Chapter 221: The Return of the Great Sannin

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 221: The Return of the Great Sannin

Twenty-four hours after Naruto's group departed.

"Hey!" Jiraiya opened the door to the Hokage's office and walked inside. "Oops, I didn't mean to interrupt." He noted that Asuma Sarutobi was currently standing in front of Tsunade's desk.

"Yes, you should at least knock." Tsunade huffed. "And where have you been? Naruto came back almost a week ago."

"Lord Jiraiya, greetings." Asuma offered a polite bow. "I had already finished my report, so no need to worry about interruptions."

"I see." Jiraiya didn't miss the concerned expression on Asuma's face. "Must have been something serious."

Asuma glanced at the Hokage, and she nodded, giving him permission to speak about it. "There has been some… unusual activity at our borders," Asuma said.

"Unusual how?" Jiraiya could tell there was more to it. Criminals and spies were constantly trying to infiltrate their territory, but that wouldn't be enough to alarm a veteran Jonin like Asuma.

"Someone is probing our security. It's being done very carefully and professionally. These aren't missing-nin or bandits. When we spot them, they move away and don't engage. They wear no headbands or other indicators of their origins. We still haven't been able to capture a single one. But I have a very bad feeling… It's like…"

Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade and knew she was thinking the same thing. "Are you fearing an invasion?"

"They did something similar back in the Third War… It's a common tactic from the Stone Country. They're testing the soil and planting traps," Tsunade said.

"You think they'd go that far just because Minato's son is here?" Jiraiya asked.

"Hmph! That would just be an excuse. Onoki has been biding his time, waiting to get revenge, the war never ended in his mind… but I doubt he would dare to come here alone." Tsunade folded her arms. "That old man is many things, but 'a fool' is not one of them."

"The Cloud…" Jiraiya muttered.

"They've cut communications with us, the same as the Rock Village. Those two are plotting something together. I have no doubt about that," Tsunade said grimly.

"Lady Hokage…" Asuma started. "Perhaps it's too early to reach that conclusion… We are talking about a Fourth Ninja War."

"It's going to happen sooner or later. And right now, Konoha is a bit vulnerable. Thanks to Orochimaru, we lost our Third Hokage and our best ally."

Asuma flinched at the reminder of his father's death. "The Sand is still our ally."

"Only on paper. The current Kazekage would never support us in case of an invasion… even if we didn't have her brother held as a prisoner. They would just make some excuse to avoid sending aid." Tsunade pointed out.

"And if we let him go, they will have nothing preventing them from forming an open alliance with our enemies and attacking us too." Jiraiya was sure she had already thought of that.

Asuma frowned. "We still have other allies…"

"Minor villages or territories with no real army," Jiraiya countered.

"We could request help from the Mist Village—"

"They're still recovering from their recent civil war. Not that they've ever been friendly to us." Jiraiya shook his head. Konoha and the Mist had a troubled history.

"This is bad, then…" Asuma muttered.

"We'll figure something out," Tsunade said with conviction. "I won't let this village fall during my rule. I won't shame my ancestors like that…"

Someone knocked on the door before opening it slightly. "I brought the tea." Shizune poked her head inside. "Oh! Lord Jiraiya has finally returned."

"I should take my leave, then. You two must have a lot to discuss." Asuma bowed to them and exited the office, leaving Shizune standing next to the door with a tray of tea.

"Forget the tea, bring me some sake," Tsunade huffed.

"But Lady Tsunade, it's not even nine a.m…," Shizune said, her expression a mixture of annoyance and disappointment.

"Fine… something softer," Tsunade conceded.

"We still have a bottle of that wine you took from Lord Danzo," Shizune suggested.

"Perfect! Now hurry up. Something tells me I'm going to need it." Tsunade quickly sent her away.

"How exaggerated." Jiraiya sat down in front of her desk and waited for Shizune to close the door behind her. "By the way, you look as beautiful as ever."

Tsunade threw him a glare. "That means little, coming from a pervert like you."

"But I really mean it when it comes to you. One day, you'll allow me to show you how sincere I am," Jiraiya said with a grin.

Tsunade didn't look impressed. "That won't be today." She sat down in her chair. "I have a lot of things to ask, but let's begin with… how did the training trip go?"

"Surely you have received all the reports and gotten Naruto's version."

"And now I'm asking yours," Tsunade said firmly.

"What can I say? That boy is quite something…"

"Meaning?" Tsunade pushed for more.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade was taken by surprise by the question. "Reincarnation?... I don't know. Never been the religious type, if you're talking about the Samsara." Some believed in the cycle of endless reincarnation, while others believed in the afterlife.

"The Samsara… the cycle of rebirth. Yes, perhaps that's what it is, but…" Jiraiya looked concerned about something.

"What does this have to do with Naruto and his training trip?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Forget it. It was just a random thought." He decided this wasn't the best time to get into that. His theory about how Naruto came to be the way he is was yet to be completed, and she wouldn't understand it right now.

"The trip went well. He learned everything I had planned to teach him and much more…" Jiraiya said.

"His learning speed is quite fast, yes," Tsunade acknowledged.

"You have no idea…" Jiraiya muttered.

"It will be even faster now," Tsunade added.

"How so?"

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu…" Tsunade said.

Jiraiya gasped. "You let him learn that?"

"I gave him access to the private library. I expected him to read the jutsu left by his father, but he took a lot more than just that."

"Naruto can use the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu… The memory feedback with the number of clones he could create, that would be…"

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade noticed a flicker of worry in his expression. And… fear?

At that moment, the door opened, and Shizune walked in with the wine. Noticing the strange atmosphere, she stopped. "Is something wrong?"

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