1,9693 months, 3 chapters. Off to a pretty decent start in 2025.
Appreciate all the love in the reviews. We're nearing 2k reviews, which is crazy. Let's hit it soon!
Story Stats as of 03/22/25:
Reviews - 1,947
Favorites - 3,537
Followers - 4,039
Views - 1,399,842
Chapter 67: Accept Pain
Jiraiya groaned when the light from outside shined through his blinds and into his closed eyes. He rolled over in bed to face the clock on his nightstand, which read 5:56 AM. Unsurprisingly, it was the first of what was expected to be many sleepless nights. No one could blame him after the news from yesterday. Spending time last night with both Naruto and Sakura helped keep his mind off of what happened, but it didn't change reality. It would take much longer than one day to move past that.
His eyes drifted to an envelope that sat just in front of his clock. The note from Tsunade that Shikaku gave to him. Shikaku already knew its contents, but Jiraiya hadn't yet had it in him to take a peek inside.
"How do you expect me to read this, Tsunade?" Jiraiya spoke aloud as if she was there to hear him. He swiped the envelope off the nightstand and sat up. Simply holding it in his hands caused his blood pressure to rise. His hands start to sweat from anxiety. To him, reading her last words was accepting that she was truly gone forever.
Jiraiya let out a shaky breath. The envelope was already opened so he just lifted the flap and pulled out the note, which was still folded in half. It was faint, but a hint of what Jiraiya immediately recognized to be Tsunade's perfume wafted off the paper.
It made him feel sick. So sick, in fact, that he tossed the letter onto the bed and rushed to the bathroom.
"Blech!" Jiraiya hugged the toilet while he violently emptied the contents of his stomach. The acid burned his throat as the taste of yesterday's dinner came back to haunt him. It was never good the second time. "Gah!"
After a few minutes and many chunks later, the nausea finally subsided. He rolled onto his back in the center of the bathroom—the cold feel of the tiled floor against his back soothed him somewhat.
"What are you doing, Jiraiya?" Now he was talking aloud to himself. "How do you expect to keep a clear head in front of Nagato when you can't even handle something like this? It's embarrassing… Tsunade would never let you hear the end of it if she saw you like this."
Slowly but surely, Jiraiya picked himself up off the floor, flushed the toilet, and plodded from the bathroom into the bedroom. In one quick motion, he swiped the letter off his bed and started to read it.
Tsunade meant nearly everything to him. Just behind Naruto, she was the most important and cherished person in his life. The time they spent together included many of his happiest moments… and a handful of his most painful ones. Her final words to him would be the culmination of their fifty years of friendship and an eventual short-lived romance. It was immensely painful for Jiraiya to read her final thoughts and wishes, but it was something he needed to do. For himself, but also for her memory. Jiraiya wanted to remember her as she was, in all her glory.
Finally, like a broken dam, Jiraiya's tears flowed uninhibited down his cheeks. No one was around to see him like this, so he did not care enough to stop it.
This was the first true step to processing his grief, with a few more still to come.
The final one being Nagato's head on a spike.
Naruto's nose wiggled as it caught a whiff of something. His eyes opened slowly, then the delicious aroma in the air made him shoot up into a seated position; excitement was quickly replaced with confusion. Why was he smelling food so early in the morning?
He walked out of his room and down the stairs. The delicious myriad of scents continued to get stronger with each step he took.
Naruto's brow furrowed. Karin was alone in the kitchen cooking without a care in the world.
"Karin… what are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, so you're finally up?" Karin spun around, spatula in hand, with a wide smile on her face. She was dressed in her typical attire. "I thought for sure I was going to have to go up there and bang on your door. Perfect timing, though. The food is almost ready."
"You're making breakfast?" Naruto took a seat on the other side of the island. "Are the others still sleeping— want me to go wake them up?"
"Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Sakura aren't home, and I'm heading out soon, too," Karin explained as she flipped the fish over in her pan. "You were still sleeping, and I was in a good mood, so I decided to cook you a little breakfast before I left." She finished with a shrug.
"That's so nice of you," Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "The food smells great, by the way. I didn't know you could cook like this."
"Yeah, yeah," Karin waved the spatula over her head dismissively. "Just don't get used to it, okay? Think of it as a special treat, and let's just leave it at that."
"Sure," Naruto smiled. "Ya won't hear a peep out of me."
A few moments later, a spread of delicious-looking food was placed down in front of him. It consisted of steamed rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, grilled fish, and a steaming cup of green tea. Naruto had to restrain himself from drooling in front of the chef. This was a far cry from the instant ramen he had planned to make for himself.
"Woah, this looks great!"
"Thanks," Karin blushed at the compliment. "My mother taught me how to cook when I was younger… cooking with her are some of my favorite memories."
"It's delicious," Naruto praised between bites of fish and rice. He wasted no time digging in. "Your mom clearly taught you well! I'm sure she was an amazing lady."
"Yeah, she sure was…" Karin leaned on the granite island and watched with a bittersweet smile as Naruto demolished the breakfast she prepared. "So, what plans do you have for today?"
