Chapter 222: Loyalty
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 222: Loyalty
"Should I come back later?" Shizune asked.
"Everything is fine. Just leave that tray here," Tsunade told her.
Shizune did that and then left the room, knowing that they needed more time to speak in private.
"Let's move to the most crucial point right now," Tsunade decided to leave the topic of Naruto aside, not knowing that it was about to return anyway. "The Two Tails… where is it?"
"Did Naruto tell you that I had it?" Jiraiya asked.
"He said… that I should question you about it. You don't have it?" Tsunade was somewhat confused. By Naruto's words, she had expected Jiraiya to have the missing Bijuu, but his reaction said otherwise.
"I'm afraid not," the Sannin said.
Tsunade frowned. "Don't be cryptic with me about it. Returning that thing to the Cloud Village may be the only chance we have to avoid a war."
If they could make amends with the Raikage and he stopped backing the Stone Village… they might not dare to attack on their own.
"I'm afraid I have to disappoint you on that one. I don't have it, and you won't like where it is…"
"Where?" Tsunade demanded to know.
"Last I knew… sealed inside Naruto."
"What?! Jiraiya… this is not a moment for one of your jokes. If that's what it is." Tsunade wanted to slam her fists on the table.
Jiraiya's eyes moved to the bottle of wine sitting on the desk. He picked it up, opened it, and began to pour a glass. "You know me better than that. I only like making dirty jokes. I would never lie about something like this."
"But that's impossible. One container cannot have two Bijuus, and the Kyuubi can't be removed without killing Naruto in the process, so how can he have the Two Tails sealed inside him?"
"Before Mito Uzumaki sealed the Kyuubi inside her, we didn't even know it was possible to contain a monster like that inside a person. Our perception of what's possible and what's not is constantly changing as our knowledge grows. And besides, I never said that Naruto has two Bijuus inside him. Did you not notice his lack of whisker marks?"
"I did…" Tsunade said. She had been meaning to ask him about that, since she found it very odd. "So, you are saying that he somehow removed Kyuubi from the seal and survived?"
Jiraiya shook his head, looked down at his glass of wine, and took a sip. He knew this next part was going to be the least believable one. "He did not release the Kyuubi… he consumed it and assimilated its chakra."
Tsunade finished her glass of wine and filled another one. Her eyes moved to the bottle and noted that it was almost empty now. "I should have insisted on getting sake…"
After drinking another glass, she glanced back at her old teammate. "Okay… how?" She did not want to question the veracity of that claim, but she still wanted to understand how it was possible.
"All I know is that he possesses a technique that allows him to absorb most sources of energy into his body and use them to increase his own strength. Around six months ago, he assimilated the Kyuubi, and a bit later, he found the Two Tails and sealed it inside himself."
"Why?… What is he planning on doing?" Tsunade asked.
"His goal is the same as Akatsuki's, to obtain all nine Bijuus. But his ultimate objective seems a lot simpler."
"And… that is?"
Jiraiya glanced up. "When he was asked that… he pointed up and said that he wanted to go up there."
"…To the sky? I don't understand," Tsunade said.
Jiraiya shrugged. "I don't understand it either. But Lord Gamamaru, the Toad Great Elder, did seem to comprehend something. And after that, he allowed Naruto to learn how to become a Sage. So, he must have believed that his goal was noble enough. Or at the very least, he didn't pose a threat to the continent."
"But… how can Naruto know how to do those things? I'm sure that's not something he learned in Konoha, and it's not something left behind by his parents either," Tsunade said. Her first thought had been that Naruto was maybe given some forbidden jutsu from the Uzumaki Clan, but if they had something like that, they would have used it during the war, and their hidden village would still exist today.
"The origin of Naruto's knowledge is a mystery to me as well. But I personally believe that it comes from a previous life," Jiraiya stated.
"Is that why you asked me before if I believed in reincarnation?" Tsunade reached for another drink, but the bottle was empty. "Damn it…"
The Hokage leaned back in her chair and tried to put her thoughts in order. "So… we have essentially lost the Kyuubi, and we cannot return the Two Tails to the Raikage… meaning that war is likely inevitable and we don't have our most powerful weapon."
"Your most powerful weapon right now is Naruto himself," Jiraiya said.
Tsunade stared at Jiraiya. "You think he is loyal to Konoha?" This was one of the things she was too afraid to ask Naruto, as she felt that she was not going to like the answer.
"No," Jiraiya responded without hesitation.
"That's what I thought." She nodded.
"But… he is loyal to some of its people. Naruto may not care for the village itself, but he is not ungrateful enough to turn his back on us during a moment of need. If… mmm?" Jiraiya snapped his head around.
"What is it?" Tsunade reacted to his sudden change.
"I could swear that I heard something… it sounded almost mechanical," Jiraiya said.
Tsunade frowned. "The room is secure." There were plenty of privacy seals spread around the walls of the office, and she had it searched for listening devices every other day. "I can call the ANBU and tell them to search the room."
Jiraiya shook his head. "You can do that later. I just wanted to tell you that you can trust Naruto. Even if he never becomes a loyal ninja to the village, he will not turn against Konoha unless it betrays him first."
"Very well… let's hope you're correct about him. He may be our best chance to survive, then…"
"There's one more thing I wanted to tell you before I leave," Jiraiya said.
"You're leaving again? You just came back." Tsunade said.
"It won't take long. But yesterday, I received a bit of information that I need to investigate… it's about the leader of Akatsuki." Jiraya had a grave expression as he spoke.
"You found his identity?" Tsunade knew he had been pursuing that intel for years. But other than the name 'Pain,' they didn't know much about this mysterious figure.
"Not yet, but I did find out where his hideout is. His base of operations is somewhere inside the Hidden Rain Village."
"That gloomy place? Do you want to go there alone? That seems reckless. Take a couple of ANBU agents with you at least," Tsunade suggested. That country had become very secretive since the war, and they didn't know what was truly going on there.
Jiraiya huffed. "I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't have survived this long if I didn't. I'll just go there to collect some information on 'Pain.' Then I'll come back. I have no intention of engaging in direct combat with Akatsuki right now."
"Be careful…" Tsunade said.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Of course." He stood up. "When I return, we can have a proper meal together and some drinks."
Tsunade watched him jump out of the window, as he had done many times before. But something felt off to her this time, and she didn't know what it was. "Jiraiya… you'll come back… right?"
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