Chapter 64: Master and Disciple

Walking down an old, overgrown dirt path, Utakata glanced back towards the mountain he had called home for the last few years. No longer being able to see the peak, he sighed and turned back down his path. It had been quite a while since he'd ventured this far on his own.

He was a hunted man, but… It wasn't just Kiri that was after him now. If it had been them, then he would have been safe. Kiri Shinobi wouldn't venture this far inland without potentially incurring the wrath of the Villages that lived here.

The Akatsuki on the other hand… Being an organization made up of S-rank missing-nin, they didn't have any such worries, they were already a criminal organization after all.

The longer he stuck around, the more danger Hotaru and Tonbee would be in, so he decided that it would be safer if he just left. It wasn't easy. In fact it was one of the most difficult things he'd ever done in his life, but he wasn't selfish enough to stay.

As much as he disliked being referred to as master, if something happened to Hotaru because of him, he'd never forgive himself. Although he would deny it tooth and nail, she was his student and he would do anything to protect her, even if that meant protecting her from himself.

Sneaking out in the middle of the night had been an easy task. Hotaru, while having learned a few techniques from him, wasn't a fully trained Shinobi and Tonbee, while far more skilled, didn't notice him leaving.

One of the many things he'd learned while being on the run was how to avoid leaving tracks… At least those that were noticeable by Shinobi. His Bubble Style techniques had come in more than hand, allowing him to float long distances over terrain without leaving a single trace that he'd ever been there, but it did have one fatal flaw.

While using it, he was extremely noticeable. Sure he might be able to float higher until he was out of sight, but then he'd run in to another problem, namely the wind currents that would carry him off.

So he chose to use his Bubble techniques to carry him far enough to avoid being tracked by Hotaru and Tonbee, before continuing to walk on foot as a regular civilian would in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention. It was safer and peaceful, but at the same time, it could feel slow and tedious, especially when the next village was over a full day of travel away.

Hearing a rustling in the trees behind him, Utakata slowed his pace. While it was possible that it had just been a breeze, if very rarely was.

"I was wondering when you would find me," He hummed softly.

Glancing back, he found himself staring at an empty path. When he turned back, he found a small group of Shinobi standing in front of him. All of them were wearing the same cloak with a red cloud pattern and they all had orange hair and an array of piercings.

"Rokubi Jinchuriki," One of the men spoke, stepping forward with his hand outstretched. "Please come with us."

Not having expected to be tracked down by the Akatsuki so soon, Utakata silently examined the group, looking for any potential weaknesses he could exploit.

It was a little funny, actually, he'd actually thought that Naruto had tracked him down. He was aware that Naruto had tried to do something with his Chakra when they met in the joined mindscape.

"Those eyes," Saiken muttered. "Utakata… I know we haven't always gotten on, but if you're going to have any chance at escaping this man, you're going to need my Chakra. I'll give it to you freely, so please… Don't get caught."

"We will ask again," The man repeated, his eyes dilating. "Please come with us."

Refusing, Utakata jumped back in order to gain some distance only for three members of the group to follow him. Three tails formed behind him as a red shroud of hot bubbling Chakra enveloped his body.

Utakata lashed out with a strike, planning on using the sharpened Chakra claws to cut through one of their bodies, only to stop halfway by what appeared to be a large serrated blade extending from under one of the Shinobi's cloaks.

Extending the cloak down the serrated blade until half the Shinobi's body was engulfed in the caustic Chakra. Briefly landing, he launched himself backward again and brought his hands together.

Leaning forward, he exhaled a stream of corrosive acid that he funneled through the Chakra cloak, towards the Shinobi that was still trapped in his Chakra cloak.

Upon contact with the acid, the serrated blade rapidly corroded, leaving nothing behind. Just as the attack began to near the trapped Shinobi, another one moved closer and grabbed the Chakra cloak, absorbing it along with the corrosive attack that neared them.

Feeling the Chakra begin to drain from his body, Utakata released the Shinobi. Seeing that attacking a single Shinobi at a time wouldn't work, Utakata grabbed his bubble pipe and unleashed a wall of bubbles that soon engulfed their surroundings, melting everything they came into contact with.

While it seemed that one of the Shinobi was able to absorb Chakra, it appeared that he needed close contact in order to do it. He wouldn't be able to absorb all of the bubbles.

