassed. "I should talk with him about that."
"That would be best. Never forget that every relationship goes two ways," Tsunami advised as she placed the whisk in a nearby jar where she kept various kitchen tools; spatulas, tongs, wooden spoons, etc.
"I will," Haku said as she washed the bowl and quickly dried her hands on a nearby dish towel. "Would you like me to check on the food?"
"Yes, please," Tsunami answered Zabuza's apprentice as the housewife finished drying and putting away the cleaned dishes.
Haku approached the stovetop and peered into the pot. She took a whiff and hummed in satisfaction at the pleasant smell of the soup that was gurgling happily. The raven-haired girl picked up a ladle and scooped up the fragrant mixture. Raising the spoon to her lips, she tasted the soup. "Mmm, needs a bit more salt," Haku muttered as she grabbed a dash of salt and added it to the pot. She stirred the soup a few times, then tested it again. "Perfect," she said as she smacked her lips. She then began checking the rice as the backdoor opened.
"Why didn't you dry my clothes? I'm soaked!" Naruto whined.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Consider it as motivation to learn waterwalking."
Tsunami's ears perked up at the word 'soaked,' and she turned around to see a dry Jiraiya standing next to soaking-wet Naruto, his blond hair plastered to his forehead, the navy blue shirt she gave him clinging to his frame as he dripped water all over her kitchen floor. "Naruto-kun, stay here while I get you a towel," she said, then she narrowed her eyes at the elder shinobi, "And you, go grab the mop from the closet and clean up these puddles."
"What? But he's the one making the mess," Jiraiya whined as he pointed an accusing finger at his godson.
"Consider it as motivation, so he learns waterwalking," Tsunami quipped before exiting the kitchen to a duet of laughs from Haku and Naruto.
"Hah! Better do what she says," Naruto laughed.
"But I-you," Jiraiya stammered before his shoulders slumped, and he released a giant sigh. "Can you tell me which closet she meant?" he asked Haku.
"Second door on your left as you exit the kitchen," Haku explained through her giggles.
The Toad Sage nodded, then exited the kitchen, dragging his feet and momentarily leaving Naruto and Haku alone.
With her conversation with Tsunami at the forefront of her mind, Haku decided to broach the subject of the future with her boyfriend. "Say, Naruto-kun, what are your plans for the future? Other than becoming Hokage, that is."
Naruto shrugged. "Hmm, I don't know. Settle down and have a family, I guess."
"You guess?" Haku repeated, slowly feeling a pit form in her stomach. "Do you not want a family of your own?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"Of course I do. It's just…." Naruto trailed off as he looked away from her and scratched his cheek with his forefinger. "…with the way the village treats me, I didn't think there'd be any takers to be 'Mrs. Uzumaki."
Unknown to the blond, multiple women in Konoha sneezed after uttering that statement.
"Oh, Naruto-kun," Haku said with a fond sigh as she strode over to her boyfriend and embraced him, uncaring of his soaked clothes. "Any woman would be lucky to be 'Mrs. Uzumaki.' I know I would."
Naruto's eyes widened at her admission. "Haku, are you saying you want to marry me?"
Haku felt a blush rapidly spread across her features, painting her ivory skin a rosy pink as she realized the implications of her words. She quickly separated from him as she stammered, "Yes—no! I mean, not right now. Soon, but not too soon. We would need a house and a good sized nest egg for children-"
"-Children?' You want kids?" Naruto asked, interrupting her, sounding dazed as he imagined a little girl, no older than five, that looked like a mini-Haku, but with his eyes. The image made his heart flutter, and a gentle warmth gathered in his stomach as he felt his face flush crimson.
"Do you not want kids?" Haku asked, sounding meek as she nervously wrung her hands, her face redder than a cherry as she looked at everything in the room other than Naruto.
Haku's question broke Naruto out of his stupor. "Of course, I do, just not right now," Naruto responded, examining a fascinating speck of dirt on the tile floor. "Probably in a few years, though I'd want to be a chunin, at least before I become a dad."
A gentle smile crept up Haku's face as she felt a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering to and fro in her stomach. "That's great," she whispered to herself.
The young couple stood there in silence, stealing glances at one another before that silence was broken by a whispered "Aww" from the kitchen door, followed by a quick shushing noise.
Both teens' heads snapped towards the door and found it cracked open with the heads of Tsunami and Jiraiya poking out like gophers out of a gopher hole.
