65 Happy Shall He Be part 3

Part three is here now. Hope you enjoy.

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"Where is the Hokage?" Hyuga Hiashi asked, his fingers tapping against the table lightly.

All the clan heads and multiple Konoha Shinobi of great reputation were sequestered in the room, the environment leaving Kakashi a little on edge.

Too little space to maneuver in an attack. Too much central authority here.

'Stop it.' Kakashi scolded himself. 'The fighting is over. Calm down.'

It was nighttime, hours having passed since the emotional turmoil thar had stricken Sasuke in a way none should experience occurred.

His clone had popped and delivered a message from Rin that she was staying the night at Sasuke's so he wasn't alone. An ANBU guard was on overwatch, but it was nice to have Rin there with the young Uchiha. Kami knows he needs it.

Naruto had left the hospital, having been discharged, and was probably doing something involving seal experimentation that Tobirama-sama probably spoke about.

Kakashi focused back on the current situation and glanced towards Jiraiya and Tsunade, the two next to each other, while the Senju sat in the Hokage seat.

"The Sandaime is still recovering from his injuries sustained in the battle," Tsunade answered simply, her eyes sharp and focused, "As this discussion will be difficult and time consuming, I will be acting in his stead again, as his next successor, to oversee this meeting."

It came as a bit of a surprise, but not much, to Kakashi that Tsunade would take over. Jiraiya, her, or himself were the three frontrunners. He just counted his lucky stars that Tsunade accepted the Hokage's request because he didn't think Jiraiya would accept the role due to the plans to train Naruto and Rin.

Speaking of Naruto, Kakashi guessed he'd probably end up the Rokudaime, given what happened now. Had Sarutobi not been seriously injured, he probably could've held off retiring for another 5 years or so and Naruto could've replaced him, judging by his progress.

"And the topics of discussion?" Hiashi raised a brow, steepling his fingers as he leaned forward, the action mirrored by the others.

"The first," Tsunade began, focusing directly on Hiashi, "Is what will be done about the seal on the Branch House."

'Straight to the heart.' Kakashi thought, noticing Hiashi's face flatten into its typical cold expression.

Given that most of the Hyuga clan were Shinobi, it was pertinent information for the soon to be Godaime to have.

"The seal will be removed and a new one designed," Hiashi's voice had a slight tightness to it, his eyes narrowing into slits, "A weakness in the initial design was made apparent."

Kakashi felt his face twitch at the inside knowledge he had about it. The fact that Uzumaki Ashina designed it and ripped the seal off of Gai's pet Hyuga, not to mention threatening to activate it, was equal parts ironic and chilling.

"Will it have a certain feature in it that my grandfather was vehemently against?" Tsunade asked lightly, the barely disguised steel in her voice noticeable to any Shinobi worth their salt.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed once more.

"No, it will not."

Tsunade abruptly dropped the serious look.

"Good," She smiled slightly, "Now another topic to discuss is the Kusa nin that Uzumaki Naruto rescued during the first part of the exams, Uzumaki Karin."

Hiruzen had not brought it up to anybody else, which meant this was the first time the clan heads heard about it.

"Another Uzumaki?" Shikaku asked, voicing everyone's surprise.

"Uzumaki Naruto discovered her and informed the Sandaime, who kept it under wraps for now. She will be staying here."

"This will cause diplomatic issues possibly." Shikaku pointed out, grimacing at the thought.

"She has a unique ability exclusive to the Uzumaki clan," Tsunade stated in response, "Something I plan on exploiting."

Tsunade then explained the healing ability Karin had, and the possibilities it held.

"Do you think it possible that Iryo-ninjutsu used by the girl would be more potent?" Shibi asked, his tone of voice its usual flat one. But Kakashi could tell that the man's interest was piqued.

"That's exactly what I think," Tsunade replied happily, "I'm going to be taking a little bit of a hands on approach to some of the genin in medical training."

Kakashi noticed both Inoichi and Shikaku peer more intently at Tsunade.

"You mean to-" Hiashi started to say, but Tsunade cut him off.

"I'm planning on helping out the current genin who have been working on Iryo-ninjutsu. Sarutobi already gave me the reports about the group training done months ago and I can help some."

Kakashi helped Hiruzen with that, having assisted where needed. The prospect of the greatest medical nin of all time helping train Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and now Karin would only bode well for Konoha.

Karin, if Tsunade was right, could be a world class medic, and her Uzumaki heritage and the possibility of her manifesting Adamantine chains according to Naruto would be phenomenal. Hiruzen said that Sakura had chakra control and an instinctive grasp on Iryo-ninjutsu that reminded him of Tsunade. Hinata, even if she had to work at it some, was coming along at an impressive rate for a recently turned 13 year old, and Asuma had mentioned Ino progressing well also.

Tsunade could work wonders on their progress.

"To ensure that Uzumaki Karin is kept here," Tsunade's eyes traced from left to right, "The Uzumaki clan will be a recognized one by the order of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konoha."

"And who will be clan head amongst the three?" Inoichi asked, not sounding exactly curious. He probably knew already who it was gonna be.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade replied, "His performance in the exams and the invasion is something seldom seen in a genin his age. Most of the genin could earn a promotion on that alone."

Kakashi remembered the previous meeting where each of the Jonin gave a briefing in person to the clan heads about the invasion, and he as well as Gai detailed their own fights and ones by Asuma's team along with Team 7. He knew that they were proud of their children, and Naruto was the best equipped, mentally, to be a clan head.

"Speaking of the exams," Tsunade continued, shifting in her seat for a moment, "Has a decision been made about promotions?"

Kakashi zoned out for a moment, not particularly interested. It was a given that most were getting a promotion.

He vaguely heard the names of Gai's team at one point, Ino and Shikamaru were likely to be promoted, and he refocused when his own team were brought up.

"What are your thoughts, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked him.

Kakashi felt all eyes on him and he sighed, wanting to go home and rest instead of running guard duty basically.

"All three of them are ready for promotion," He said simply, pondering if he should break his boredom by whipping out his copy of Icha Icha in front of the blonde Sannin before she was technically his superior, "Each of them have had their first kills, have fought together, and they did well in their matches."

'Technically, Rin and Sasuke tied, but I'm proud of them.'

'Just not as much as Hinata.'

"Asuma's team worked well with the two Suna genin to subdue the Oto nin hunting Sasuke," Kakashi was relieved that Suna had backed down and signed the treaty to prevent a conflict breaking out, "most deserve promotion."

"What do you think of Uzumaki Naruto?" Tsunade questioned, wanting to get that out of the way.

Kakashi smirked behind his mask.

"I'd say make him a Jonin, but he isn't mature enough to not hold it over everyone. Chunin is fine."

Tsunade snorted at the maturity comment, but nodded at the comment promoting him.

"Genins Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Rin, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino. They will be promoted to Chunin, while we can discuss the others at another meeting."

Tsunade then turned to Jiraiya.

"We can now move towards the topic of Kumo and a few others."

Jiraiya decided that was the signal to start talking, his hand brushing off some lent on his jacket.

"A potential alliance cemented with Kumo," He said bluntly, causing Hiashi to stiffen and narrow his eyes, "Evidence of an organization of S-rank terrorists attempting to kill Jinchuriki, and the source of the information about Orochimaru's attack... And a couple ordinance issues that Hashirama-sama didn't know about when he rebuilt dozens of houses."

Kakashi stifled a snort, smirking as he remembered the fuss raised when Hashirama opted out of trying to heal the injured from whatever issue was causing his chakra control to waver enough to cause the healing to stutter, and instead used his Mokuton to create barebones housing that could be painted later. Yamato worked right alongside him, and learned a few things to reduce the chakra drain on his ability somewhat.

The clan heads had gotten silent at that, only Hiashi, Inoichi, and Shikaku looking unsurprised by the one part.