"It won't be enough," Saiken said. "If that Shinobi is even a hundredth as powerful as my father, this won't hold him for long. All you've done is bought yourself a handful of seconds at best. If we're to stand a chance, you may need to fully transform."

"You may be helping me, but that doesn't mean that I trust you," Utakata muttered softly. "I still remember what happened the last time you got out… Who you killed. I won't let that happen again."

While he had traveled quite some distance away from Hotaru, he was still close enough that he wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety if he fully transformed. Biju weren't known as forces of nature for nothing.

"If that's the way you feel about it, I won't argue," Saiken replied. "But I won't just idly sit back and watch as we're captured."

Feeling a massive amount of Chakra flood through his body as a fourth tail formed behind him, Utakata hunched over in pain as his skin began to burn. Blood seeping into his Chakra cloak, Utakata growled as his vision began to darken.

Fighting through the pain, Utakata managed to maintain his consciousness. Feeling Saiken's powerful Chakra thrum through his veins, he turned his attention to the three Akatsuki members that hadn't attacked.

Coming to the conclusion that they were there to act as support for the other three, Utakata launched himself towards them at blinding speed, only to be hit with an invisible force that threw him backwards.

Rolling to his feet, he was caught off guard when several missiles collided with his form, causing him to stumble. Turning towards the Shinobi that attacked him, he let out a roar that shook the forest, but was soon cut off when a mechanized fist smashed into his face.

Lashing out, he managed to tear the Shinobi's arm off, but it did little to deter him. A newly formed serrated blade wrapped tightly around his body, locking him in place.

Feeling Saiken molding Chakra inside of him, the blood red cloak that engulfed his body suddenly turned blue and began to melt the serrated blade that trapped him.

Punching the seemingly mechanical Shinobi, Utakata's fist ripped straight through his body and began to dissolve it from the inside, killing him.

Pulling back, he was suddenly hit with a massive wave of weakness as he felt someone grab his head. Managing to break the hold as his Chakra cloak dissipated, he stumbled forward and tripped over the remains of the mechanical Shinobi.

Landing on the floor, he was tugged backward before he was able to escape and found a hand wrapped around his neck, draining his Chakra.

"Capture of the Rokubi Jinchuriki has been a success," The man noted as he began to lift Utakata's tired form. "The extraction point will need to…"

A loud crack sounded through the area and Utakata felt weightless for a brief moment, before someone grabbed the back of his kimono, keeping him from hitting the ground.

"Man, they sure did a number on you… Good thing I got here in time."

As it turned out, Jiraiya did not have time to check out the local hot springs. Hell, he didn't even make it to the Tsuchigumo village before he felt the potent Chakra Utakata was giving off. There probably wasn't a single person within a thirty kilometer radius that didn't feel it.

"You alright there?" Jiraiya asked, setting Utakata down.

"I will be in a minute," Utakata replied tiredly. "He absorbed a lot of my Chakra."

Nodding, Jiraiya silently turned his attention back towards the four remaining Akatsuki members, already knowing that there was something off here. Each one of them had the Rinnegan and he was willing to bet that the two that had already been killed also possessed them.

Clapping his hands together, he began to build up a massive amount of Chakra, feeling that he would need to go all out if he wanted to win this fight.

"It's been a while, Jiraiya-Sensei."

"Normally, when one runs into a former student, it's supposed to be a happy occasion, but this is one of those few exceptions," Jiraiya hummed, glancing between the Shinobi, before his eyes settled on Yahiko and the Shinobi he assumed was Nagato.. "I've suspected that you were involved with this, but being proven right has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Why go to such extremes?"

"Why?" The one that looked like Yahiko asked. "It's simple… To accomplish the dream that you imparted onto me… To find a way to bring peace to this war riddled world."

Jiraiya barked out a laugh. "Peace? It seems that you haven't lost your sense of humor, however twisted it might now be, especially when you've done nothing but sow conflict wherever you go… Or am I to pretend that what's happening in Iwa isn't your doing?"

"Such conflict is a necessity in order for my grand plan to come to fruition," Yahiko explained. "The Five Great Nations allying will bring peace, but only for a short moment. War will eventually return and with it, a new era of hatred and pain. What I'm planning on doing will bring a lasting era of peace."