"Mostly rest, then I want to go check in on Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto explained. "I'd like to be there for him even though he isn't much for emotions."
"You're a good godson, you know that?" Karin's smile brightened up slightly. "I can tell the two of you have a great bond."
"He'd do the same for me," Naruto shrugged as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "That's what family is for."
"I guess you're right."
"Earlier, you said the others aren't home?" Naruto suddenly remembered. "Where are they? I wanted to see how Sakura was doing, too."
"They're all at the hospital— that's where I'm headed off to in a little bit," Karin explained with a raised eyebrow. "I figured Sakura would have mentioned it to you yesterday."
"Mentioned what?" Naruto tossed a few of the pickled vegetables in his mouth along with some fish, then washed it all down with a swig of green tea. "What's going on at the hospital?"
"Sasuke asked Sakura to surgically transplant Itachi's eyes into him," Karin didn't seem all that excited about it. "I think it will lessen the strain on him when he uses Mangekyo abilities? I'm not entirely sure, to be honest."
"Oh?" Naruto placed his chopsticks down on top of the now-empty plate. "So, he's really going through with that, huh? Last time we spoke about it, he was on the fence about what to do. What made him change his mind?"
"You know Sasuke…" Karin trailed off.
"He hasn't said, has he?"
"Nope," Karin shook her head. "I don't even think he told Sakura why— just that 'It needs to be done as soon as possible', whatever that means."
"I'll probably swing by the hospital later today. I'll annoy the shit out of him until he gives me a straight answer."
"Does that work?" Karin asked dubiously.
"Eh," Naruto shrugged. "Even if it doesn't, I'll still get some enjoyment out of it."
Karin chuckled at that. "Well, I should head over there now," Karin pointed to the front door. "I'll see ya over there later?"
"Yeah, I'll stop by," Naruto said with a nod. "Thanks again for the food— it was amazing! I'll have to repay you for it, seriously!"
"Nah, I already said don't worry about it," Karin giggled as she headed for the door. "Actually, I'll tell you what, do the dishes I just made and we'll call it even. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me!"
"Perfect, I'll see ya later!"
"See ya."
'Click.'
Naruto sighed contently with his now full stomach, then created his favorite hand sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
'Poof!'
The clone looked at the original, then at the sink full of dirty dishes, then back at the original. To Naruto's horror, the clone pulled a kunai out of his pouch and stabbed himself in the stomach.
'Poof!'
"You know," Naruto put his hand to his chin and nodded. "I can't hate on that— I'd probably do the same."
Naruto decided to roll up his sleeves and do the dishes quickly before heading out to see Jiraiya. It allowed him an opportunity for his mind to wander aimlessly with nothing particular in mind. In a strange way, it was rather relaxing.
The front door opened just as he was finishing up, though he didn't bother to turn around.
"Forget something, Karin?" Naruto asked as he racked the final clean dish to dry. When he turned around, he was slightly surprised to see Jiraiya looking at him expectantly. "Sensei?"
"Karin— is that the redheaded girl?" Jiraiya's lips curved up into a sly smile. "And here I thought you and Sakura were getting a lot closer. Then, there's that Hyuga girl who's had a crush on you for years. Seems like the ladies can't keep their hands off you, huh? A real chip off the old block if I do say so myself."
"Oh, so you're back to being ridiculous? That's a good sign, I guess." Naruto said with a smirk. "What's up? I was just about to go and find you."
"Come with me, I'll explain on the way," Jiraiya ushered his student quickly out the door. "C'mon, c'mon, get some pep in your step."
"I'm going, I'm going," Naruto slapped away Jiraiya's arms. "Just keep the hands to yourself, old man."
"Master Jiraiya, are you sure you want to discuss this so soon?" Shikaku asked cautiously. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since his conversation with Naruto and Jiraiya, and they were already back in his office. "No one would blame you if you were to take some more time to process everything."
"I don't have time for that right now," Jiraiya's demeanor had completely changed since last night. Gone was the hollow and profound sadness in his eyes, instead replaced by what could only be described as resolve. "Tsunade's body and the bastard who killed her are in the Hidden Rain. That's where I need to be right now."
Shikaku and Shikamaru shared a look of concern, then shifted their gaze to Naruto.
"Why are you looking at the kid?" Jiraiya asked with a frown. "He's not in charge of what I do."
"D-don't take it the wrong way, Master Jiraiya," Shikamaru put up his hands defensively. "It's just that it may be harder for you to look at things objectively given what happened."
"Why you—!"
Naruto placed a hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. Jiraiya looked at him, huffed in annoyance, then crossed his arms at his chest.
"We're ready," Naruto confirmed. "This can't wait any longer and you two know it. People around the village are starting to question her extended absence. It's only a matter of time until the truth gets out that she's not on a trip to see the Feudal Lord."
"Where is everyone else, then?" Shikamaru questioned. "Is it just going to be the two of you?"
"Sakura and Sasuke are currently in surgery," Naruto started. "Suigetsu and Karin are waiting at the hospital with them. We figured there wasn't anything Team Eight needed to do at the moment. Oh, and Kakashi is late."
"Figures," Shikamaru muttered to that last part.
