Chapter 67: Paper Trail

"Hmmm… I get why that's there, but what about… Oh, never mind. I see how it links in with that. It's pretty fine work if I do say so myself," Jiraiya said appraisingly, handing me my sealing tag back. "But I wonder if you're not going overboard with this."

"Better safe than sorry," I shrugged.

"That's probably for the best," Jiraiya nodded sagely. "It wouldn't do to–"

Coughing lightly, Tsunade gestured towards Konan's unconscious body. Her wounds had healed and her Chakra was beginning to recover, but, much like Kakashi when he suffered Chakra exhaustion, it would still be a while before she recovered... Unless I sped the process up and gave her some of my Chakra.

"We're ready to begin," Tsunade announced.

Ah, right. She was just waiting on us then. Placing my tag on Konan's body, I pulsed my Chakra and watched as the seals crept across her body, keeping her from actively using her Chakra.

It might be a little overkill especially since the room had been locked down, but Konan was still an exceptionally skilled and dangerous Kunoichi, even in her current exhausted state and while she didn't stand a chance against us, it was still better to prevent any attempt that she might make.

Stepping forward, Tsunade injected a needle into the IV bag that was attached to Konan's arm. It was gradual at first as Konan slowly came too. Her breathing pattern changed, her eyelids flickered and she shifted slightly, before suddenly stiffening.

A few silent moments passed, before her eyes opened slightly only to find the three of us standing around her bed, waiting. "Oh…" Seeing that there was no point in pretending to be asleep, she fully opened her eyes. "I was captured."

"Rescued is the better term," Tsunade replied. "If these two hadn't brought you back, you'd be dead by now."

Staring at Tsunade with a dull look, Konan's eyes suddenly widened in panic. "Nagato!" Sitting up, she slouched forward, too exhausted to move. "What…" looking down at the sealing script that coated her arms. "How long was I unconscious?"

"A few days," Jiraiya answered.

Konan's eyes dulled. "Then there's nothing that can be done. Nagato's likely dead already."

"Actually, that depends on what that masked bastard is planning on doing," I said, stepping forward. "It might be more advantageous for him to keep Nagato alive for the time being."

The only real use outside of using Nagato's Rinnegan for himself was using him to resurrect Madara. If he'd been brought back, even in his more decrepit form, I'd have felt his Chakra… And I likely wouldn't be the only one either.

No, it was much more likely that he decided to implant the Rinnegan into himself in an attempt to make himself stronger… And sure it would work, but he would be by no means invincible. I still had a few surprises in store for him. The next time we fought would be his last.

"There's still time to do the right thing," Jiraiya said. "If we were to work together, we could stop the Akatsuki from doing any more harm and put an end to all of this needless pain."

Konan gripped her bedding with what little remained of her strength. "I'm sorry, Sensei, but that isn't something that I can do. You want information on the Akatsuki and the moment I give it to you, I'll…" Konan paused when she felt me gripping her shoulder. "What are you–"

"You know, a lot of people think the Sage of Six Paths invented Ninjutsu, but they're wrong. It was his son Indra that created Ninjutsu," I began. "Hagoromo invented Ninshu."

It'd been a while since I'd done this, mainly because of Tsunade's bad reaction to it, but I felt it was warranted this time. Connecting my Chakra with Konan's, there was a brief moment of resistance, likely coming from the seal, before her emotions flowed through my mind.

Pain, sadness and sorrow were the main emotions I was getting. She didn't really care about what was happening here, the only reason why she was even arguing to begin with was because she wanted to be left alone.

"What is this?"

"It's Ninshu," I replied. "Think of it as a form of communication, except instead of using our mouths to talk, it's our hearts… The one part of us that will always tell the truth no matter how much it hurts. The Sage of Six Paths initially used this to bring people together, but it was eventually twisted in order to be used as a weapon of war by his eldest son."

Closing her eyes, Konan reached up and placed her hand against her chest. "These are your emotions?" She asked. "You remind me a little of Yahiko. I wonder what he would have done if he was here in my place."