"You could have been a little more nuanced about the delivery, Jiraiya." Tsunade looked at the man flatly.

"No point in beating around the bush," Jiraiya shrugged, looking a bit cramped in the chair he was sitting in.

After a few seconds, Jiraiya muttered something under his breath irritably and pushed the chair away, not dealing with it.

"The Kumo alliance, if it does occur," The attention of the room was split between Jiraiya and a seething Hiashi, "Will be tied to the protection of our respective Jinchuriki, the four being targets of the mercenary group known as the Akatsuki."

Jiraiya went on to explain the different known members of the Akatsuki, and the name of the leader of the group. A few sensitive details were kept out, Kakashi noticed.

The revealing that a mysterious spy was the source of the information, and the initial start of the information delivery, had several clan heads glancing at Hiashi.

"What information do you have of this man?" Shibi asked, his voice its usual flat tone. "It is unlikely that he would disappear in the wind."

"He is dead." Kakashi said simply, drawing the attention of everyone. This was the reason he was here. He interacted with Hurin the most.

"How can you be certain?" Hiashi asked coldly, obviously very sensitive to the man, "He disappeared from sight in my own house!"

"I killed him," Kakashi deadpanned, silencing the man, "After he told me to do so, and threatened to murder one of my students, Sasuke specifically, if I didn't."

The fact that Hurin had been staring at Itachi's clone when he said that made more sense now that Kakashi knew Itachi's love for Sasuke. He'd been saying it to both of them. Hurin undoubtedly knew Itachi's real reason for killing his clan, but kept that out of his initial meeting with Kakashi for some reason.

"Did you see his face?" Inoichi asked this time, his expression inquisitive. "We might learn more if so. Perhaps a blood sample to compare."

Kakashi shook his head stiffly.

"Nothing remains of him," His eye flicked towards Asuma, who was standing with Gai and Kurenai behind the clan heads in a relaxed position, "And he's old, around the Sandaime's age in appearance. That's all we could tell about his face."

The man was likely a grandson of Ashina's. He had the eyes that looked like Rin's, Kushina's, and the old man's. Faded red hair and his facial structure looked similar to Naruto's, his eye shape looked identical to Kushina, and his hair spiked out slightly like Ashina's did, according to Hiruzen.

"Kakashi," Choza, out of all people, said his name to get his attention, "Is it possible that he was... you know." The Akimichi glanced at Shibi, then back to Kakashi.

Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine, not wanting to humour that possiblity.

"No," Kakashi shook his head, "Not possible. He would have said something if that were the case. I suggest that not be brought up again." the silver haired Jonin's voice sharpened at the end.

Kakashi didn't care if it raised questions. Minato said to not dig for anything, so he was going to do just that.

Tsunade defused the awkward situation by explaining the planned expansion of the medical training for Iryo-ninjutsu and the different plans Konoha had for combatting anybody that hoped to capitalize on a potential vulnerability after Orochimaru's attack.

Suna signing a new treaty to avoid open warfare was addressed rather quickly, not much needing to be said about it. In return for the Jinchuriki of the Ichibi and the Kazekage's other children, as well as the few prisoners taken, Suna would basically be completely beholden to Konoha for the next ten years.

After the biggest portions of the things Jiraiya stated at the beginning of the meeting were finished, Tsunade and Jiraiya shared a look.

"I spoke with Sarutobi-sensei about this more, Tsunade," Jiraiya said, turning to shift his gaze towards the rest of the room, "There is one last thing."

Kakashi tensed when his thoughts translated what was about to happen.

The room focused on Jiraiya once again.

"Uchiha Itachi was deceived and ordered to kill the Uchiha clan by Shimura Danzo under false pretenses."

Jiraiya barely explained the details before shouts echoed through the room.

The uproar and saturation of chakra in the air had Kakashi flinching, the reaction predictable.

Tsunade slammed her palm down with a resounding crack to silence them, the table creaking from the hit.

The icy look she shot everyone had them pausing.

"You will be silent as Jiraiya explains," She said quietly, the weight in her words forcing all to listen and obey, "I have spent days healing and saving lives, surrounded by constant requests for help since I got back. I saw my grandfather and uncle for the first time in over 40 years the day I got back. This has not been a pleasant several days."

Her voice suddenly sharpened further.

"I wish to get this over with quickly," Her fist clenched, "And screeching like a bunch of toddlers will delay me from resting so I can get back to work. So listen."

No more outbursts were made.

Tsunade then nodded towards Jiraiya to continue.

The resident spy master explained the details that Hiruzen and he had known, including the execution carried out on Danzo by Hiashi, Kakashi, and Hiruzen.

Jiraiya left out the part about Hurin giving the information, as well as the deceit about Danzo supposedly unleashing the Kyuubi.

After the details of everything else was said, the clan heads had varying looks of paleness and understandably lost looks on their faces.

"Why wasn't I informed of this before Itachi was being interrogated?" Inoichi asked, his jaw tense.

"It was an oversight," Jiraiya admitted, looking uncomfortable, "Everything has been a mess and that slipped through the cracks."

Military readiness in case of war took precedence, and that basically got overlooked.

As the others came to grips with the new information, Tsunade spoke up.

"Any questions right now?" She called out, "Or they can wait until another meeting after we stabilize things."

Shikaku responded with a question.

"What of Iwa?" He asked, "The presence of Roshi, and his killing by a resurrected ally of Konoha, who happens to be an ancestor of our two Jinchuriki, may cause conflict."

"Forces have already been sent to the northwest of Hi no Kuni," Tsunade said clearly, "Iwa, if they were planning a first strike, will be sorely disappointed."

Shikaku's posture relaxed, the others still trying to recover from the previous news.

"Nothing else?" Tsunade asked, hearing no one speak up, "Good. Meeting is over, we'll come back at a later time to discuss the other genin promotions and officially recognizing Uzumaki Naruto as the head of his clan."

Before they could get up and depart, Tsunade added one more thing.

"Anything related to the informant is classified as an S-rank secret. Execution will be the punishment for giving any information on how we found out about Orochimaru's attack and the Akatsuki. It doesn't leave this room."

Kakashi didn't miss that they didn't mention that the man was an Uzumaki to the clan heads.

The clan heads nodded, expecting such a thing, rose from their chairs and left, along with the jonin.

As Kakashi went to leave as well, he heard his name called.

"Hatake," Tsunade said, causing him to turn.

Kakashi walked towards Tsunade and looked at her in question, her face tight.

"How has the kid taken it?" Her voice adopted concern.

Kakashi sighed as he remembered how raw and tumultuous Sasuke was after it.

"Very badly," Kakashi was honest, not liking the thought of Sasuke going through something so terrible, "He had a complete breakdown and Rin is staying the night at his home."

Jiraiya was right beside Tsunade, his expression unreadable.

"Do you think he could be a flight risk?" Jiraiya asked calmly, almost as if he were commenting about the weather.

Kakashi's head jerked towards Jiraiya, his eyes narrowed.

"No," He said coldly, "Sasuke wouldn't do that."

Jiraiya took a step forward in response, towering over Kakashi in both height and chakra.

"Don't be defensive about it, Kakashi," Jiraiya scowled, crossing his arms, " I don't mean anything by it. I've seen how Uchiha handle stuff like this in the past. They don't handle it well at all. The last thing we need is him possibly running off, especially with his eyes now."

The three remaining people, along with the other three Hokages, were aware of Sasuke's eyes.

"I've seen what trauma does to people, Kakashi," Jiraiya's posture tightened slightly, "I lost my friend to it and had to fight him."

The thought of Sasuke turning out like Orochimaru filled Kakashi with dread. He was just thankful that neither he or Naruto had been marked.

"I understand," Kakashi eventually said, his eye flicking towards Tsunade, "How is the Sandaime?"

Tsunade's expression lightened at the question.