"By resurrecting the Jubi," Jiraiya finished.

"Jubi?"

"You… Didn't know?" Jiraiya asked with no small amount of disbelief. "That statue that you're sealing the Biju in is the Jubi's husk. Sealing all nine Biju will resurrect it. If you don't believe me, then ask Utakata here. His Biju will confirm it."

Still recovering from having the majority of his Chakra drained, Utakata gave a soft grunt. "It's true."

Feeling like he was actually getting through to his former disciple, Jiraiya took a single step forward. "You have the power to put an end to all of this. Nagato… Yahiko… Whoever you are…"

"We are Pain," Yahiko decided. "And that changes very little in the grand scheme of things. If what you said is true, then the Sage of Six Paths truly did create the Biju using the Jubi's Chakra. I too should be capable of such feats. Splitting the Jubi's Chakra and creating new, powerful weapons, isn't too far outside of the realm of possibilities for me."

"How far you've fallen." Jiraiya shook his head sadly. "If that's truly how you feel, then there's nothing left for me to say to you."

"You can rest assured, Jiraiya-Sensei, that once everything is over, a new era of peace will emerge," Yahiko promised. "Even if you're not there to see it."

Seeing the group begin to move, Jiraiya shot a glance to Utakata who stood at his side. "Get ready to move. Hide yourself if you can… I'll handle this."

It happened in an instant. One moment everything was fine and the next a charging rhino suddenly appeared, summoned by one of the Shinobi.

Glancing back to see Utakata fleeing, Jiraiya waited for just the right moment, before jumping. Landing on the Rhino's head, he allowed it to carry him off, buying him a little more time.

Clinging to its head with Chakra, Jiraiya fought to stay on as the Rhino veered towards a giant ox that was heading his way. A massive bird circled above, preventing him from being able to avoid the clash by jumping up.

"This is gonna be close," Jiraiya muttered to himself.

Growing nearer to the ox, Jiraiya released his hold on his technique, summoning Ma and Pa to his shoulders. Entering Sage Mode almost immediately, he jumped towards the ox, crushing its head under a strong kick, before lashing out at the charging rhino, taking it out as well.

Ma and Pa didn't sit idle either. Ma's tongue shot out and latched on to the giant bird, disabling a wing while Pa unleashed a powerful jet of water that sliced into its body, spraying blood all over the battlefield.

Landing, Jiraiya observed his surroundings only to find that he was alone.

"Why don't you ever summon us for tea? Why does it always have to be during battles," Ma complained. "You should follow your student's example and learn how to use Sage Mode on your own."

"Now, now, Ma. I'm sure Jiraiya has his reasons. You saw those animals he had us help him take out," Pa said soothingly. "He never summons us for nothing."

"I suppose you're right… And he didn't summon us at night like last time," Ma muttered. "So what're we facing here, lad?"

"One of my former students," Jiraiya replied. "He possesses the Rinnegan."

"Then…"

"Yes," Jiraiya answered.

"The child of prophecy," Ma noted. "What're you fighting him for then?"

Pa gave Jiraiya a meaningful look. "Perhaps this child has chosen the wrong path and intends destruction."

"Then let's do this," Ma said eagerly, before looking around. "Where is he?"

"He was here a moment ago, but he's seemingly disappeared," Jiraiya answered. "If he's not here, then we…"

Hearing a low growl, Jiraiya turned to see a massive dog with ringed eyes rushing towards him. Readying himself, a stream of water suddenly sliced into its side, but instead of killing the summon, it split into two.

Jumping towards them, Jiraiya slammed a massive Rasengan into one of the dogs, while Pa unleashed another Water stream, only for the dogs to divide once more.

"Well that's annoying," Jiraiya commented as the now four dogs circled them. "It seems that every time we hit them, they multiply. I guess we'll have to give up."

"Don't be an idiot," Ma snapped. "If we can't kill them, then we just need to move them to a place where they're no longer a bother."

Blinking, Jiraiya visibly drooped at having his thunder stolen. "I know… I was going to do that."

"Then stop talking about it and do it!"

Slapping his palm into the ground, a wall of flesh suddenly surrounded him, dragging the dogs in, before it compressed in on them. Using this opportunity, Jiraiya hid himself in the trees and watched the clearing for any sign of movement.