'Knock knock.'
"Come in, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto didn't even have to sense chakra to know who was on the other side of the door.
The door swung open to reveal none other than Kakashi, who couldn't hide his sheepish expression. No one in the room looked particularly amused.
"I'll admit, I stopped by the hospital to see how everything was going," Kakashi admitted with an unnerved chuckle. "You'll have to forgive me."
"How are things going?" Naruto asked with a hint of concern.
"Sakura had just started transplanting Itachi's eyes into Sasuke when I got there. I don't think Sasuke will be out of commission for very long— only a couple days at most since his eyesight has barely degraded from Mangekyo use. Sakura needs to confirm that the surgery took properly, so she'll likely be there all day."
"Sasuke's request for Itachi's eyes was quite sudden," Shikaku noted. "What brought that on?"
"If I had to guess, Sasuke wants to be at full strength to defend the village if needed," Naruto explained. "The sooner he's out of surgery, the less likely he'll be in the middle of recovering if and when someone attacks."
"I expected that Sasuke would insist on going to the Hidden Rain with you as backup," Shikamaru admitted. "Why did he decide to stay?"
"He understands that we can't spare too much manpower right now," Kakashi added. "As it stands now, Guy, Naruto, and Jiraiya will all be out of the village at the same time. We need him here, and he knows that. Besides," Kakashi looked at the two Sages in the room. "He trusts in Naruto and Master Jiraiya's abilities."
"I see," Shikaku pondered. "Then I guess it is settled."
"We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning," Jiraiya informed the room. They could tell it wasn't exactly up for discussion. "We'll leave one of Naruto's scrolls and a messenger toad with you for any communication."
"I have to ask," Shikaku looked directly at Jiraiya as he spoke. "If Madara Uchiha is there with Nagato, then—"
"We will recover Tsunade's body and retreat," Jiraiya finished. "I'm furious, but I'm not stupid. I refuse to throw away the opportunity Tsunade left us by running foolishly to my death."
"Then please, go and prepare in any way you know how," Shikaku nodded. His posture also loosened slightly, which betrayed the relief he felt hearing that answer. "If either of you need anything, anything at all, please let me know."
Naruto and Jiraiya nodded in acknowledgment.
Everyone turned to leave.
"Actually, Master Jiraiya," the man in question turned back around. Shikaku was staring at him intently. "Could you please stay for another moment?"
Naruto and Jiraiya shared a look before Naruto followed Shikamaru and Kakashi out of the room.
The door closed behind him with a soft 'click.'
"What is it, Shikaku?" Jiraiya furrowed his brow.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush," Shikaku somehow seemed even more serious than earlier. "As you know, the Leaf Village is now without a Hokage to guide us. I understand what is at stake in your mission to the Hidden Rain, but we also need a trustworthy and powerful leader now more than maybe ever before in our nation's history."
"Shikaku, what are you—"
"Master Jiraiya, I believe that leader has to be you. Will you accept the position as the Sixth Hokage?"
…
…
…
"Shikaku, what are you saying?" Jiraiya took a moment to process what he was going to say next. "Is right now really the time?"
"On the contrary, I think it's the perfect time to have this discussion," Shikaku countered.
"How could I possibly make a decision right now?" Jiraiya asked with noticeable frustration. "There's no guarantee I'll even come back from the Hidden Rain alive."
"That is precisely why I am asking you now."
"I don't understand."
"While recovering Tsuande's body and dealing a fatal blow to the Akatsuki are absolutely important, the future of the Leaf hinges on the selection of our next Hokage." Shukaku explained. "I wanted to remind you that your life holds importance beyond the results of this mission. You must survive, Master Jiraiya."
"What— do you think I'm just going to rush in with no regard for my life?" Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Tsunade wasn't my only reason for living."
"That isn't what I met," Shikaku shook his head. There was noticeable reluctance in his voice. "What I am about to tell you is not to leave this room. Naruto especially cannot know any of what I am about to say."
Jiraiya involuntarily swallowed but nodded nonetheless.
"Tell me."
"Any idea what that was about, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.
"No clue," Shikamaru already had his hands lazily clasped behind his head. "Dad hadn't mentioned anything else to me. Maybe it's something personal to do with Lady Tsunade?"
"Hm, maybe. Say, what do you think, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto turned, only to realize that Kakashi was nowhere to be found. "What the— that jerk!"
"Where do you think he's in such a hurry to get to?" Shikamaru asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know. It's hard to get a read on him most of the time. It's not a big deal, I'll just ask Jiraiya-sensei later today," Naruto sighed. "Say, I'm heading over to the hospital, want to come with?"
"Nah, sorry, I have a few things to take care of for my dad."
"No worries. I'll see you around." Naruto went to wave his goodbyes, but a look in Shikamaru's eyes made him stop. "Is there something else you wanted to say?"
"Naruto— if I don't see you again before you head out, I just wanted to say… good luck."
"Thanks, Shikamaru," Naruto gave his patented thumbs-up. "I won't let you down!"
"I… see," Jiraiya rubbed at his temples. A migraine was certainly forming. "I had no idea— how could Tsunade hide something like this from me?"
