Chapter 40
JIRAIYA-The Toad Sage
Izuna Uchiha was a name that he was far more familiar with than many thought, for the boy was a rather common fixture amongst the people around him. From his student Minato, to his sensei, the boy had endeared himself to quite a few people.
And each and every one of them sang praises of the young Uchiha prodigy, and when Minato had tasked him with handling this rather delicate matter, he knew that he had to see for himself what made the boy so special.
And as Jiraiya felt his chakra reserves fall by around a quarter, he knew that the praise was not for nothing.
"AYYYY! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" Gamabunta's shrill screams were answered enough as Jiraiya finally took a breather as he sat on his summon's nose, looking down at the boy who had nearly humiliated him.
"What is with this fire!" and Gamabunta was a giant summon, one whose skin was so hard that it could easily tank massive attacks, and yet even he was getting injured by the boy's special flames.
And sensei had warned him about them, but hearing about them and facing them on your own was an entirely different thing.
And as Gamabunta's blade cut through the clone, the attack stopped as the giant toad turned its gaze toward him.
"Why have you summoned me, Jiraiya?" he asked as he pointed toward the boy in question.
"Well, I was kind of out of options," and as Gamabunta saw his opponent, the giant summon scoffed.
"You couldn't even handle a little child," he taunted as Jiraiya retorted.
"That child is Izuna Uchiha," and that shut him up, for even the summons knew of the boy prodigy, as the giant toad narrowed its eyes at the boy.
"I see," and even the summons had heard of the brat as Gamabunta nodded.
"So that is the Uchiha boy I have heard so much about," and Jiraiya nodded.
"You have taken quite a beating, Jiraiya. Maybe I should have you summon Pops and Maa, so that they can chew you out for neglecting your training, that you let a snot-nosed Uchiha brat kick you around," and he shivered at the mention of the two Toad Sages, who were also his masters.
"Why don't we skip that and teach that boy the Greatness of Toads?" Gamabunta nodded as he opened his mouth.
"Ninpo: Toad Oil Tsunami!" and with that, Gamabunta spewed a massive torrent of oil at the boy as Jiraiya cycled through another set of handseals.
"Katon: Toad Oil Flamethrower!" and his fires mixed with the Gamabunta's oil and formed a literal storm of fire, and the boy had nowhere to escape as Jiraiya saw him grit his teeth as the boy began to gather a massive amount of chakra for himself.
"Katon:" and his words shocked him, for it was rather bold of him to face his fire with his own.
"...Majestic Destroyer Flame!" and his eyes widened as he heard the name of that technique, for it was a very, very high A-rank technique that only a few had ever mastered, and yet as a massive storm of blue boiling flames crashed with his own attack the explosion rocked the area.
BOOOOM!
And the volume of his own attack was greater than the Uchiha brat's, yet his fire burned hotter and did not let him down as their attacks simply cancelled each other out.
"The brat is not half bad," Gamabunta added, and he was running out of steam as Jiraiya nodded.
"Yes, let's go," and suddenly he jumped up, while maintaining his attack as he pushed chakra into his hair, and saw them elongate as he appeared above the boy.
"Ninpo: Lion's Mane Fangs!" and a thousand senbon rushed at the boy, who was forced to abort his attack and jump. Suddenly, Gamabunta appeared and hit the boy from the side, sending his body crashing into the lake as Jiraiya smirked.
"You are done," and he landed on the lake, and before the boy could jump away, he had already finished his jutsu.
"Suiton: Water Bindings!" and ropes of water emerged from underneath him, and began to spread all over his body, but Suiton was never his specialty, and the technique was never powerful enough to hold down a jonin, which the boy was.
"Gamabunta!" he screamed, and his summon followed his command and pounced at the boy at his command.
"Ninpo: Giant Toad Prison!" and it gulped down at the boy in one motion, swallowing his body in one single bite as the giant summon straightened up as it slapped its belly.
The boy had impressed him quite a lot, but in the end, he was still a sage and had yet to unleash his full strength, but to push him as much as he had at his age.
"Damn that kid really was somet...." but just as he was about to finish his words, suddenly Gamabunta's body expanded.
"GUGH!" his summon's eyes widened, as Jiraiya stilled as sweat rolled down his forehead.
"Oye! Oye! Oye!" he asked as he saw Gamabunta struggling as a massive amount of chakra rippled from him. He could see his summon trying to keep its mouth closed when he saw it begin to open.
"GUKH!" even Gamabunta seemed surprised as its mouth was pushed open and Jiraiya's eyes widened at the sight, as he saw two pitch black skeletal arms pushing open his summon's mouth as the young Uchiha jounin simply walked out of Gamabunta's mouth, dismantling one of his most prised and dangerous techniques like it was nothing.
And those eyes, the Sharingan. It had changed, and of course he knew what this was, for he had heard legends about it, and was even lucky enough to even see it in action a few times in his youth.