A few moments passed and just as Jiraiya was about to give up, it suddenly happened. The air rippled and pulled away, revealing a massive chameleon that surrounded the various Shinobi… All six of them.

"Which one's the Rinnegan user?" Pa asked softly.

"They all are, but something's wrong. Two of them were already dead," Jiraiya whispered back.

"Dealing with the unknown is to be expected, we are dealing with the Rinnegan after all," Ma said. "They're all lined up nicely, why don't we give them a little something to think about."

Raising a single brow, Jiraiya relented. "I'll supply the oil."

Taking a deep breath, the trio each released their own technique which combined into a massive wall of quick moving burning oil which rushed down towards the group. For a moment, it seemed they got them only for the burning wave to suddenly disappear, absorbed by one of the Pain's.

"That's annoying," Ma commented. "We'll have to use physical attacks on that one."

The group below suddenly began to move. Two of the Pain's split off and went with the Chameleon, disappearing into the woods, while four remained behind. One of the fours hand clicked open, unleashing several missiles that darted towards Jiraiya's location.

Jumping through the treetops as the missiles detonated behind him, Jiraiya made his way to the ground, stopping opposite of the group of four.

"It is inevitable, Jiraiya-Sensei," Yahiko said. "That state of yours might make you significantly stronger, but before us, it amounts to very little."

"I don't remember any of us asking you, sonny," Ma snapped.

Throwing down several smoke bombs to hide his movement, Jiraiya exhaled a stream of oil that coated the ground, while Ma unleashed a wave of fire that was just high enough to avoid the oil.

Waiting for Ma to stop, Jiraiya rushed forward, only making the briefest contact with the warm oil as he continued on towards his target.

Spotting the Pain that stood at the head of the group, absorbing Ma's Jutsu. Jiraiya brought his leg up, aiming to kill him in the same manner as before, only for the mechanical one to get in the way.

Blocking the heavy blow, the mechanical Pain slid backward, unable to gain any traction on the Chakra laced oil. Landing on the oil, Jiraiya began to skid forward as Ma's tongue shot out, wrapping around the Chakra absorbing Pain's neck, dragging him along with them.

Holding his hand out in front of him, a Rasengan began to form, before swelling to an absolutely massive size. Bringing it towards Yahiko, Jiraiya momentarily glanced towards Pa who was once more using a stream of water to cut through the remaining Pain.

In one single move, they'd managed to take out all four Pain's, leaving only two remaining… Or they would have if it hadn't been for two short words.

"Shinra Tensei."

A repulsive force of immense pressure shattered his Rasengan, before slamming into Jiraiya, sending him hurtling backwards. Bouncing off the ground, Jiraiya rolled backwards, managing to land back on his feet, only to see a large serrated blade rushing towards him.

Clapping his hands down on it, he spat out a mouthful of blood as the mechanical Pain's fist smashed into the spot just below his ribs.

Lashing out with a kick that impacted the mechanical Pain's head and sent him barreling away, Jiraiya gave a harsh tug on the serrated blade, ripping it from the mechanical Pain's back. Using the blade as a makeshift whip, Jiraiya was once more thrown back as the full force of Pain's technique smashed into him.

Landing on his feet this time, Jiraiya winced and grabbed his chest.

"Jiraiya, are you alright?" Pa asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine… Just a few broken ribs," Jiraiya muttered before looking up. "They on the other hand are down by two."

"We still need to exercise caution," Pa argued. "They seem completely unconcerned with their losses. One can absorb Jutsu while the other can deflect any attack. This will be difficult regardless of numbers."

"I know," Jiraiya muttered. "It'll be difficult taking them out using Taijutsu or Ninjutsu. Genjutsu might work, but I'm not exactly the kind of guy that uses them."

"Ma and I are capable of using Genjutsu, but it'll take some time for us to prepare… We won't be able to help while we're busy," Pa explained. "Do you think you'll be able to hold them off?"

"Against two of them... Maybe," Jiraiya hummed. "You two get started. I've got a few ideas on how to keep them busy."

"Maybe you should call Nar…"

"He's busy in another part of the world now," Jiraiya interrupted. "If we bother him now, it could mean a war breaking out between Iwa and Kiri."

Seeing the serious look on Jiraiya's face, Pa nodded. "Very well. Ma, if you would be so kind as to start us off."