"It seems she was keeping it close to her chest. My guess is that with the help of the Kazekage, she had hoped the situation would be under control. However, that doesn't appear to be the case." If Shikaku's frown was any indication, he was worried. "If anything, assuming the records within her desk are reliable, things have only gotten worse. We are running out of time."
"So, that's how it is?" Jiraiya chuckled nervously. With Tsunade gone, it was almost guaranteed that he would yet again be offered the title of Hokage. "You know, this is the fourth time I've been asked to be Hokage… I had already planned on turning it down and suggesting Kakashi instead."
"Is that so? May I ask why you've always refused?"
"I don't think I'm cut out for the job," Jiraiya admitted with no shame. "Diplomacy, professionalism, reliability… none of that has ever been my strong suit. When I picture the greatness of the past Hokage, I'm unable to see myself standing next to any of them. I've failed far too much in my life for something like that."
"Lord Third thought differently," Shikaku countered. "I don't think he would have offered you the position if he thought you weren't capable. He was your Sensei, after all— the man knew you better than anyone else did."
"No offense to the late Sarutobi-sensei, but he saw the things in us three that he wanted to see," Jiraiya closed his eyes and winced as if he were in pain. "He knew us better than anyone else, and yet he turned a blind eye to the darkness growing within Orochimaru. Until the end, Sensei viewed that as his greatest failure… making me Hokage could have been right up there with it."
"I think you underestimate yourself. I believe you have the makings of an excellent Hokage."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Shikaku. However, I'm far too old for praise to change the way I feel."
"So," Shikaku appeared unnerved for the first time. "Master Jiraiya, what will you do?"
"…After what you just told me, I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Jiraiya's reluctance was obvious. Shikaku couldn't blame him for the tired look he saw in his eyes. "Tsunade really left us with a mess, huh?"
"So, does that mean…?" Shikaku's eyes widened in relief.
"If I come back alive, and after the vote of confidence from the Jonin Assembly, I will accept the position as the Sixth Hokage."
"I just spoke with Sakura and Karin— sounds like everything with the surgery worked out?" Naruto asked. "You look like shit, though. How are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine. I should only need a couple days of recovery," Sasuke's eyes were heavily bandaged to protect them from harmful lights and dust particles. "The pain right now is less than when I've used my Mangekyo in the past."
The two of them were alone in one of the Leaf's hospital rooms— a place both of them were very familiar with. Naruto was leaning up against the wall by the door, while Sasuke was lying down handcuffed to a hospital bed.
"I see that Sakura is pretty adamant that you get some rest," Naruto gestured to the cuffs, which was followed by a sheepish expression when he remembered Sasuke couldn't see. "That's so nice of her. Someone needs to be around to keep you in check."
"It's a foolish symbolic gesture," Sasuke scoffed irritably. "I can easily break these and leave any time that I want."
"Then why don't you? If you aren't worried about Sakura at all, leave right now. Go ahead, I won't stop you."
…
…
…
"What are you doing here anyway, idiot," Sasuke spat back at him. "Shouldn't you be preparing to take down the bastard that killed the Hokage?"
"I'm leaving soon. Very soon." Naruto countered. He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Sasuke's bedside. "This could be the last time we see each other. You ought to be nicer to me."
"I know you didn't come see me to get sentimental. Why are you actually here?"
"I can't sneak anything past you, huh?" Naruto chuckled. "Before I go, I wanted you to tell me why you finally decided to take Itachi's eyes."
"Why do you want to know?"
"What can I say?" Naruto said with a shrug. "I'm a curious soul. You seemed so adamant that you couldn't bring yourself to take them… something about his eyes perceiving reality much differently than yours. So, what brought on this sudden change?"
"Heh, that's between me and Itachi," Sasuke smirked. He couldn't see Naruto's expression but could imagine the dumb look on his face. "I'll tell you what, Naruto, come back alive and maybe I'll tell you."
"Oh yeah?" Naruto adopted a smirk of his own. "Alright, ya bastard. I'm gonna hold ya to that."
"Hn. Fine by me."
Neither wanted to admit it to the other, but the longer they spent occupying the same space, the more it felt as if Sasuke had never even left in the first place. As much as Sasuke tried to deny it a few short years ago, their friendship was truly an unbreakable bond.
"What would you have done if I had tried to drag you back to the village when we met again on the Tenchi Bridge?" That day was on Naruto's mind a lot lately. He knew a lot of his actions around that time were dictated by the Genjutsu Itachi had placed him under, but the more Naruto thought about it, the more he was thankful to Sasuke's older brother for that. Things could have played out a lot differently without it. "Would you still have betrayed Orochimaru?"
"Yes, Orochimaru's fate was sealed the second Sasori appeared on that bridge," Sasuke admitted. "However, our business would have concluded that day and I would have chosen a different fourth member for my team."
"Really, who?"
"Another one of Orochimaru's followers, a man named Jugo."
"I don't know, this Jugo guy sounds a lot less cool than me. I think you made the right choice, personally."
"Hn."
"Hey, ain't it funny that by not trying to force you back to the Leaf, I ended up getting you back to the Leaf?"