I remained silent, allowing myself to feel what Konan was feeling. She took to Ninshu fairly well. Whether it was from exhaustion or from the pain she was feeling at losing Nagato, I didn't know.

Several moments passed, before Konan finally opened her eyes, seemingly coming to a decision. "Uchiha Itachi."

"What?" I asked.

"You'll want to find Uchiha Itachi," Konan replied. "He… Defected from the Akatsuki after capturing the Yonbi Jinchuriki, Rōshi. He took him as well, keeping Rōshi out of our reach. To this day, the Akatsuki has only managed to capture a single Jinchuriki… Han, the Gobi Jinchuriki."

I'm sorry, what? I almost broke the connection then and there.

That was massive news. Itachi left the Akatsuki and had taken Rōshi with him. I'd assumed that with the Akatsuki's attack on Iwa, both Jinchuriki were lost, but it seemed that I was wrong.

And Itachi defecting… I wonder what happened there. I was pretty sure that he was still planning on dying to Sasuke's hand, so it didn't make sense for him to just leave.

"You knew that Itachi was working against the Akatsuki?" Konan realized.

Even though our connection wasn't deep, it still enabled Konan to get glimpses of what I was thinking and vice versa. It wasn't an issue so long as I stayed away from more problematic subjects.

"I wasn't entirely sure, but I guessed that it was him," I answered. "And it seems that I was right."

Now I just had to figure out where he was. If he'd been hiding out in one of the Akatsuki's bases, he'd likely have been caught and killed, so that was out. He was likely staying somewhere else… Like one of the old Uchiha hideouts.

There was another option. Konan had mentioned that he was with Rōshi meaning that, if I could get in contact with him, he'd be able to lead me straight to them.

"Well that was a lot," I muttered as I stepped out of the secured hospital room alongside Tsunade. Jiraiya… He'd opted to stay behind with Konan as he had something he wanted to discuss with his former student. "And hey, now that we know Rōshi's still alive, we'll be able to prevent Iwa from waging war on Kiri."

Iwa had been blaming Kiri for the attack and the loss of their Jinchuriki. With Rōshi alive, he'd be able to confirm the Akatsuki's involvement in the attack on Iwa,

"It would certainly force a stubborn old goat like the Tsuchikage to listen," Tsunade hummed. "But unfortunately, I don't think we'll make it in time."

I sighed.

That's right. Tsunade had called for a Five Kage Summit in order to officially discuss the Akatsuki and what should be done to stop them. Unofficially, it was to prevent Iwa from waging war against Kiri.

"How long before the Summit?"

"Less than a week," Tsunade replied.

That pretty much screwed that plan over.

While it was a meeting between the Kage, I was a somewhat important figure that was connected to four of the five great nations.

My attendance was pretty much expected at this point and while I could send a clone… Either to search for Itachi or to attend the meeting for me, both had potential repercussions… Especially if the clone was dispelled. There was also the added risk of Obito deciding to make an appearance at the Summit.

Between looking for Itachi and being there for Tsunade, it was easy to pick which to do.

"It's in the Land of Iron again, right?" I asked. "So when do we leave?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that. "A day before… We don't want to arrive too early again and be forced to stay the night. You're not going to insist on searching for Itachi and Rōshi?"

"No, I think it would be better if I let another team handle that," I replied, looping my arm around Tsunade's waist. "Besides, it'll be nice to see Mifune again."

If I did everything alone, in the end I'd be alone. It might be a little selfish of me to think it, but what would be the point in saving the world if I ended up losing my place in it once everything was over. Others would be happy, but I'd end up being alone and miserable… Much like Obito and Madara.

"Hm," Tsunade hummed. "Well if that's the way you feel on the matter, I have no reason to argue against it." She exhaled. "I will however have to pick a team that will be able to find and retrieve Itachi and send them out immediately. I'll need to head back to my office."

That shouldn't be too hard. There was one team that I knew we were both thinking about and it had the added benefit of both being able to communicate with Rōshi and potentially luring Itachi out.