Tsunami gave the couple a sheepish wave as she held up a white, fluffy bath towel. "I've got you a towel, Naruto-kun."
"So, when's the wedding?" Jiraiya teasingly asked, a large grin growing as he watched the young couple turn redder than a Yuki shinobi in the Suna desert.
Naruto and Haku exchanged glances before the raven-haired girl turned on her heel and returned to the stove while the blond stiffly strode over to the door and took the towel from Tsunami's hands. He politely thanked the mother before covering his head with the towel and exiting the room.
"Naruto-kun," Tsunami called, halting the boy at the foot of the stairs. "I left you some fresh clothes in your room. Also, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
Naruto looked over and nodded, the towel still covering his head.
Having too much fun with the couple's embarrassment, Jiraiya couldn't resist getting one last dig in. "Yeah, you wouldn't want your wife's food to get cold, would you?"
Naruto flipped off his godfather before rushing up the stairs to escape Jiraiya's cackling.
Jiraiya laughed until he was cut off by an elbow to his gut, drawing an "Oof" from the Sanin.
"Quit teasing them," Tsunami said as she withdrew her elbow, then entered the kitchen. "And don't forget to mop out here as well," she called over her shoulder before the door closed.
Jiraiya grumbled as he rubbed his gut, grabbed the mop leaning against the wall, and cleaned up after his dripping godson.
(Scene Change)
A few minutes later, Naruto returned downstairs and went to the dining room where Jiraiya, Haku, and Tsunami were waiting for him at the table with dinner ready to be eaten. Naruto quickly sat beside his girlfriend before they all offered thanks for the meal, then dug in.
"This is very delicious, Tsunami-san," Jiraiya said after a few mouthfuls of soup.
"Thank you for the compliment, but I don't deserve all of the credit," Tsunami demurred. "Haku-chan was an immense help."
"It was no problem," Haku interjected. "I enjoy cooking, and as I mentioned before, I felt like one of us should help you while we stay under your roof."
Tsunami sent the young woman a grateful smile. "Thank you. Your help in the kitchen and Naruto-kun's clones around the rest of the house have made cooking and cleaning a breeze." The mother sighed, "It'll be such a shame when you leave."
"Nice to know you appreciate us ninjas for our housework skills," Naruto sarcastically commented with a grin, eliciting a laugh from the blue-haired woman.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I didn't mean to belittle your other skills," Tsunami said. "I am genuinely grateful for what you have done for my family, myself, and my nation. We are free because of you."
"You're welcome," Naruto bashfully replied as he scratched his cheek, not knowing what else to say to such a heartfelt thanks.
The table fell silent after that. The only sounds were the clinking of cutlery and the slurping of soup until Tsunami broke the silence with a question; "How much longer will you be staying here?"
"Eager to get rid of us, Tsunami-san?" Jiraiya teasingly asked.
Tsunami blushed as she rapidly waved her hands as if to wipe away any misunderstanding. "No! I didn't mean it like that-"
"-I know," Jiraiya interrupted her, his hand held up. "To answer your question, we'll be here until Tazuna finishes his bridge. Then we'll return to Konoha."
"So, about a week, then?" Tsunami asked as she recalled her father mentioning how close they were to completing the bridge.
Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. Though we might have to add a few days for the workers to recover from their hangovers."
Tsunami giggled at that response. "True. Though I feel bad for the others, having to guard Inari and Tazuna during the celebrations.."
"Meh," Jiraiya waved off her concern. "It's good practice for Sakura and Sasuke's situational awareness. Plus," Jiraiya then motioned with his head towards his godson, "This one there has done the lion's share of the guarding with his clones."
"I've been wondering about that; why don't the others use clones like Naruto-kun? It seems like such a useful skill," Tsunami pointed out.
"It is," Jiraiya agreed, "But Naruto's clone technique is rather energy-intensive and draining, both physically and mentally. Most jonin can only make several before feeling exhausted, but the brat can make hundreds because of some special circumstances."
"Really? Like what?" Tsunami eagerly asked.
"It's a secret," Jiraiya said, holding a finger up to his lips as he glanced toward his godson.
Naruto nodded, getting the message.
"And speaking of clones," Jiraiya continued as he addressed their resident clone factory, "You'll be using shadow clones to finish mastering waterwalking for the duration of the mission while you and I will work on something."
"Really?" Naruto excitedly asked, bouncing in his seat. "Is it a jutsu?"
Jiraiya laughed at his godson's eager expression. "It is indeed; you'll learn how to summon."