"No."
"We gotta work on your sense of humor when I get back."
"No."
"Okay."
Naruto grabbed his pouch off the dresser and clipped it to his thigh, then swung his backpack over his shoulder. He did a quick inventory count in his head to make sure he had everything, then nodded to himself.
This was it.
When Naruto opened his bedroom door, he was surprised to see Karin doing the same from her room right across from him. Despite her astute sensory abilities, she looked spooked to see him.
"Karin, what are you doing up so early? It's not even 4 AM," Naruto looked her up and down, then squinted his eyes in further confusion. "You're even fully dressed— did you get a mission or something?"
"Oh, uh, Naruto," Karin appeared distressed for reasons Naruto couldn't decipher. "I was… I really haven't been able to sleep tonight, so I was thinking about going for a walk to clear my head."
"Yeah, I get that," Naruto nodded. "I'm surprised at how well I slept, to be honest."
"So… you're heading out?" Karin looked up at him with sadness in her eyes.
"Yeah, I am," Naruto shifted uncomfortably. He had hoped no one would be awake so he could avoid goodbyes. It would only make things more complicated. "Jiraiya-sensei should already be waiting for me at the village gates, so I'd better get goi—"
Naruto's words died in his throat when Karin lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Y-You… better come back."
Naruto, still somewhat taken aback by the sudden and unexpected display of affection, lightly patted her back out of what felt like obligation. He was horrible when it came to stuff like this.
"That is the plan," he mustered weakly in response.
…
…
…
The trek to the gates was a quick one, but Naruto savored every moment of it. The crisp, cool morning air brushed light against his skin and through his golden locks. The smell of dew left him feeling refreshed, and the moonlight illuminated the village in a beautiful way he always appreciated.
Five minutes of walking was all Naruto had to appreciate what he had… things he did not want to lose.
The gates were finally in sight, and so was his partner. Oh yeah, this was the first time the two of them were officially teaming up, wasn't it?
'Hell of a first mission to be on together,' Naruto thought to himself.
"Morning, Sunshine," Jiraiya slapped his student on the back affectionately. "How did ya sleep? We've got a long road ahead of us."
"Alright, all things considered," Naruto eyed his sensei irritably and rubbed the spot he had just been hit. "You?"
"Could've been better, could've been worse," Jiraiya replied offhandedly. "We'll likely need to set up camp close to the Hidden Rain's border to rest up before going in, so I'll be fine."
"So, what's the plan on getting into enemy territory?" Naruto inquired. "From my understanding, the Hidden Rain is pretty closed off from the outside world. We're not just going to be able to walk in there unnoticed… unless we don't care about being noticed."
"I'd like to make this as quiet as possible," Jiraiya replied with a serious tone. "Nagato knows we're coming, he just doesn't know when. They'll be on even higher alert than normal, but we'll still have the element of surprise if we do things right."
"Sounds like we should use Hiding in a Toad technique, then, huh?" Naruto replied after some thought. "Even if they have a barrier of some kind, we'll be nearly undetectable."
"I've taught you well; that's exactly what I was thinking. We'll use that technique to enter, then gather intel to try and pin down Nagato's location."
"Sounds good to me."
Jiraiya took a deep breath. "There's no going back from this, kid. Are you ready?"
"I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life."
"Then let's head out… we should be outside the village by tomorrow morning."
"Right!"
Sasuke awoke with a start. He tried to open his eyes out of habit, only to be met with darkness. The bandages made it impossible to know how much time had passed. Could be a couple hours, or even the next day for all he knew.
'Clang!'
Not to mention his arm was still cuffed to this damn hospital bed.
"Sakura, come in here and unlock these cuffs!" Sasuke grumbled something to himself about annoying doctors.
…
…
…
"Sakura!"
…
…
…
"How annoying," it had been far too long since he'd used the bathroom, and if someone didn't come in here quickly, he was going to have to use force. "Karin, are you out there?!"
…
…
…
"To hell with this, Chido—"
The sound of the door opening shut him up really fast.
"Sakura, it's about time," Sasuke quickly dissipated the harnessed lightning chakra. "Get me out of these damn cuffs."
"Hold your horses, Sasuke," it was not Sakura's voice, but Suigetsu's. "I got the key right here, so you can stop whining and go and take your piss."
"Suigetsu?" Sasuke questioned. "Where are the others?"
"No idea," Suigetsu replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Karin and the Doc just took off— I have no clue where they went. Can you believe that, Sasuke?"
"They didn't tell you anything?"
"Just that they would be gone for a while, and that the staff here at the hospital would be keeping an eye on you in the meantime," Suigetsu crossed his arms at his chest. "At least they care about you, but me? I'm practically chopped liver… it's not like I was in a coma not too long ago, or anything."
"Suigetsu."
"I know you care about me, Sasuke. You don't have to say anything to make me feel better. This is on Karin and Doc, not you."
"Unlock these cuffs before I put you back into a coma."
"Right… sorry."