"I've been meaning to pay Utakata a visit," I mused aloud. "We can meet back up again a little later today."

"Deal."

Stepping into one of the more private and better guarded hospital rooms, I glanced to the side, finding Utakata's partially bandaged form sitting by one of the windows, staring out on the village below… No doubt wanting to leave.

His stay at the hospital was more of a formality than anything else at this point. His wounds had long since healed and his Chakra had already recovered. If he hadn't been so closely guarded, he'd likely have already attempted to escape.

"So, we finally meet in person, Uzumaki Naruto," Utakata hummed, turning away from the window. "I suppose thanks are in order. You did help save me from that Akatsuki member after all."

"Don't worry about it," I replied, taking a seat next to him. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine," Utakata shrugged. "You're a Jinchuriki too, so you should know that there isn't much that can keep us down for long."

"Yeah, that wasn't exactly what I was asking," I said, shooting Utakata a pointed look.

Twitching, he turned away, staring down on the village. "It's… An adjustment. It's been years since I last passed through a village and that one wasn't teaming with Shinobi. It's a little unsettling."

I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. He'd spent so much time on the run that being in Konoha had him visibly on edge.

Utakata shook his head lightly. "I guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop," He finished, sighing softly. "Tell me, Naruto. What happens next? Am I going to be transported to Kiri? Is my Biju going to be sealed in another host? Or am I just going to be locked away somewhere until I'm needed?"

He… Really didn't have a positive outlook… Not that I could blame him with what he's been through.

"Would it surprise you if I told you that none of that would be happening?" I asked. "At most, you'll probably need to have a talk with Mei, but so long as you don't pose a threat to any of the villages, you'll be free to go… After the Akatsuki is dealt with," I added.

"You'll have to forgive me, but I sincerely doubt that," Utakata replied. "Things aren't that simple when it comes to people like us… Especially with the Five Great Nations. Kiri won't just let the Rokubi out of their sight now that they know where I am. If I refuse to do their bidding, then they'll kill me and take my Biju. This is the ultimate fate of Jinchuriki."

If it had been ten years ago during Yagura's reign, then he would be correct, but Mei was a lot more reasonable.

"It might not be simple, but it's not as complicated or bleak as you're making it out to be," I exhaled, thinking about the coming Kage Summit. "Things might have been like that in the past, but now… There's a real opportunity for peace. The world's changing and it's our duty to help it change for the better," I said, offering my hand.

"You seem more than powerful enough to do everything on your own. Why would you need my help?" Utakata asked, eyeing my hand.

"Why wouldn't I when you're right here?" I gave my own question. "Jinchuriki often live lonely and isolated lives, but that doesn't have to be the case. Why do it all alone when there are others that can help you?"

I could probably do everything on my own, especially now that I had a Truth Seeking Orb, but… I didn't have to. The whole point of the alliances… Of gathering allies was so that I wouldn't be alone in this. Somewhere down the line, I'd forgotten that, but… Thanks to Anko and Kurama, I'd been reminded once more.

Make no mistake, I was still going to kill Obito and Zetsu, but I wasn't going to allow it to consume me. I was still going to have a life waiting for me once this was all over.

"You're an odd one, Naruto," Utakata said, shaking my hand. "But… The kind of odd I think I can trust."

"Trust me, I'm one of the more level headed Jinchuriki out there," I replied, releasing his hand. "There's still Killer Bee and…"

"Fu."

'I was getting to that.'

"No. Fu!"

Glancing to the side, I saw a flash of mint green hair as it burst through the open window and buzzed around the hospital room in an attempt to slow down.

Immediately on guard, Utakata moved on instinct and reached for his weapon that wasn't there.

Watching as Fu flew around the room, I deadpanned. It took her more than a handful of moments before she came to a stop in the enclosed space.

Finally landing, Fu glanced around the room, wincing when she saw the things she'd accidentally knocked over. "Okay… Maybe flying into a hospital at full speed was a bad idea."

"You think," I muttered softly.