Crossing her arms, Ma let out a huff as she turned to the side, a light blush dusting her face. "You're just lucky that this is a serious situation."

The elderly duo let out a soft hum that quickly grew in intensity. It didn't take long before their attempt at harmonizing echoed throughout the entire forest, no doubt heard by all its inhabitants.

Feeling a force beginning to tug him, Jiraiya resisted, stepping backward, only to be forcefully dragged towards Yahiko. Seeing that he was unable to resist the pull, he instead chose to lean into it. Kicking off the ground, he launched himself towards Yahiko.

Exhaling a stream of fire in order to obscure his form from view, Jiraiya reached into his vest and unsealed one of Mount Myōboku secret stone swords. Slashing through the flame, he managed to wound the absorption one, before continuing on to his true target.

Lashing out at Yahiko with his stone sword, Jiraiya was surprised to see that he chose to dodge. Continuing his assault, Jiraiya jumped back, using the other Pain as a human shield when Yahiko used his Jutsu.

The technique still hit him, but by putting enough distance between them, he managed to avoid the worst of it.

Deciding to change his target, Jiraiya stabbed his blade into the ground, before clapping his hands together. His hair suddenly shot forward, wrapping around the other Pain, before suddenly going limp when the Chakra in it was absorbed.

Rushing towards the still tangled Pain with his stone sword, Jiraiya managed to impale him, leaving Yahiko as his final opponent… And just in time too. Ma and Pa's croaking died down as they finished harmonizing and had begun to sing.

The world suddenly faded around them and Jiraiya found himself standing in front of Yahiko who was imprisoned in a cube of water, surrounded by four toads.

"It's a pity that it's come to this, Yahiko. You had such a drive to do good in this world, but you've squandered it and turned down an evil path," Jiraiya sighed as he prepared himself for what came next. "This is goodbye."

The illusionary world faded around them as Jiraiya stabbed his stone sword through Yahiko's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"Goodbye…"

Knowing that he didn't have any time to spend lingering around here, Jiraiya took a step forward, ready to hunt down the remaining two, only to inhale sharply as a black rod pierced through his chest, narrowly missing his heart.

"Jiraiya!" Pa rasped.

"…Sensei," a voice came from behind him.

Working in tandem, Ma and Pa unleashed a firestorm that managed to push the rejuvenated Shinobi back just long enough for Jiraiya to make his escape.

Putting some distance behind him, Jiraiya came to a stop in the woods. Feeling his Chakra begin growing sluggish, he came to a stop, unable to continue moving.

"Something's wrong… The rod… Get it out of me."

Jumping down onto Jiraiya's chest, Pa grabbed the rod and pulled it out in one clean motion, dropping it on the floor.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Jiraiya leaned against one of the nearby trees, sliding down into a sitting position.

"We need to retreat," Pa muttered. "You won't be able to put up much of a fight as you are now. He's just too strong. We'll reverse summon you to…"

"I can't do that," Jiraiya interrupted, shaking his head. "The Rokubi Jinchuriki's still out there. I can't leave now."

"If you stay, you'll die, but if you leave, the Rokubi Jinchuriki will die," Pa mused aloud, moving closer. "It seems you've found yourself in quite the conundrum, but there is a way out of this," He said, giving Jiraiya a pointed look.

"I told you, he's busy preventing a war in Kiri," Jiraiya muttered.

"Yes, but you're forgetting one thing." Hopping back with a Kunai he'd snatched from Jiraiya's vest pocket, Pa flicked it to the side, embedding it into a nearby tree. "Naruto deserves to have a choice in the matter too."

And that's chapter 64.

Utakata is almost caught by Pain and Jiraiya comes face to face with his greatest failure, except this time it's going to end differently. As for Naruto when he makes his appearance: "Who wants daddy's belt?"

Anyways, I'm up to chapter 71 on the spooky P word website.

P
A
T
R
E
O
N

I go by the name of ThatKircguy. Just copy the name and paste it in the Patty Rio On search bar. It'd help me out immensely, but don't worry if that's not your style. I will be uploading weekly, so it's not going to be stuck there permanently.

Also, I post my original stuff there as well. It's nothing much, just two short stories for now, but I'll post more as I write them.

The next chapter will be posted on the 21st of March.
See you all then dudes and dudettes.