"Much better than I expected," She replied, a soft smile on her face, "Give it a few more days and he can be released."

Kakashi nodded along, knowing the Sandaime's health and recovery would do well for morale.

"Was there anything else, Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi looked at the white haired Sannin in question.

Jiraiya nodded stiffly.

"We," He gestured towards the three of them, "Will be speaking with the Raikage and Kumo's two Jinchuriki later this week, and I need your opinion on whether Naruto should be there or not."

Kakashi tilted his head in confusion, Jiraiya noticing it.

"Even if I'm his and Rin's godfather," The older man's voice lowered, his expression downcast, "You know them better than anybody aside from Mitarashi. Do you think he could handle it?"

Kakashi thought about it, running through every action Naruto took when encountering unfamiliar situations.

Despite being extremely perceptive and intelligent, Naruto's propensity towards assuming the worst and rolling with it as fact wasn't something Kakashi was blind to.

Whether it be the backlash of the Kyuubi's chakra during the mission in Nami, the freakout over Hinata months earlier, the wanton disregard of orders if it suited him, and his reaction to anything threatening towards him and more importantly Rin had Kakashi hesitating on saying Naruto would be fine.

On the other hand, Naruto acknowledged the dangers of that kind of impulsiveness and had made an effort to not act with that as a guide.

The Raikage would also press to have at least one of the two children of Namikaze Minato being there, especially Naruto.

"Who else will be there?" Kakashi asked, "And what will the talks be about?"

"Itachi will be telling everything he knows about the Akatsuki," Jiraiya replied, "Ay has already been informed of Itachi's loyalties."

Kakashi let out a breath, exhaling audibly as he still debated on deciding on what to say about Naruto.

"If it's about the Akatsuki," Kakashi eventually said, "It would probably be for the best to let Naruto attend. Kami knows he'll be fighting them in a couple years."

Naruto's progress was on track for him to be an S-rank in his teens. With Jiraiya training him, he'll reach it without a doubt.

"And I don't think he would appreciate being left in the dark about this, especially after what Sarutobi-sensei told me about his reaction to his father." Jiraiya pointed out.

Tsunade was just standing there awkwardly, not exactly knowing Naruto well enough to give good input. So she just stood silently.

"So yes," Kakashi said with a hint of concern, "Bring him and let him learn how to speak with other village leaders. Sink or swim."

Jiraiya nodded, his eyes flicking towards the door.

"One final thing," Jiraiya's voice hardened, his expression that of the veteran of two Shinobi wars and the trainer of the Yondaime Hokage, "Naruto is to not know of anything about his relative. None of the meetings are to be talked about and no details given. Ay has been told to not ask about it either if he wants us to work together. Hurin obviously has an interest in Naruto and I'd rather not tempt fate."

That didn't make any sense to Kakashi. The man was dead.

"Why bother with angering a dead man?" Kakashi asked, trying to make sense of something so ridiculous.

Jiraiya's brow furrowed.

"Are you sure of that?"

Kakashi fought back a scowl, not believing the possibility.

"I used this," Kakashi gestured towards his covered Sharingan, "He's dead."

"Crazier things have happened" Jiraiya said flatly, "And I'm starting to become a damned cynic about dead men staying that way."

Before Kakashi could respond, Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Jiraiya," Tsunade cut in, "This conversation is interesting, but I know little about the context of this. It's late and I need to sleep."

Jiraiya nodded and smiled at the blonde.

"That's fine, Tsunade. I can fill you in later."

Tsunade turned and left, closing the door.

Jiraiya and Kakashi stared at each other for a moment, the white haired man sighing.

"Walk with me." He said simply, looking away from Kakashi and walking out of the room.

Kakashi followed, speeding up his stride to keep up with the man.

Is this how Naruto feels? Kakashi asked himself, cursing the speed that he had to walk to keep up with Jiraiya as they walked through the streets of Konoha.

Overall, the village only had modest levels of structural damage, nearly half of it already partially replaced by Hashirama and Yamato.

Kakashi kept following Jiraiya, the white haired man stopping at the edge of the Forest of Death.

After the Sannin stopped, Kakashi reached his left side and looked up at the taller man.

"Sarutobi informed me of the traps placed here," Jiraiya commented, his eyes tracing the trees as the faint squawk of animal life emanated from the forest, "And how Orochimaru said they were nearly identical to Ashina's traps placed in Uzu."

Kakashi remained silent, noticing how soft Jiraiya's voice was.

"I'm certain that Ashina personally trained this guy and has something else up his sleeve."

"What makes you say that?" Kakashi asked mildly, his eye looking up at the full moon.

Jiraiya chuckled mirthlessly, pulling out a storage scroll and pulsing chakra in it, a bottle of sake appearing in a puff.

"Because," Jiraiya gripped the cork with his teeth and pulled, dropping the cork after he was done and took a swig, hissing quietly, "I'm pretty sure what Ashina did to conceal himself is how our little guardian angel from Uzu has been gathering information."

Jiraiya explained that he had spoken with both Hashirama and Tobirama about this Hurin individual, and Hiruzen had mentioned the supposed legend behind the name.

"A legendary warrior that was forced to watch as everything he fought for slowly withered away for decades," Jiraiya muttered, shaking his head, "None of us have heard of it and Tobirama-sama said that he didn't see any of Ashina's grandchildren have the bloodline ability that he had. If I wasn't certain that his eldest, Tadamichi, had been killed, I'd say it may have been him."

Kakashi raised a brow at how Jiraiya would know that, the man taking another small drink of sake as he looked up at the stars.

"Naruto mentioned the conversation he had with Ashina," Jiraiya said simply, "Including how Ashina's eldest died in his arms."

If Kakashi hadn't known better, he would've thought Naruto was playing a joke on them when he repeated the conversation with Ashina, even if a couple details were left out. The thought of Uchiha Madara surviving the titanic clash with the Shodai, avoid getting discovered and getting the Nidaime killed in one fell swoop, and finally getting beheaded by Ashina decades later was something almost too ridiculous to fathom.

But it was the truth.

"But how does that translate into him training the mystery man?" Kakashi asked.

"Simple," Jiraiya shrugged, "Ashina utilized a Water release ability similar to what the Nidaime Tsuchikage did, refracting the light around him to make him invisible."

Kakashi connected what that meant.

"You think that Ashina trained him to use that? That he was using that to spy?"

"Yes." Jiraiya nodded, rolling his arm a bit as he stretched.

'It does make sense.' Kakashi admitted to himself. 'The infiltration of the Hyuga compound and the seemingly reality defying information he had could be acquired if you couldn't be seen.'

"There's something else though," Jiraiya suddenly looked uncomfortable, "It's about another thing. I've not shared this with anyone alive, not even the Sandaime."

Kakashi felt a shiver run down his spine, the air feeling chilled by the thought of something this serious.

"With your permission," Jiraiya turned to face him, stowing away the alcohol, "I can reverse summon the both of us to Mount Myoboku to talk about it. I've asked the toads and they'll grant you permission to be there for the duration of our conversation."

"Shouldn't Tsunade-sama know about this if she is to be the Godaime?" Kakashi asked worriedly, popping his ring finger and pinky as a nervous tic he developed in the ANBU, "Why would I be told this?"

"Because Naruto trusts you the most out of everyone," Jiraiya said seriously, "And I'm not blind to how much he dislikes Tsunade. He practically worships you. This applies to him and something I only thought of over the last few days. I'm putting a great deal of trust in Naruto's judgement of you."

Kakashi found it hard to believe that Naruto would think so highly of him.

"I think you put too much stock in Naruto's supposed perception of me," Kakashi tried to refute Jiraiya, "I doubt he 'worships me'." He used air quotes.

Jiraiya snorted amusedly, giving Kakashi an 'are you kidding' look.

"You're the closest thing he has to an equal and peer, either for age or skill."