Nagato sat cross-legged in the center of his main living quarters. His body hummed, practically overflowing with raw power—that was no different than before Project Matsuura. However, now Nagato had a body strong enough to effectively channel all of that power. Not only that, but his abilities far exceeded what he was capable of in the first clash with Hanzo all those years ago. At last, his formidable mental energies were matched with equal physical energies. He was the perfect shinobi… no.
Nagato was a God.
Suddenly, all things in this world felt possible; nothing was out of his reach. Once the Nine-Tails was in his grasp, capturing the Eight-Tails would be child's play. The Hidden Cloud would practically be forced to roll over into submission in response to his overwhelming power. Those were the final two pieces to his puzzle, then the world would finally know what true pain is.
Yes, it was inevitable.
"Nagato."
"Yes, Konan," Nagato opened his eyes but did not rise from his seated position, nor did he bother to turn toward the door where Konan stood. "What is it?"
"It has been nearly a week since you killed the Hokage," Konan started her thought, though she sounded somewhat apprehensive. "Don't you think an unusual amount of time has passed? Shouldn't we consider going to the Leaf for the Nine-Tails if they refuse to come to us?"
"They will come soon," Nagato was completely dismissive of such a thought. "I know it."
"Yes, but…"
"Speak your mind, Konan."
"The Five Kage Summit draws near. As you know, the longer we wait, the more likely it becomes that it will occur before we have captured Naruto Uzumaki. We must have the Nine-Tails in our possession so the Kage have no choice but to listen to our demands."
"I understand that, but fear not," Nagato finally looked in her direction. "Naruto and Jiraiya will arrive shortly."
"How can you be certain of that?"
"They have no choice," Nagato explained. "They can only assume that Lady Tsunade is still alive, which means they will do all they can to rescue her before the Summit. However, they cannot pull too much manpower away from the village without a Kage to protect them. Once Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei are finished with their pointless endeavors at Mount Myoboku, they will come and seek me out."
"But—" Konan couldn't get a word in edgewise before being cut off.
"Besides, this time waiting has not been wasted. I have used it to acclimate to my new and improved body," Nagato clenched his hand into a fist, then released it. "I will not wither away like I did against Hanzo. I have acclimated to the strain of the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue."
"And if they bring more than just those two?" Konan questioned.
"Then we will have the geographic advantage," Nagato countered. "Attacking the Leaf will not be so simple now that they are on high alert. They've likely already recalled most of their forces back to the village in case of attack from us or an enemy nation… that would prove troublesome, even for me. Forcing them to come to us means that we dictate how this game is played."
"I… understand." If Konan agreed with most of what her friend said, then why wouldn't this feeling of dread go away? "I have instructed our shinobi to keep an eye out for outsiders. With that and your rain, they won't be able to hide from us."
"It's only a matter of time now, Konan. Do not fret… our victory is preordained."
"Right… yes, of course."
…
…
…
"Konan—!" Pain's eyes widened in surprise, but then quickly narrowed in confusion. For just an instant, he sensed something… and then it was gone? "What is this?"
"Nagato, what is it?" Konan asked with uneasiness in her tone.
"I sensed a powerful and unfamiliar chakra circumvent my rain, but it disappeared almost instantly," Nagato's features were knitted tightly together as he paused for a moment to think. "How could that be?"
"Only a single chakra? Perhaps it was a mistake?" Konan offered, though even she appeared unconvinced of her own words. "However…"
"This is no mistake; we have an unwelcome guest who can shield themselves from my Jutsu," Pain's eyes hardened. Whether it was shinobi from the Leaf or someone else entirely, it didn't matter. "Our enemy has formidable chakra… I can't concern myself with collateral damage. Have our shinobi evacuate civilians to a safe place and instruct them to stay away, then find the intruder with your paper clones."
"Leave it to me, Nagato," Konan's body suddenly exploded into hundreds of white sheets of paper. The individual pages folded up neatly into beautiful origami butterflies and fluttered away. "The intruder will be snuffed out."
"I have little doubt."
Nagato was once again alone with his thoughts. This mysterious chakra was not one he's sensed before, which means it did not belong to Jiraiya-sensei or Naruto Uzumaki. In fact, this chakra had a unique feel unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
"How curious," Nagato mused aloud to himself. "I wonder who it could be…?"
Still seated, Nagato closed his eyes once more and entered a deep state of meditation. His concern was nearly nonexistent—Konan would find the intruder with her Jutsu and alert him promptly, that he knew. If their combined powers were enough to topple the legendary Madara Uchiha, there was no one in the world outside of an army who could hope to oppose them.
…
…
…
Nagato's eyes snapped open and looked down. Alarm bells started ringing in his head, though he had no idea why.
"What—!"
'BOOM'
It was dark and damp. The walls, floor, and ceiling were a fleshy red that bounced and rippled from the slightest of movements or sounds.
"Ack, Ack, Ack!"
"Gah," Naruto used a sleeve to wipe the saliva from the corner of his mouth. "What the hell was that, Sensei? Seriously— why would you keep the toad with the key to my seal in your mouth of all places?"
"It's convenient," Jiraiya replied nonchalantly. "Never knew when you might have needed it."