"Magenkyo Sharingan," he recognised, and those arms. Those skeletal arms. It could only be one technique.
"Susanoo," yet the arms vanished as Gamabunta's chakra ran out, and his summon vanished back to Mount Myoboku as the boy looked into his eyes.
"I told you, didn't I..." and it was a bit scary for him to imagine that he was such a menace while he was not yet a teenager.
"...you alone are not enough to kill me," and suddenly he stilled as he felt a drop of rain begin to fall, and he looked up at the skies and saw that the weather had shifted, and now dark clouds covered the skies, and lightning began to strike.
And suddenly, he was reminded of the boy's technique. The S-ranked technique which had felled down the infamous Kushimaru Kuriarare of Kirigakure.
And as intrigued and interested in the technique he was, he knew that if the boy used it, so close to the border, it would cause a massive havoc in the force stationed at the village and at the border.
"Raiton..." and so, being the older and more mature of the two, he eased up as he slapped his hands.
"Ok, I think that is enough!"
CLAP!
And he smiled as he clapped his hands, and for a second, he feared that the boy would ignore his words as he stared at him with those ominous eyes of his before he saw him ease up as his eyes returned to normal.
"You have proven your point, boy. I truly might not be enough," he laughed at the absurdity of it all, that he had struggled against a ten-year-old boy. A ten-year-old.
"What the hell did they even feed you," he taunted, and the tension between them eased up slightly as Jiraiya walked upto him.
"Still, there are a few things that this old soul could still teach you," but they were indeed a few things.
He had noticed the boy's struggles with Sensing, and his method of utilizing his fuinjutsu in combat, and some other small adjustments.
"I know," and the boy was humble enough to know that he was not infallible.
"It was the only reason I agreed to come with you," and he smirked. it was heartening to see that the boy was smart enough to see this for what it was.
A test, or rather yet, a little chance for the boy to let out his rage, for in the end, Minato had his hands tied when it came to dealing with the traitor Danzo. At least for some time.
It also was a subtle warning and incentive for the boy—a warning to show him that as powerful as he was, there was still much he did not know. Much that he would be taught and given if he were to simply wait, and let them handle this appropriately.
"So, you understand why Minato sent you away with me? Why he cannot act on the information you brought to him even though he wished to?" he asked, and the boy's fists balled up.
"He is making a mistake," the boy retorted, and a part of him agreed with the boy, yet the world was cruel, and in this cruel world, you did not survive by causing a divide in the village, and loathed as he was to say it killing Danzo would do just that.
For the bastard was not just protected by his sensei, but by a whole regime of old, entitled old men who were embedded in the top brass of various regiments and clans.
"Yet his hands are tied," he defended his student.
"Danzo holds quite a clout within the village, especially amongst the clan elders and the older shinobi, including my own sensei. Heinous and treasonous as his actions may be, killing, punishing, or prosecuting a shinobi of his repute and import at such a time could wreak havoc within the village," for this matter involved clan children, and if any details about this were leaked, it would destroy the unity of the village, giving a massive opportunity for their enemies to exploit.
"You understand it as well. It is why, rather than taking those allegations public, you chose to bring them up with Minato," and it showed the boy's prudence. A prudence that Minato was putting his trust in.
"And a part of me agrees with you that this might really be a mistake, but Minato is the Hokage and this is his decision," the boy scoffed as he sat down, and Jiraiya found himself impressed as he saw a green hue appear on his hand as the boy began to use iryo ninjutsu to heal himself.
"Perhaps I should have simply gone and killed the man myself," and that was a troubling thought.
"You would have failed," he cut in quickly and sharply to dissuade the kid from such a notion.
"I don't fear punishment," and he shook his head as he walked upto the boy.
"No, I do not speak of punishment or retribution. I am simply saying that if you had faced Danzo Shimura as you are now, you would have failed," and the boy's eyes widened at that before they narrowed.
"I have not yet used all my abilities," and he knew that.
"And neither have I," he added as he plopped down besides the boy.
"But Danzo is a man who fought alongside my own sensei. He was a peer to the man we all know as the God of Shinobi," and he did not like to praise a man such as him, but his skill as a shinobi was undeniable.
"You are strong, and yes, there is a chance that you may even succeed against him, but right now, I would say that if you and he were to fight ten times, you both would each win an even five times times," and the boy's eyes widened at those words.
"I see," and he could see his rage and frustration.
"You are strong, yet you are still young. Your reserves are still growing. You make up for it using your masterful control, but I could feel them get empty when you escaped out of Gamabunta's prison," and the boy nodded.
"I know," and it was good that he recognized his weaknesses.
"But don't worry, Minato has asked me to assure you that this is only temporary. Danzo Shimura will answer for his crimes," he assured him as he put a hand on his shoulder.
"You just have to give him some time," and the boy looked into his eyes and nodded.