"This is–"

"Hey there, I'm Fu," Fu cheerfully introduced herself, practically vibrating with energy. "We met the other day in that shared mindscape place. It's really awesome to meet another Jinchuriki… For real this time."

"Um… Likewise," Utakata said, more than a little out of his depth. "It's nice to see you again too."

Fu beamed. "So what're we doing here? Do you still wanna run off or have you decided to stay?"

"I'll stay for the time being," Utakata replied, shooting a quick glance my way. "Nothing will ever be fixed if I keep running away. It's about time that I face things head on."

Great. That just left Rōshi… Wherever he was. Assuming one of us was able to contact him through the shared mindscape, finding him wouldn't be too hard… And once we did, we'd also have Itachi's location.

Unfortunately with the coming Summit my attention was needed elsewhere so I wouldn't be there in person, but I would still be able to lend some assistance if anything goes wrong.

"That means you'll be staying in Konoha for a while, right?" Fu asked. Not giving him the chance to respond, she continued "Then let me be the first to show you around."

Seeing the look of confusion on Utakata's face when Fu grabbed his arm, I started laughing, knowing what was coming next only for her to grab onto me too.

"Fu, maybe you shouldn't–"

Crouching down, Fu jumped through the open window into the open sky above Konoha, dragging us along with her.

Sitting in her office, Tsunade leaned on her hand as she silently contemplated her current predicament. There just wasn't much she could do… News of Itachi's defection and abduction of Rōshi had come at an inopportune time with the Five Kage Summit less than a week away.

Unfortunately, this wasn't something she could afford to push back for later. The longer Itachi was out there, the greater the risk he was at being killed by Obito and while Itachi wasn't a massive factor in all of this, it didn't hurt to stack the deck further in her favor.

Thus she had to act right now.

Hearing a knock at the door, she sighed. "Enter."

"You called for us, Hokage-sama," Kakashi hummed as he entered the office with Sasuke following closely behind.

"Yes, come in," Tsunade said, gesturing for them to hurry along. "I have something urgent that I need to discuss with the two of you."

Eyeing the duo, she watched as they quickly made their way further into the room, stopping at her desk. In the time since Danzo's death, Sasuke had mellowed out tremendously.

He'd outgrown his revenge obsessed mindset and into a capable Shinobi… One that was able to go head to head with most Jonin in Konoha and come out without a scratch. Hopefully, he'd retain his cool attitude with what he was about to learn today.

"Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"There's been a new development," Tsunade replied. "During a mission involving Jiraiya and Naruto, a member of the Akatsuki was captured and interrogated. A Kunoichi by the name of Konan."

Kakashi's lone eye widened while Sasuke's narrowed.

"What did you manage to learn?" Kakashi asked.

"The locations of their bases… Where they get their supplies… Travel routes that their members often take," Tsunade replied. "That however isn't the reason why I called you. It seems that one of their members has gone rogue and I want him brought back to Konoha… Alive."

"The members name?" Sasuke asked softly.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Sasuke's Sharingan blazed to life while he clenched his fist tight enough to draw blood. "Itachi… Where is he? What happened? Why did he defect?"

"Easy, Sasuke," Kakashi said, placing his hand on the young Uchiha's shoulder.

Taking a slow breath, Sasuke nodded and deactivated his Sharingan.

"I can't give you his location as I currently don't know that myself, but I can tell you that he was caught sabotaging the Akatsuki's recruitment campaign by leaking information," Tsunade explained. "The Akatsuki didn't take kindly to that and attempted to kill him, but ultimately failed."

"You mentioned that you want him brought back to Konoha… I take it that you want the two of us to do it," Kakashi guessed.

"You and the rest of your team," Tsunade replied. "I thought it'd be better if I gave the two of you to come to terms with the mission parameters." She shot a pointed glance towards Sasuke.

"Leave it as the two of us," Sasuke said. "This is a personal matter… They don't need to get involved."