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, but Jiraiya held up his hand and shook his head.

"Rin is his darling little sister that needs protected at all cost, the Hyuga and Yamanaka girls are his friends that are an escape from the harsh training he subjects himself to, and the Uchiha is the nightmare of what Rin becomes if he fails at being a brother. They're not his equals in his eyes, while Sarutobi-sensei and I are too old for him to relate to sometimes."

Kakashi looked at Jiraiya incredulously, not expecting Jiraiya to be able to come up with that.

"I've got more mileage travelling the world and meeting people than anyone alive, Kakashi," Jiraiya remarked sagely, "I can read people like a book and Naruto is more like his father than he realizes. I knew Minato as a kid and basically raised him."

Kakashi felt like he was getting a lecture from Minato, the tone of voice and height difference reminding him of those days.

"So, you read Naruto's reactions when you trained him for a month?" Kakashi asked, seeing Jiraiya nod, "Bringing up different people to see his reaction?"

Jiraiya nodded again, taking the large scroll off his back. The Toad summoner unfurled the scroll and looked up at Kakashi, gesturing for him to sit on the it.

"It will make sense once we can talk freely," Jiraiya said, tapping the scroll, "I'm not taking any chances we're being listened to."

Kakashi sighed and decided to go along, stepping forward and sitting on the scroll, legs crossed.

"I'm going to place a seal with my chakra on you," Jiraiya said from behind him, pressing a paper tag on his neck, "It'll help stabilize the reverse summoning so you don't get shredded."

Kakashi fought the urge to twitch, not liking the visual.

'This better be worth it.'

"This'll feel unpleasant." Jiraiya warned, biting his thumb and going through hand seals.

Jiraiya finished the seals and pressed his palm on the scroll, chakra flooding the area.

Kakashi felt extreme vertigo and his vision spun, the sound of air rushing as he got sent to Mount Myoboku was definitely not pleasant.

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A loud pop echoed across the area as Hatake Kakashi was deposited on the ground, his head pounding.

Groaning loudly, Kakashi pushed himself up and fought the slight wave of nausea that hit him from the journey, Jiraiya arriving moments later.

"I... didn't...like that." Kakashi managed to say, his stomach clenched.

"Reverse summoning another chakra signature isn't exactly easy." Jiraiya defended himself, yanking the seal off of Kakashi's neck.

"Gah," Kakashi growled, grabbing at his neck, "A warning would've been appreciated." He glared at Jiraiya.

"I need to refuel it." Jiraiya snorted, unaffected by Kakashi's glare as he forced chakra into the seal, "And Naruto gives a better glare. He's scary."

Kakashi rolled his eyes at Jiraiya saying that, deciding to look around instead of complain.

The area was extremely beautiful, the plant life and air seemed brighter, better, almost like this was a paradise.

"I see you notice the difference." Jiraiya chuckled, drawing Kakashi's attention, "I think it's from the Nature chakra that saturates the land. It makes everything better looking."

After Kakashi got over the difference, he focused on Jiraiya.

"We're somewhere secure now," Kakashi cut to the chase, "What was it you wanted to say."

Jiraiya grimaced, his eyes going to a waterfall surrounded by a few statues of toads.

"Sarutobi knows this part," Jiraiya clarified, scratching at his chin, "And I had told Minato as well when Kushina was pregnant."

Kakashi listened silently.

"The oldest toad here, Gamamaru, is basically senile. He has his moments of clarity, but he forgets things a lot and has been around for centuries."

"To put it bluntly," Jiraiya sighed, "Gamamaru can see parts of the future."

Out of all things, seeing the future was not what Kakashi was expecting to hear when he woke up this morning.

"Can you repeat that?" Kakashi said steadily, blinking slowly.

"Gamamaru had a dream about my arrival here," Jiraiya said sharply, "I'm not a fool, Kakashi. I can see the skepticism on your face, kid. I went through my own phase of not believing it, but you can't explain my scrawny little ass being expected to crash here decades before I was born."

Kakashi's mind was working double time trying to figure out how such a thing was remotely possible. In his two decades of service as a Shinobi, he'd never heard of a way to see the future.

"How is that possible?"

"My only theory," Jiraiya stressed the word, "That sounds plausible is that constant exposure to Nature chakra, like how the toads have been, could make them attuned to the chakra of the entire world, letting them perhaps sense how reality flows... I don't know!" Jiraiya threw his hands up at the end, scowling as he paced back and forth, "Orochimaru and I talked about it over 15 years ago and he didn't even know if Senjutsu could give slight clairvoyance. Of course, I didn't tell him why I brought it up."

"Nothing other than that explains how Gamamaru knew I'd arrive when I was a kid," Jiraiya scowled once more, "And it's not a coincidence that I found Nagato when I did."

At Kakashi's raised brow at the name, Jiraiya explained who Nagato was.

An Uzumaki survivor that possessed the Rinnegan. One of three war orphans in Ame that Jiraiya trained for some time.

"And he's dead," Jiraiya took a shuddering breath, his eyes foggy, "I've outlived all my students, but when Gamamaru said he had a dream centuries ago that I would train a student who would bring a great change to the world, I thought it was Nagato. But now, I think I've found the right one."

As if a giant and disjointed puzzle came together all at once, Kakashi understood all that Jiraiya said and was getting at.

"You think it's Naruto?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Nobody else fits it. I thought it was Nagato, but he died. I then thought it was Minato, but then the Kyuubi happened. I know it is Naruto. He's everything that Minato was, but also an Uzumaki with his clan's bloodline, a Jinchuriki, and the mindset to make the world better simply because he can."

The implications of all of this was getting to Kakashi's head, but he pressed on.

"And you told me this because I could keep him from breaking if something terrible happens?" Kakashi pressed, not thinking of any other reason why Jiraiya went to him about this instead of Tsunade.

Everybody needed a peer to talk to. Naruto always had seniority in his interactions with the other genin, including Shikamaru and Sasuke. Kakashi could easily fill the role of the sympathetic listener and helping hand.

"Yes," Jiraiya confirmed Kakashi's thought, "I saw what isolation did to you, kid. I don't think the world would survive if Naruto was broken... like Orochimaru." The white haired man trailed off at that.

Kakashi didn't want to think of that. It wasn't possible, so no need to dwell on it.

"I understand the caginess now," Kakashi grimaced, "But there's something else."

"Why I think Ashina trained Hurin at some point." Jiraiya finished Kakashi's sentence, his hand going up to his forehead, "Did Naruto tell you about all the stuff said by Ashina when they talked?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"What about Ashina stumbling across Mount Myoboku in his twenties?"

Kakashi shook his head once more.

"Long story short," Jiraiya chuckled lightly, "The madman saved a snake that was from Ryuchi Cave and tried to get her back home. She gave terrible directions and he ends up here, with a summon from a rival clan in the heart of the toad's home."

Kakashi could almost visualize it.

"I take it that they didn't react well."

"That's an understatement," Jiraiya laughed, "Ashina gets mistaken for a Snake summoner, goes at it with Gamabunta, kicks his ass, and fought his way through Mount Myoboku to escape. He was banned from ever coming back and I was explicitly told to never bring him like I brought you."

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"Banned because of a misunderstanding? That seems harsh."

"Oh, he didn't get banned for trespassing accidentally," Jiraiya clarified, shaking his head irritatedly, "He was banned because he stole toad oil while he was escaping."

'Why would he want oil?'

"Oil?" Kakashi didn't understand the importance.

"The Toad oil of Mount Myoboku is a natural foci for Nature chakra," Jiraiya explained, suddenly a little uncomfortable, "Don't let it be known, but coating yourself in it is how the toads train their sages. Helps to learn how to sense Nature chakra and draw it in."

The dangers of that being available to people made it reasonable that Ashina was banned from coming back.