"I will, but only if you teach me a few things," and Jiraiya smirked.
"It's why we are here. A few months with me, and I am sure that I can make it so that you can easily kill an old decrepit man like Danzo, even in your sleep..."
For any other shinobi, such a feat would need years, rather than months. But the boy in front of him was no ordinary shinobi. And even his warning had been a bit of an exaggeration to dissuade the boy.
Because the truth was, Izuna Uchiha was more than capable of killing Danzo Shimura as he was.
The only question was, could they stay his hand?
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And as they began their journey. Far away in the land where it never stopped raining, the man who had once blessed three young shinobi with the title of 'Sanin' stood in front of an entire unit of masked nin that had just come into his village, carrying a missive from a somewhat unlikely ally.
"I see," he whispered as he read the missive and then burnt it as he turned to face the masked men and began to examine them one by one.
"Yes, they will do," and with that, he turned around and faced his second-in-command.
"Bato," he called out to his vice commander, who knelt obediently.
"I want you to reach out to this Akatsuki..."
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NOHARA RIN
A few weeks had now passed since Izuna-kun's departure, and the sense of loneliness and solitude had only just begun to set in as she sat in the tower, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
The screams and whispers of the bijuu that was now housed inside her still lingered in her head, yet she had grown accustomed to them somewhat, even though each time she molded chakra, the presence of foreign chakra inside her made her skin crawl.
Utilizing her chakra burned her and made her coils boil, and yet she kept it all to herself, not to worry the people around her any more than she already had. Sensei had become Hokage and had to deal with the village, while Kushina-san was pregnant and had a bijuu of her own to deal with.
In comparison to them, her problems were trivial. Moreover, she did not wish to give up on what little freedom she had obtained, for she knew that if she mentioned this to her sensei, he would worry for her and have her locked down in this tower again, and she did not want that. Not when she had just gotten permission to leave the premises on her own.
And all this was because of him, because of Izuna Uchiha. She owed the young Uchiha much, including her own life.
If it had not been for him, she would never have had made it out of that cave alive, or have made what little progress she had made with the bijuu inside her. In her time of despair, he had been the beacon of light that had helped her and led her into the light.
She looked forward to their meetings and chats, and liked picking his brains for chakra exercises and obscure facts and stories.
Many compared him to Kakashi-kun, and just the thought of her old teammate made her mood turn sour, yet Izuna-kun was much different than Kakashi. For as talented as he was, Kakashi kun was always too stiff, too concerned with ninja arts and mission.
But Izuna kun was different, he had hobbies, was a much better conversationalist, and, most of all he was her hero.
And in these months of togetherness, she had deluded herself for some time into thinking that perhaps one day she could have a place beside him. She had grown bolder, and yet reality had struck her quickly as she recalled the little shopping trip they had gone on, as she realsied that their worlds were simply far too apart.
That Izuna Uchiha was not just a talented young shinobi. No, he was also the heir to the prestigious Uchiha clan, and it was well known that the Uchiha preferred to marry into their own, and he would be no exception.
And from what she could tell, he already had a candidate in mind, and though neither of them had spoken as such, yet their laughs and jokes were apparent enough to tell her of their deep bond and friendship.
In comparison to Saiko Uchiha, she was nothing. She was worse than nothing. She was a burden. A broken and defiled burden.
And her fists balled up as a sense of loneliness began to creep up until she finally gave up on sleeping at all and pushed herself out of her bed.
She turned to look at the sky and saw the darkened skies and the full moon as she made up her mind to visit the only place that could fill this hole in her heart.
So, she took a minute to prepare herself before she wore her uniform and made to leave the Uzumaki tower. The streets outside were mostly empty now; the village had gone to sleep, as she walked through empty streets all by herself.
Well, not exactly, for she knew that an ANBU unit was following her, yet they remained hidden from her senses. What she felt was but a hum of their emotions that made her certain of their presence.
Yet she had long gotten used to it, and so she walked and walked until she was at the cemetery once more. Her feet carried her to the all familiar graves of her friend, and as she turned the corner to enter their column, she stilled as she saw another person standing infront of those two graves.
One person with long black hair and he stood infront of the graves of Kakashi and Obito, much to her surprise, and she suddenly stilled as she felt a pair of eyes land on her, with such intensity that they made her step back and blink.
"Who are yo..." Yet as she blinked, suddenly the person vanished, much to her surprise, and she looked around to see if they had moved, and yet she found no trace of them anywhere.
"Huh!" she gasped as she slowly walked up to the graves, still looking around for this mysterious person, yet she saw no one.
"Was I hallucinating?" and it was late into the night, it could be that, and when she found no trace of him, she convinced herself that it was an illusion, a little trick of the lights.
And so, she stopped in front of the two graves and brought together her hands as she began a prayer.
"Kakashi-kun! Obito-kun! I miss you...."
If only she noticed the masked nin hiding in the darkness of the night....
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