"What did Gerotora do to deserve this? Will I be able to feel him moving around in my stomach?" Naruto appeared sickly at the thought. "Ugh, just knowing he's there makes me uneasy."
"Gerotora knows his duty, and you need to know yours." Jiraiya could turn starkly serious instantaneously. Naruto blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift. "I'm entrusting you with something that, if used unwisely, could be the end of you. Given the circumstances and my faith in you to do the right thing, I'm handing over what is rightfully yours… as Minato always intended."
Naruto nodded; he understood the sheer gravity of what Jiraiya just did for him. Despite Gerotora's understandable concerns about keeping the key next to its lock, Jiraiya instead chose to trust in his student.
"I won't let you down, Sensei."
"I know, kid," Jiraiya sighed to release all of the built-up tension and anxiety in his body. "We should be right outside of the Hidden Rain by now. Shall we head outside and cause a little mayhem?"
When Jiraiya looked back toward Naruto, he was nowhere to be found. Jiraiya blinked, then looked down.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Naruto responded, eyes closed, from his meditative stance. "I'm going to enter Sage Mode first. We should be able to sense where Nagato is right away."
Jiraiya simply watched and waited for his student to gather the necessary chakra. After a moment, Naruto's eyes snapped open to reveal the marking of a perfect sage.
"You're getting even faster at gathering nature energy," Jiraiya noted. "How am I meant to keep up when you seem to progress so fast?"
"Work harder," Naruto stood up, then looked at Jiraiya up and down with a confused expression. "Why aren't you in sage mode?"
"Because you're going to send a Shadow Clone to do reconnaissance for us," Jiraiya explained. "The clone can pinpoint Nagato's location so we can infiltrate deeper into the village inside our toad and minimize the chances of us being spotted."
Naruto nodded, then put his hands together to form his favorite hand sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A singular clone poofed to existence. The two Naruto's shared a look.
It was time.
…
…
…
Just on the outskirts of the Hidden Rain, a toad floated to the surface of the lake. It opened its mouth so Naruto's sage mode-enhanced clone could emerge from its belly. The clone pushed chakra through his palms and feet so he could pull himself up onto the water's surface.
The downpour of rain pelted the tops of his shoulders and head. Naruto frowned. "So… it rains a lot in the Hidden Rain? I'm not sure what I was expecting, but still." Suddenly, his instinct screamed at him that something was amiss, which pulled his attention away from his soaked clothes.
"Wait, this Rain—!" Naruto's eyes widened. "As shit, this is bad!"
"Wind Style Wind Wall!" The clone created what was essentially a bubble-like force field out of wind chakra to shield his body from the rain. Since it didn't need to be very strong to stop water droplets, the chakra expenditure was very minimal. His eyes narrowed. "This isn't ordinary rain— I wouldn't have even noticed had I not already been in Sage Mode."
Naruto looked up to the sky. The clouds above looked like regular clouds, and yet his sensory abilities told an entirely different story. The clouds currently stationed over the Hidden Rain were injected with large amounts of chakra.
"What kind of Jutsu is this?" Naruto said in bewilderment. The idea a human could bend nature to their will like this hadn't been something he considered to be possible. "It must act as some kind of barrier Ninjutsu that detects your presence when the rain droplets make contact with your body, which means Nagato now knows we're here. Or, at the very least, he's now on the lookout for a single intruder."
"Great, just great," Naruto clicked his teeth in annoyance. So far, their covert infiltration was off to an amazing start. "Oh well, like that's going to change anything. We can't turn back now."
Putting his frustrations aside, Naruto closed his eyes and focused while still maintaining the wind wall. It was almost immediate—two chakras of notable strength both located within the village. One of them was stationary somewhere within the center of the village, while the other was rapidly moving around the city in no clear discernible direction.
"That stationary chakra has to be Nagato… it's massive," A bead of sweat rolled down Naruto's cheek in anticipation of what was proving to be a tall task. "The other must be the person Katsuyu said she saw with Nagato, the one Jiraiya believes is a woman named Konan… that means Madara isn't here. Some good news, at least."
"Ribbit, ribbit!" The toad at his feet croaked impatiently. "Ribbit, ribbit!"
"There," Naruto set his sights on the tallest building, an eerie tower that overlooked the city with humanoid faces on every side of it. The face that Naruto could see the best from his view had rippled-patterned eyes with several pipes attached to the sides of its face. A long tongue stuck out from its open mouth that was pulled down in a fierce frown. Naruto paid special attention to those eyes; they looked exactly like what Jiraiya had described the Rinnegan to be. "Nagato is in there, I know it. Get us inside that building unnoticed."
"Ribbit, ribbit!"
Naruto looked back down at the fussy toad. They exchanged a look, then Naruto nodded.
"I leave the rest to you," the clone said before it disappeared in a plume of smoke, the wind wall dissipating with him.
'Poof!'
The toad set its sights on the tower and started to hop toward it.
"Ribbit!" The toad croaked fiercely.
Nagato was in free fall before he knew it as the floor underneath him crumbled away from the explosion. He looked around frantically for the source of the blast but saw nothing. Had he not leapt into the air right before the explosion went off he would have likely taken significant damage.