"What the hell was he thinking?" Kakashi couldn't help but voice, "Did he have a death wish? There's no way he didn't know the risks of alienating the toads."

"He did it for a reason, that's all I know," Jiraiya's posture was relaxed, but his voice didn't match, "I think whatever type of seal work he put into developing the Sage mask, or whatever he called it, was spawned from studying the oil and using it."

Kakashi was about to say something, but a faint rustle behind a few trees had him drawing a kunai, his senses on alert.

Jiraiya stayed completely relaxed and shot a glare at Kakashi.

"Put that away before you lose a testicle," Jiraiya scowled, walking towards the source, "Which toad is it that dares disturb me?" He asked loudly, laying it on thick.

"Don't you give me that attitude, Jiraiya-chan." A toad with what looked like a purple hat thing on called out as it stepped out from the tree, the toad being only about a foot tall. The toad also had a steaming bowl of food that Kakashi didn't recognize.

Kakashi stifled a laugh at the wince from Jiraiya at being called that, the toad looking aged.

"Sorry, Ma," Jiraiya rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Just talking with Hatake."

"Hmmn," The now named Ma looked at Kakashi up and down, "You have a summoning contract with the dogs. Be sure to not urinate on the trees."

Jiraiya let out a laugh at Kakashi's reaction, his eye widening at such a blunt statement.

"I don't do that." Kakashi said flatly, not amused. "Jiraiya isn't a toad, and I'm not a dog."

"Rue the day a toad is born with Jiraiya-chan's less than savory traits." Ma huffed, adjusting her grip on the bowl, "Would you like a bowl of stew?"

Jiraiya signaled for Kakashi to say no, which the silver haired man took the advice and declined.

Ma frowned and turned to Jiraiya.

"Be a dear and don't stay out late. Don't want you to catch a cold."

"I won't stay out long." Jiraiya promised, smiling as the toad turned and walked away.

After she disappeared, Kakashi eyed Jiraiya with a confused expression.

"One of the elder toads," Jiraiya said, seeming to be more relaxed, "She dotes on me at times. And never accept the food. It's mostly grasshoppers and worms."

Kakashi felt his throat tighten and his stomach clinch at the thought, memories of long distance ANBU missions where they had to do disgusting things to save on water and food hitting him.

"Yummy sounding, isn't it?" Jiraiya asked sarcastically, the attempt at humour falling flat, now that the calm air had passed.

"You were saying before, about Ashina?" Kakashi asked simply.

Jiraiya blinked and he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, sighing audibly.

"Sarutobi told me about the meeting in the mask temple with Hurin. I don't think it's a coincidence that Ashina made a beeline to the temple, got two masks that were important, and then Hurin conveniently asks to get killed."

"What are you saying exactly?" Kakashi's confusion was noticable in his voice.

"I think that whoever this Hurin is might have resurrected Ashina earlier and devised a plan with him. This Tobi individual supposedly gave Orochimaru Ashina's blood, but the base that Ashina mentioned before he killed Orochimaru was empty. The blood was gone by the time a team got there, and I hand picked the ANBU myself. Tobi got the blood somehow in the first place, and it's possible that he was gifted it, not knowing who truly gave it to him, only to be retrieved by a certain someone."

That was news to Kakashi, but he didn't interrupt.

"Who else, aside from a grandson, would Ashina trust with blood from when he was young?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically, "Why would Ashina have blood from when he was that young? And why did Ashina choose to kill Madara on his own instead of raising the alarm across the continent to possibly delay an attack on Uzu?"

Kakashi waited for Jiraiya to say the last part.

"I think that Ashina planned this out. An agent of his spies on Konoha's enemies and protects Kushina. But when she dies, he turns up years later to help her children. If this Tobi," Jiraiya's teeth clenched, "Was responsible for the Kyuubi, why give him the blood? Ashina said in front of me that only one other person knew about his blood. It's almost like he believed me about the prophecy."

'No.' Kakashi thought irritably. 'The Sandaime was starting to get ahead of himself when this initially happened when we started receiving letters.This is stretching it even more.'

It was becoming ridiculous how much speculation was being treated as fact and Kakashi hated it.

"That's pushing a hypothesis to the point of mad speculation," Kakashi scowled, starting to get annoyed by this, "This is too much."

Jiraiya's chakra sharpened and Kakashi swore the temperature lowered as the man's presence was levelled at him.

"Ashina didn't dispute the possibility of seeing the future when I told him about the prophecy," Jiraiya snapped, his arms crossing, "Not once. He was always pressing for stuff that piqued his interest and he talked for hours, asking for every little detail about the prophecy when I was in Uzu with my team. He only dismissed it after I told him everything, but he didn't hide his curiosity. He talked with me over his own granddaughter Tsunade at times."

"This," Kakashi really tried to refute this. It was madness, but everything as of late was madness as well. "I don't know what to say."

"Ashina's blood had to have been given later. None of the letters pointed to Ashina for a reason. Naruto said that Ashina admitted to breaking into Sarutobi's house after breaking free of Orochimaru, but why go back to him? Why not take the mask, kill him, and prevent the invasion?"

"It doesn't add up," Kakashi grimaced, "None of it adds up."

"Exactly," Jiraiya said, "Sarutobi was only warned of Ashina that night. Spooked the hell out of him that someone snuck in. The voice supposedly was disguised, but only one guy fits the bill of breaking and entering, and I don't believe it coincidence that the same MO for Hurin was done by Ashina. There's too many loose ends that fit into this theory, not to mention the vault Ashina mentioned to both Naruto and me separately."

"And before I planted one of the tags on Ashina," Jiraiya said clearly, his eyes bright with conviction, "He had yelled at me to plant it on him. He knew I had a tag! Dead for twenty years, but knew about something yesterday, so that confirms it was either him or Hurin."

"No," Kakashi cut him off, shaking his head, "Naruto said that Ashina had been brought back by Orochimaru and knew about things. He said he broke free and did it."

"Orochimaru would never have given that kind of information to Ashina," Jiraiya said sharply, "I actually knew the man, and he never trusted Orochimaru. There's no way in hell Ashina knew to kill only Oto and Suna nin, knew what masks to get, knew Minato used the Shiki Fujin, and that he learned about the Akatsuki from Orochimaru, and tried to get information about their leader. Knowledge is power, and Orochimaru would have kept it close to him."

"It's no coincidence that the moment a mysterious Uzumaki starts giving information that even my network couldn't find, followed by Orochimaru being alerted to us being prepared, and ending with blood that was from over 80 years ago turning up to be used to give him the element of surprise again happens. You can't make this shit up, Kakashi!" Jiraiya raised his voice at the end, throwing his hands out. "Give us an edge, take it away when Orochimaru nearly gets killed in the forest, and make him think he has an advantage with Ashina while warning us again. It can fit."

"Ashina went straight to Naruto after getting his mask and killing Orochimaru, not Rin or anybody else," Jiraiya continued, "And Naruto was mentioned constantly in the letters and discussions, right? This Hurin guy could've been told the prophecy by Ashina, who might've realized the same thing I did. You see, Kakashi? Naruto is the prophecized one! It all fits!"

The passion and energy in Jiraiya's voice made Kakashi want to believe wholeheartedly.

Want.

But Kakashi knew how much this meant to Jiraiya. It would mean Nagato's death, Minato-sensei, all the death would mean something.

"All it takes is one thing to not fit for this theory to crash and burn." Kakashi stated, removing his headband to look at the environment with his Sharingan out of curiosity.

He could see extremely faint wisps of chakra in the air, almost fading into the background from how in tune it was. The water definitely had a more distinct sparkle to it though.

"That sounds like the old toad," Jiraiya scoffed petulantly, "A crimson disharmony will throw everything off." His voice adopted an old wizened sound to it mockingly.

"What?" Kakashi tilted head, totally lost.