"Unfortunately they do," Tsunade hummed, strumming her fingers against her desk in annoyance. She understood that this was a sensitive matter for Sasuke, but he was in no position to be making demands. "If Konan is to be believed, then Itachi may very well be traveling with the Yonbi Jinchuriki. Fu will be invaluable to helping you find them and it's always wise to have a medic on your team."

"We understand," Kakashi answered. "When will we be expected to leave?"

"I'm giving you until tomorrow at the latest in order to prepare," Tsunade replied. "You'll need to pack accordingly for a long term mission."

"Understood."

"Before you go," Tsunade muttered.

Rummaging around in her desk, she retrieved a scroll. Inspecting the contents, she nodded, before tossing it towards Kakashi.

"What's this?" Kakashi asked.

"Something that should come in handy after you make contact with Itachi," Tsunade explained. "Be sure to use it when you get the chance… The success of your mission depends on it."

Eyeing the scroll curiously, he slipped it into his pouch. "Is there anything else we should know?"

"I've told you just about everything there is to know," Tsunade hummed. "The two of you can get going… And remember to inform the rest of your team about this mission. You'll need their help."

Nodding, Kakashi left, taking Sasuke along with him, leaving Tsunade alone to her thoughts once more.

The meeting could have gone a bit better… But at the same time, it could have been much worse. Sasuke had managed to reign in his temper and didn't seem unstable which was a plus. Hopefully he'd be able to do the same when he faced Itachi.

Looking through her desk for anything to keep herself preoccupied, Tsunade sighed… Who would have thought that she would miss paperwork… Oh well, she'd just have to find something else to do.

After a long day of being dragged around Konoha by Fu, I finally had a moment to relax by myself. Easing into the warm water of one of Konoha's local hot springs, I let out a relieved sigh.

It had been way too long since I'd last visited one and seeing as I had a free moment with nothing planned.

It seemed that I'd managed to come at just the right time as there wasn't anyone else around. It was almost as if it was closed, but if that was the case, everything would have been locked up by now.

Leaning against the edge of the hot spring, I relaxed into the water. Looking up at the sky, there were only a handful of hours left in the day before it turned to night.

Most of the other teams had likely already finished their training for the day while Team 7 was getting ready for their next mission. It was a good thing Fu was going with… Especially since I'd failed to contact Rōshi.

"Are you really going to keep holding onto that?"

'No, I just find it a little funny, that's all,' I thought back.

I honestly don't know how he'd done it, but Kurama had somehow managed to piss off all of his siblings to the point that none of them bothered to hear him out when we tried contacting them… It was both incredibly annoying and kind of amazing.

"Yeah, well… Never mind. Knock when you're done. I'm going to go have a nap."

That was odd.

"Hm… The water's fairly warm," Tsunade commented.

Wait, what? Looking to the side, I found myself staring directly at Tsunade. Her form was obscured by the steam with a towel resting on her chest.

I didn't even feel the water shift when she got in.

"Surprised to see me here?" Tsunade asked, smirking. "We did make plans to meet up later today and since neither of us seemed to be doing anything at the moment, I thought that we could change that."

Tearing my gaze away from her, I looked back towards the changing rooms. "But what about–"

"Already taken care of," Tsunade replied. "There's a Genjutsu on the entrance making it appear as if it's closed and I've taken care to book this hot spring for the next few hours. No one should bother us."

Oh… "You've really planned this out."

"I had some time to myself." She shrugged. Moving through the water, Tsunade slid onto my lap, wrapping her legs around my back. "I wonder how we can pass the time together," She hummed coyly as the towel slid off her chest.

"I could think of a few."

And that's chapter 67 done.

Just went to check the last chapter and I screwed the date up again... Oh well.

In which Konan tells them about Itachi's defection, Utakata is more than a little burnt out and Team 7 gets a mission to find Itachi while Naruto and Tsunade are off in the Land of Iron... Oh and a short and sweet scene between Naruto and Tsunade with 'Implications.'

Anyways, I'm up to chapter 74 on the spooky P word website.

P
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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 11th of April (Got it right this time)
See you all then, dudes and dudettes.