"Almighty Push!" Nagato used the force generated from his Jutsu to push himself out of freefall and into a nearby wall, which he clung to with chakra pushed through the soles of his feet. He surveyed the damage below and frowned. Several stories of the structure had been blown out to where the ground floor dozens of meters down was now visible through the residual smoke and ash. It was a miracle the building was still standing at all. "Who did this?" There was a dangerous edge to his tone.
"Ya hear that, Sensei? He sounds angry," a sarcastic voice cut through the fog. "Scary!"
"He has no idea what anger is, kid."
Nagato's eyes widened. Those voices, it couldn't be!
"Heart of the Raging Lion's Mane!" Both of the familiar voices called out.
An instant later, what appeared to be massive strands of thickly bundled white and blond hair exploded through the smoke. Nagato was too stunned to react in time as they crashed into him.
The debris finally cleared enough to reveal none other than Naruto and Jiraiya both smiling devilishly already in Sage Mode. They clung to the wall a few stories down from where Nagato had positioned himself, their untamed manes fanned out behind them in intimidating fashion.
They manipulated their hair strands to reveal Nagato's face, but did not release their tight hold on him. He no longer appeared surprised, instead his features were as stoic as ever.
"Jiraiya-sensei, it's been such a long time," Nagato bore into his old master's head, then robotically turned to look at the other intruder. "And Naruto Uzumaki, it is an honor to finally make your acquaintance. So it was one of you that I sensed… how interesting."
"Tch," Naruto ground his teeth together. "This guy—!"
"Nagato… how could you do all of this?" Jiraiya bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted metal. He knew his old student was behind this, and yet, finally seeing it with his own eyes nearly shattered his heart into pieces. "You're the leader of the Akatsuki… you're trying to capture Naruto… you killed Tsunade—! As your teacher, I have no choice but to put you down for good!"
"Killed…?" Nagato blinked. "How could you have known—"
"Nagato, what is—!" Konan suddenly rushed through the ground level of the tower and looked up. To her shock, Naruto and Jiraiya were already there with Nagato bound up in their Jutsu. "Jiraiya-sensei and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?!"
"So, just as I suspected; you're alive too, Konan," Jiraiya couldn't hide the utter disappointment in his voice. "How could my once cherished students turn out in such a way? This is just too sad."
"Nagato, let's defeat them now!" The conviction in her voice was palpable. "They cannot win against us!"
"Stay back, Konan!" Nagato called out with a surprising amount of worry. "They are too much for you to handle, let me take care of this alone."
"No, we will do this together," Konan kicked off the ground and flew towards her enemies at great speeds. "There is too much at stake!"
"Damn, I was hoping we'd have a little more time before she showed up," Naruto crossed his fingers in preparation for his Jutsu. "I'll eliminate her quickly, then join you as backup. Try to hold out as long as you can."
"Hmph, fine," Jiraiya scoffed. "But I'm not gonna be beaten that easily."
Konan closed the distance with her hand outstretched.
"You're mine!"
"Shadow Clone Jut—!"
"Chaaaaaaaaa!"
Without warning, Sakura busted through the side of the tower and delivered a devastating fist into Konan's cheek. The force of the strike sent her flying into and through the other side of the tower.
"S-Sakura?!" Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. "H-how?!"
"Holy shit…" Jiraiya was just as mystified. "Tsunade trained one hell of a kunoichi, huh?"
"Leave the woman to me!" Sakura called back as she followed Konan outside from where she made the hole. "Let me handle her; focus on the bastard that killed Lady Tsunade!"
'Creaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!'
Sakura's destructive attack was apparently the last abuse the tower could take. Her entrance had destroyed a crucial support beam within the walls. The tower was falling, and fast.
"Almighty Push!" Nagato, on the other hand, was the opposite of amused. Every strand of hair around him was blown off his body, which meant Naruto and Jiraiya had little choice but to recall it back to their original lengths. "You two will regret that… this was the last mistake you'll ever make."
The two sages exchanged a knowing look. They had no choice but to trust that Sakura could handle herself. No more distractions, no more excuses. It all came down to this. They pushed more chakra through their feet to keep balance as the tallest building in the Hidden Rain fell out of the sky.
"Nagato," Jiraiya's eyes were filled with anger and rage, but also tempered with resolve and determination. "The only regrets I have left are failing as your Master."
The inevitable battle has finally arrived. Sakura made the unilateral decision that she's not sitting on the sidelines while Naruto and Jiraiya avenge her Master. Can she handle Konan?
Find out next time in Chapter 68: Know Pain
Lampre8 - FFN is barely held together. It's crazy.
Passive Person - Calling my fic a relic makes me feel old. It's not even 8 years old… that's a relic?
Pat9921 - Sakura's a Chunin. I don't think moving out of your parent's house by that point is a big deal.
Lilthug - Naruto never unlocks the chains in canon, so I'll keep it that way. As for flying with lightning chakra, I could see it.
bleachorange - I appreciate it!
Tiger 6329 - It was a typo on my profile page. Relax lol.
oSayan - The app and website are both cooked, to be honest. Sad to see.