"Gamamaru described Ashina like he was something wrong," Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "I asked him what he thought of him right after Uzu was destroyed. He said...oh, what was it..." Jiraiya thought for a moment, looking unsure. But suddenly, it clicked.

"Ah, yes. A note of discord in the chorus," the Toad sage adopted the mocking old voice again, "A dead spot in my dream. An emptiness where I see nothing.' Kind of rude, but I've heard worse obituaries and Gamamaru is pretty damn senile."

Jiraiya looked at Kakashi expectantly, waiting for a response.

"I'm not going to believe this until it's proven," Kakashi said firmly, not relenting in his skepticism, "I don't believe in predestination, Jiraiya-sama. I refuse to believe I was destined to lose what I have."

His father wasn't destined to kill himself, he wasn't destined to have his eye torn from his head, Obito wasn't destined to be crushed and broken under a rock, Rin wasn't destined to die.

Jiraiya's slowly inhaled and exhaled, a faint smile on his face.

"Gamamaru, when he was rambling, mentioned twins," Jiraiya's eyes focused on Kakashi's, "Fraternal twins. He said the eldest was special and would be powerful. How many twins do you know fit that?"

Kakashi was breathing heavily, his fear rising.

'No, I don't believe it. It can't be possible.'

"I refuse to believe this was all destined to happen. It makes their deaths mean nothing," Kakashi's voice tightened, both eyes fixed on Jiraiya's, "Nothing justifies that."

Jiraiya's eyes hardened, his lips curling into a sneer.

"You know little of justice, Kakashi," Jiraiya scoffed, "I've seen the world through the lens of civilians who only know of Shinobi as wraiths in the night that haunt the cities and rich people. They're farmers, poor people that don't catch anybody's attention. They're free of the shit we've lived through. They have no power to themselves like we do, but they're still free."

"Your point?" Kakashi asked coldly.

"We're constantly spinning our wheels and no progress is being made," Jiraiya replied, his eyes turning to the sky, "I've fought on the frontline of two conflicts and killed hundreds, if not thousands of people, Kakashi. We're in another cold war like we were before and I still carry the scars and memories that paid for this uneasy peace. I've given my life just to keep the status quo. I took fatal hits when I fought Hanzo and I only lived because Tsunade was there. My chakra subconsciously welcomes hers because of how often she has saved me over the decades... and I her." A soft smile graced the older man's face as he said the last part.

Kakashi then saw Jiraiya's smile turn melancholic.

"Ashina's sacrifice and the deaths suffered at Uzu saved Konoha in the Second War, and the copy of notes Kushina was given when she was sent to Konoha helped Minato along in Fuinjutsu. Minato won us the Third War."

"Everything hangs by a thread, Kakashi," Jiraiya shook his head, running his fingers across the symbol on his headband, "You are you because your father sacrificed men and women under his command to get the rest of his forces out of that Kami forsaken valley."

Kakashi remembered hearing about the stunning escape his father pulled off in the war, but he never put thought into how he did it.

"That made Sakumo into a fanatic about never leaving anyone behind," Jiraiya said softly, "We became friends during the war and I like to think I knew him pretty well. That event was why he failed the mission that caused his death."

Kakashi bit the inside of his cheek as he remembered how pale his father looked in death, the floor covered in his blood with his own blade in his gut.

"The war shaped me into who I am and it shaped Kushina into who she was. Minato was influenced by us the most and he became something great."

Jiraiya took a shuddering breath.

"I've tried to impart the best aspects of myself in my students. I succeeded with Minato, and by Kami he was a good man."

Kakashi couldn't refute any of that about his Sensei. He didn't think he'd ever meet a more kind man in his life.

"I'm getting old," Jiraiya shook his head, stretching his arms and bending his back some, "Things pop that shouldn't be, my knees ache a little more after training, and I'm a little short of breath after too much Katon jutsu."

The dark eyes of the toad Sannin was filled with a terrible resolve.

"I'll be S-rank for another ten years at most, assuming I don't lose an arm or leg. I'm not cut from the same cloth as Sarutobi. He was more dangerous at 50 than I ever was in my entire life."

The way Jiraiya was talking worried Kakashi. All this morbid talk about getting old set off alarms in the copycat nin's head.

"My dream is that the good parts of me will live on in my students," Jiraiya blinked rapidly, "And the worst parts, my mistakes, will die with me."

Jiraiya's eyes had a faraway look to them as he stepped closer to Kakashi.

"Every death I've caused, every friend I lost, all that you, me, the village, everybody who has suffered from the conflicts that have gone on for centuries has to mean something!"

"Jiraiya-sam-" Kakashi started to say, but Jiraiya cut him off.

"If all the people I've killed and everything that's been lost is simply a lead up to Naruto saving the world," Jiraiya laughed weakly, lowering his head, "I can sleep easy at night. I didn't give up on the world like Tsunade had or Orochimaru. I was the only one, the deadlast of my year and a stupid little pervert, that kept fighting. Not the Shodai's brilliant granddaughter, not the once in a generation prodigy. Me!" Jiraiya hit his chest. "The only thing I ever had that they didn't was faith. Faith that I could catch up to them, faith that I could earn the toads' trust, faith that I could help get us back home from war, and faith that someone will do the same when I'm dead!"

"Faith," Jiraiya said the word as if it were the most precious thing in the world, "Is why I didn't give up when Minato died, or when I couldn't raise his twins. And now, I have faith that I am right, that all the nightmares and hell we've been through are just the beginning of a brighter future. And it's okay if you don't believe me, I've grown used to being the sole light in the darkness."

Kakashi felt a lump in his throat as he digested what Jiraiya said. The idea of a brighter dawn on the horizon being certain was comforting. He was utterly convinced that he was right, and he very well could be.

But Kakashi simply couldn't believe it.

"I can't," Kakashi took a shaky breath, "I can help Naruto. I have for years and will continue to, even after you've retired, but I just can't believe all of this. I don't need to think of a future event that explains everything I've been through. I simply keep fighting through it."

Jiraiya just nodded, letting out a short laugh.

"Right," He smiled like he knew it sounded a bit ridiculous, "You're not so certain. Fair enough. Of course, in a world filled with misery and uncertainty, it's hard to see the light in the darkness."

"I'll make a believer out of you," Jiraiya continued to smile, unconcerned, "I made a pervert out of you, and this isn't any different."

The two men stood there, totally silent after that, the only sound being the rustling of the grass from the wind.

After Kakashi let his thoughts settle, he took a deep breath.

"I'm worried about the future," He admitted, "A storm is on the horizon and I don't know if we'll be ready."

"You're never ready for a shit storm when it hits," Jiraiya said flatly, "You just go with the flow and shower later."

Jiraiya tossed the tag to Kakashi and he caught it, pressing it against his neck.

Being in his fifties and the fight with Orochimaru probably had Jiraiya wondering if he'd survive to help Naruto years down the road. It heartened Kakashi to think that Jiraiya was willing to impart such a secret with him, one that not even Tsunade knew.

If Jiraiya wanted him as a failsafe to protect Naruto in the event of the Toad sage's untimely death, Kakashi would do it without hesitation.

"Was that all that needed to be said?"

Jiraiya hummed and nodded, walking towards the scroll.

Kakashi let his legs carry him to the scroll and he sat down, tensing in preparation for the uncomfortable journey.

"I hope I'm wrong about Hurin," Jiraiya admitted, reopening the bite on his thumb, " By Kami I hope I'm overthinking. Naruto said Ashina was surprised about someone infiltrating the Hyuga compound. I hope I'm just grasping at straws to make sense of things."

A series of hand seals later and the two men disappeared in a puff of smoke.

/////////////

The Akatsuki had assembled in a meeting via their rings, having been awaiting news from Itachi and Kisame about their success.

Word had reached, over the last several days, of Konoha being attacked by Suna and the new village of Otogakure.

Given that the mission was a massively important one, each member was secretly awaiting information once they had been pinged for a meeting.

"Kisame," Pein gazed at the astral projection of the former Kiri nin, "Where is Itachi?"

The absence of the Uchiha was a surprise, and surprises weren't a good thing in this line of work.

"Itachi's dead." Kisame said simply, not moving an inch. "We were supposed to meet up and he's not at the rendezvous. It's been days."

Nobody said a word. Every single person silently took in that information.

Arguably the most dangerous member next to Pein himself had been killed. Itachi was the least likely among them all to get himself killed in Konoha because of his interior knowledge, but that evidently wasn't enough.

Pein's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, going unnoticed.

"What happened?"

The others all turned to Kisame almost in unison.

"It would be faster to say what didn't happen," Kisame scowled, his teeth bared, "Everything was going to plan. We snuck in and nobody spotted us, we were flying under detection throughout the entire time and knew the location of each Jinchuriki. Roshi was the easiest to target because he was potentially spying on Konoha and nobody knew he was there."

"Why not the Uzumaki Jinchuriki or the Suna one?" Pein questioned, wanting to know why the youngest Jinchuriki weren't targeted.

"Itachi did get ahold of the Suna Jinchuriki," Kisame clarified, "But the one Uzumaki Jinchuriki nearly killed the kid in the finals with a Chidori and Itachi had to stabilize him in the woods."

A Jinchuriki that could use an A-rank jutsu at that age to nearly kill another Jinchuriki was definitely a topic of importance.

"Hatake evidently trained him then," Pein mused, "To think a thirteen year old could use something like that in combat effectively. We may need to revise our priorities in acquiring the Bijuu."

Sasori cut in at that moment, drawing the attention of Pein and the others.

"There is no may," The puppet master said gruffly, "The kid isn't just an intelligent Jinchuriki."

"Your source?"

"A spy in Orochimaru's group of followers," Sasori shrugged, turning his eyes back towards Kisame, "It should wait until Kisame is finished."

"Very well," Pein accepted the delay, also looking at Kisame once more, "Continue."

The next portion involved Kisame going into detail of how they nearly defeated Roshi, but were stopped by the Raikage and the two Kumo Jinchuriki.

The reveal that they were made aware of the Akatsuki didn't go well.

"How the fuck do they know about us?" Hidan practically shouted, "I'm a given because he called me a Jashinist, but how did they know about all of us?!"

"Not all," Kisame stared at Hidan like he was an idiot, "Neither Pein or Konan were mentioned. The Raikage would have mentioned that if he knew."

"This supposed 'Shriveled ginger'," Pein said the term distastefully, the imagery not sitting well with him, "That Ay mentioned as a help towards locating Itachi. Any possible leads on who that is?"

Kisame shook his head.

"Itachi was discovered at some point in the arena and got out with the Suna Jinchuriki and stowed him somewhere while we fought."

Pein frowned at the failure to get two Jinchuriki. What could have been a smashing victory was now a catastrophe that seemed to get worse the more he thought of it.

"Out of curiosity, who was in the finals?"

"Uzumaki Naruto was facing the Suna Jinchuriki," Kisame started, "The only others I remembered hearing about was two Hyuga fighting and Itachi's brother against the Uzumaki girl."

Pein was thinking of possible ways of salvaging the situation, but needed more information.

"What else?" It was not voiced as a question.

Kisame explained how they had almost managed to get an opening to escape, but the arrival of the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage killed that possibility.

"Hardest damn fight of my life," Kisame's face curled into a sneer, "The Mokuton is everything it was described as and so is the Hiraishin."

It was no short of miraculous that Kisame managed to evade the two and get away. But the question remained on how the two could've broken from Orochimaru's control.

"Itachi would have been unable to face so many Shinobi," Pein mused, counting out 6 S-ranks against Itachi at that point, "The loss of him and the ring is a shock."

"No," Kakuzu scoffed, shaking his head, "Shitting a sailboat, now that's a shock. This is a fucking catastrophe!"

Deidara was silent, simply listening, while Hidan and Sasori both looked at Kakuzu with an annoyed look.

"Starting to doubt the cause, heretic?" Hidan asked mockingly, his eyes dancing with a mad fire in them, "Ready to cut your losses for another bounty?"

"Shut it, lunatic," Kakuzu warned, "Before I tear your heart out and feed it to you."

"Ohhh, kinky," Hidan purred, eliciting a growl from Kakuzu, "I've never eaten my own heart before. You know exactly what to say to cheer me up."

"Silence." Pein's voice cut through the juvenile arguing, causing them to shut up. "Kisame," The purple ringed eyes of legend turned back to the former Swordsman, "Where is Roshi currently?"

"No idea." Kisame shrugged, the silhouette of Samehada behind him in his grip, "Probably trekking back to Iwa."

The next order of business just presented itself.

"A team will be sent to Iwa to intercept him and capture him." Pein said simply, looking between Sasori and Deidara and Kakuzu and Hidan. "How fresh is your knowledge of Iwa's geography, Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu snorted. "Plenty of bounty work and tracking missing nin about a year before I joined up. It's good."

"Why not me?" Deidara protested, "I'm from Iwa. I wanted to beat Itachi one day and now I can't!"

"Precisely," Pein ignored the last statement by the youngest Akatsuki member, "As a missing nin from Iwa, you would be more quickly recognized by Shinobi there. Kakuzu and Hidan will handle this."

Deidara looked ready to say something, but wisely kept silent.

Pein then looked at Sasori.

"Kisame has given what information he has. What does your spy say?"

Sasori adjusted his Akatsuki robe slightly and spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto is more dangerous than expected. It may be better to target him specifically over any other Jinchuriki."

"Your reasoning?" Pein frowned, not expecting that.

"Orochimaru had an interest in the Uzumaki clan," Sasori explained, "My agent informed me of the snake's interest in the Sharingan and the Uzumaki. He planned on marking Uzumaki with a curse mark and recruiting him."

Curse marks never boded well. The only ones who managed to craft ones that didn't cause catastrophic damage to the chakra network when used was the Uzumaki clan, and the knowledge on how they did it died with them.

"A Jinchuriki would warrant recruiting by Orochimaru" Pein commented simply, knowing that Orochimaru was no fool, "Especially one containing the Kyuubi. But what makes this one special?"

It didn't necessarily mean anything though. Even an imbecile could be made an S-rank with little effort if they had the reserves of an Uzumaki Jinchuriki.

"This Jinchuriki," Sasori said firmly, "was capable of using the Rasengan, Chidori, combat Fuinjutsu, regenerates, has a bloodline ability that the Shodai Uzukage had, survived getting beheaded, and nearly killed Orochimaru when the snake marked him."

Pein didn't think he could be shocked to this degree, but this meeting had it happening twice.

Itachi was dead and it started to sound like a Jinchuriki from Nagato's clan was cut from the same cloth as the now deceased Uchiha.

"And that's not all." Sasori said gravely, continuing on.

"Not only did Uzumaki use A-rank jutsu against Orochimaru, he used a weak version of the Lightning Cloak the Raikages use and nearly killed the traitor with it."

It just kept getting worse. 13 years old and taking a Kage level threat like Orochimaru by surprise was no small feat. A jutsu like the Lightning Cloak could elevate a Shinobi to a level where they could punch Bijuu and hurt them.

"This kid sounds like a monster," Deidara said, trying to laugh to cover the worry in his voice, "He might appreciate true art."

"If he can regenerate and survive getting his head cut off," Hidan sounded downright excited, "We can't just kill him. He'll be so much fun to play with. Can we keep him?"

The glee in Hidan's voice at the thought of having a demented type of pet unsettled even the most bloodthirsty of the members present.

"Our task is to acquire Bijuu, not keep their prisons as pets." Konan spoke up this time, eying Hidan with suspicion.

"Can't we like, I don't know, recruit the kid?" Hidan asked, silencing the room completely with how it sounded.

"Did I not screw your head back on right the last time I tore it off?" Kakuzu asked incredulously, "That's the dumbest thing I've heard in decades."

Despite the distraction, Pein was a little curious about how the Jashinist would justify the extremely stupid statement. It might be amusing.

"Well what's the big deal?" Hidan threw his arms out in exasperation, "Why do we need to seal the damn Kyuubi when we could just talk to the kid? What if he hates his village or other Jinchuriki? There's Shinobi that are stronger than those stupid beasts and this kid'll probably be one. It's a waste to kill him, what if he enjoys murder and wants to follow Jashin?"

"We are not going to let you get distracted with missionary work," Kakuzu growled, his eyes burning a hole in Hidan's head, "I swear I'll find a way to make you stay dead."

"But you can't." Hidan laughed mockingly.

"The Uzumaki would more likely try and kill you instead of listening to you," Sasori scolded the cultist, "A more important factor than just his capabilities is his knowledge. Knowledge that he has no business knowing."

"What kind of knowledge?" Konan asked.

"He knew about Orochimaru's interest in Itachi and told Orochimaru no to being a shield against Itachi and us. Orochimaru told him about us and the goal to hunt Jinchuriki to convince him that he could only survive if the snake trained him to fight us."

Hidan groaned petulantly under his breath.

"No fun."

"Please, continue." Konan and everyone else ignored Hidan.

"Uzumaki not only knew about Orochimaru's interest, but knew who my spy was and mentioned me by name."

'How is that possible?' Pein thought. Knowledge like that isn't exactly easy to know and was impossible for a 13 year old to know.

"He mentioned you by name?"

Sasori nodded. "Yes. He had in-depth medical information about a Kaguya that was a servant of Orochimaru, came up with a convincing lie about working with the traitor himself that included more inside information, and also knew exactly what happened when Orochimaru attempted to kill Itachi."

"This... Kaguya," Pein said slowly, "Will he be a problem?"

Sasori shook his head.

"Borderline S-rank at 15, helped assist in killing Kazekage Rasa, and had a terminal illness that was slowly weakening him."

Judging by Sasori's statement of him not being a threat, he was dead.

"I take it the Kaguya has departed this world?"

Sasori snorted, the action strange when coming from a puppet.

"The Kaguya was tasked with killing Uzumaki Naruto, but never returned to Orochimaru's base. Either they killed each other, or Uzumaki killed a Kaguya and defeated an unstable Jinchuriki in the same day. My spy was nearly killed by a lightning jutsu and had to retreat."

"And where was Orochimaru when this happened?" Pein pressed, "A vengeful Jinchuriki that can survive fights of that caliber would be a priority to kill."

Sasori chuckled darkly at the question.

"My spy says Orochimaru hasn't showed up, meaning he's probably dead or licking his wounds. My contacts in Suna's military have quite a story to tell about what happened during the failed invasion."

The next portion involved Sasori, who still sounded extremely pleased at Orochimaru's possible death, regaling the group call with the information he had received from his contacts about the battle.

Red haired bunshin rising from the water and cutting people down, the air filled with mist to ensnare the senses, and haunting violet and golden eyes gleaming behind a curtain of crimson hair.

The memories of nearly dying as he and his parents were loaded on a ship out of Uzu while under fire from a coalition of Shinobi had Pein curling his fingers into a fist, his teeth clenched.

Blood. Screaming. His cousins bleeding out as they shielded him with their own bodies when their boundless chakra reserves had already been exhausted.

But the demonic howl of the wind as twisters made from water were sent at the area where steel clashed against steel was somehow worse.

From a distance, the mist around his first home village looked like a maelstrom that centered around one man as it twisted in a pattern not unlike their clan symbol, the man's eyes familiar to a young Uzumaki Nagato.

"That sounds familiar," Kakuzu stated, drawing Pein from his thoughts, "I got contracted out to kill a few Uzumaki that escaped the pocket, along with some Shinobi that deserted after the fight."

Scalp money is what Kakuzu got for their lives, another dark blot on humanity caused by the cycle of conflict and hatred.

"It sounds like Orochimaru got ahold of the Shodai Uzukage's blood and it backfired on him," Sasori chuckled again, "Because the only ones killed were Suna and Oto nin."

The presence of Uzumaki Ashina was a surprise to Pein, Madara having not informed him of whose blood it was. He didn't know what to think about it. The idea of bringing back the dead like the Edo Tensei didn't sit well with him, but it was necessary to end the cycle.

"Assume Orochimaru survived until we hear word of his death," Pein stated to the others, "Sasori, when would you expect confirmation?"

"I should have heard by now, but someone, likely Konoha, has been running interference. Messages are delayed like they're being intercepted by their own network."

"Alert us when you have more information," Pein instructed the puppet master, adding one more thing, "Did your spy have any other important discoveries?"

Sasori seemed to think for a moment, before nodding.

"The other Uzumaki Jinchuriki can also use the Rasengan and is skilled in Fuinjutsu."

'If the two Konoha Jinchuriki, especially the boy, were this capable, then it may be better to target them now instead of later.'

Looking at Sasori still, Pein asked a simple question.

"How vulnerable is Konoha right now? Can the Uzumaki Jinchuriki be captured?"

Sasori remained still.

"The Raikage is still currently in Konoha and I have no confirmation on whether the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages are still present. With Itachi dead, a frontal assault may not be possible."

Pein knew for a fact that he could take them on. The Edo Tensei could theoretically be nullified by his Rinnegan enabling him to forcefully wrench a soul away from a body. But the presence of multiple S-ranks there was not something he was going to test.

"I see that Zetsu isn't here." Sasori glanced to the left and right of Pein.

"Zetsu is conducting a time sensitive mission," Pein repeated the lie Madara had him say if it was brought up, "He will be informed later."

Pein didn't want to cause an issue with Madara currently, so he responded in a way to not arouse suspicion.

"Be prepared for another meeting soon. I must think on how we must adapt to this unforseen setback. A replacement will need to be located for Itachi and Uzumaki Naruto will be approached differently."

Pein turned to remind Kakuzu and Hidan. "Begin hunting Roshi immediately. His injuries will hamper him. Dismissed." He then pulled on his chakra to cut the connection, the astral plane collapsing.

Pein blinked as reality came back into focus and he turned to Konan, then to Madara standing in the corner.

"How will Uzumaki be handled?" Pein asked, eying Madara speculatively.

The soft sound of rain outside felt calming, probably the only good thing about Ame.

The Uchiha uncrossed his arms and turned to look outside, the rain pouring down non-stop.

"Perhaps I should do it myself," The raven haired man mused, back still turned, "I already know the layout of Konoha and it will be a simple act of taking him from his bed. Dangerous or not, he is merely a boy."

That would definitely be the simple route, but would Madara do it?

"How have the preparations gone?" Madara's voice was steady, but Pein knew it brokered no delay in a response.

"Patrols around Ame's borders are in place," Pein answered smoothly, "And the village is preparing for conflict."

Even with him at the helm, Pein wasn't certain that he could lead Ame to victory against the Big 5.

But turning them against one another and killing the weakened victor was viable.

"Are the plans still the same?" Pein remained still as he asked Madara that.

A slight incline of the man's head was the response.

"Genjutsu is always useful in subverting the will of others. The Kages of the smaller villages will fall in line when the time is right."

A tiger, powerful and fierce, can still be taken down by a large enough pack of dogs.

"I will be absent for some time," Madara's chakra shifted, a slight rustle of wind making his robes move, "If Uzumaki is to be captured early, I shall do it myself."

Uchiha Madara then vanished, leaving nothing behind.

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This is the end of part three. Probably the last part will be out tomorrow. Comments are definitely welcome and I hope you enjoy.