Three years after the Kyubi attack
It took them some time, but Jiraiya and Tsunade were able to sort out their issues, and decided to give themselves a chance. Things were slow at first, just as Tsunade wanted, but they soon became comfortable with each other and their relationship moved way faster than anyone would had anticipated, and a year after they made their relationship official to Shizune and Naruto, they agreed to marry.
For Shizune's sanity's sake, they also decided to limit any activity remotely linked to sexual intercourse to their bedroom. The girl had an innate talent for finding them doing it, if you could call that a talent.
While Tsunade and Jiraiya wanted a small, intimate ceremony with their closest family members and friends, in the end it became a huge event due to how many people wanted to witness their union. After the wedding was over, there were two consecutive days of partying across all of Konoha, and it would have been more if Sarutobi didn't use the ANBU to force everybody (especially other ninja) to return to their usual duties.
Jiraiya and Tsunade traveled to a village in Land of the Hot Springs, which used to be a ninja village like Konoha, but failed due to the lack of quality of the ninjas trained there, and was converted into a tourist resort, which was far more successful.
That had been a week and a half ago. Naruto was elated, since today was the day their beloved parental figures would return from their trip. He had begged and cried to take him with them. It took nearly three hours until they convinced him to stop begging.
The moment the door opened, Naruto immediately bolted from the couch –Shizune had it washed four times since "the incident"– and dashed towards the door.
"Mom! Dad! You're back!" Naruto cheered as she hugged Tsunade's legs.
"Well, I was going to ask you if you missed us, but guess that there's no need to," Tsunade chuckled as she bended down to hug Naruto.
"Welcome back, you two! How was your trip?" Shizune asked.
"Couldn't have been better! The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the service pretty nice...but all of it pales in comparison to the wonderful company," Jiraiya said as he pulled Tsunade near him and kissed her.
"Ugh, didn't you guys get enough 'fun time' already? I don't need more mental scars."
"Shizune is right, Jiraiya. At least, wait until tonight," Tsunade replied as she gently pushed Jiraiya back.
"I make no promises," Jiraiya said with one of his trademark perverted grins.
"What amazed me the most is how that place seems to be always summer. One day I'll find out why did they do to have a micro-climate like that."
"You buy me a present?" Naruto asked.
"It was your birthday not even two months ago! You already had presents," Tsunade said, hands on her hips. Naruto's eyes then watered as his mouth curved down. Tsunade sighed, rolled her eyes and produced a wrapped box from under her jacket. "There you go brat."
Naruto quickly snatched the box and unwrapped it, revealing to be a set of toy shurikens and kunais made of plastic.
"Yay! My first ninja stuff!" Naruto cheered as he opened the box.
"We thought that maybe you could start training with the basics. You'll be enrolled in the academy in a couple years after all," Jiraiya mentioned, ruffling Naruto's hair.
Naruto didn't say anything, he simply took his present and rushed towards his room upstairs in order to enjoy his new toy.
"Boy, I wish everybody else could be so happy with so little," Jiraiya said as he saw his adoptive son disappearing upstairs. Then he turned his eyes to the young kunoichi. "So, did something interesting happened while we were out, Shizune?"
"Actually, yes. I've been promoted to Special Jonin!" the black haired girl announced, even jumping in joy.
"Congratulations! You really deserved it!" Jiraiya said, patting her in the back.
"Hell, she deserves to be an actual Jonin!" Tsunade added, a bit upset. "Tomorrow I'm going to have a talk with that old monkey and make sure that-"
"Please, don't. I don't want everybody else to think that I got my promotion because of you. Besides, Hokage-sama said that if I keep working hard, I can be an actual Jonin within the next year."
"That's awesome! Come on, we need to have dinner out to celebrate your promotion," Jiraiya suggested.
"It's not necessary. Besides, aren't you tired from the trip back? Shouldn't you try to rest a bit first?"
Tsunade frowned. "Seriously Shizune, do I look THAT old? Isn't my transformation working properly?"
"Okay, okay, let's go have dinner outside! I'll get Naruto ready while you two unpack," Shizune conceded as she walked upstairs.
"And show more enthusiasm, dammit! We're going to celebrate YOUR promotion!"
…
The next day, Jiraiya was summoned by an ANBU to the Hokage's office. The white haired Sannin already expected what his old mentor would ask, and he wouldn't like the answer. After waiting some minutes, an ANBU told the Toad Sage that he could enter the office. Hiruzen was already waiting for him.
"Welcome back, Jiraiya. Take a seat. So, tell me, how was your honeymoon?"
Well, that definitely wasn't what he was expecting him to ask.
"Eh, it was good, we had a great time there. We might go there again on one of our anniversaries," Jiraiya replied.
"Good to know. Though I'm glad that at least two of my students found happiness with each other, you'll probably guessed that that wasn't the reason I called you here. How is your investigation going?"
Yeah, that was more like it.
"Truth be told, I hadn't found anything that might exonerate the Uchiha from the Kyubi attack. What I did found, however, was that there's a group that has been gathering information about the Tailed Beasts. They call themselves Akatsuki," Jiraiya explained.
"Hmmmm, that's something worrisome. What did you learn about this group?"
"Nothing much, other than they're a recently formed mercenary group. They managed to become well known in the past year due to their high rate of success and absurdly low prices. Many villages, both major and minor, are losing quite some customers to this group."
Hirzuen frowned, and crossed his hands under his chin. "We'll have to keep this group under close watch. Have they tried something like abducting a Jinchuriki from another village?"
"From what I heard, no."
"That's good. We'll inform other villages about our discoveries. Maybe this isn't anything, but you can't never be too cautious."
"Uh, I don't think they'll believe anything we might say, and think we are trying to trick them. With the exception of Suna, our relationship with the rest of the villages, both major and minor, isn't exactly good. And Suna doesn't give me good vibes either."
"Actually, that may change soon. We're making preparatives for an alliance with Kumogakure."
Jiraoya couldn't help but open his eyes wide in shock. "Are you serious!?" Jiraiya almost shouted as he leaned towards Sarutobi.
"Indeed I am. The Raikage sent a few days ago a small retinue, leaded by Kumo's Head Ninja. They want us to sign an alliance treaty."
"This doesn't smell good. Did you read the treaty?"
"I did, and I found their terms to be reasonable. Neither me nor the council think there's a reason for not to sign that treaty."
"I see."
"...but you don't think I should sign it. Right, Jiraiya?"
"Exactly. I mean, I can't give you an specific reason. It's more like a...gut feeling. I mean, don't you find a bit weird that that rageaholic jackass that is the Raikage would want an alliance with us all of sudden? This smells fishy."
"I did think the same, Jiraiya, but if never learn to forget past transgressions and make an effort to create bonds with our former enemies, we will never attain true peace. Maybe the Raikage finally saw reason. Besides, this can be beneficial for your ward."
"Beneficial for Naruto? Explain."
"I know that Kumogakure has two Jinchuriki. Both of them had tamed their Tailed Beasts, and can use their power without any risk. If this goes well, maybe in the future Kumogakure will share with us what kind of training they did in order to achieve such feat. I know that Minato would have wanted Naruto to learn to use the power of the Kyubi, if that wasn't the case he would have used a different seal."
"If that's the case, I hope that I'm wrong. Naruto needs to be as strong as possible, and such training would prove invaluable."
"Besides, we will need other alliances besides Suna if this Akatsuki group is the threat you fear it is. And with Kumo and Suna on our side, maybe we can pressure Iwa and Kiri to join us. Can you imagine that, Jiraiya? All five villages, finally united?" Sarutobi looked visibly excited at the prospect, as if seeing the culmination of the work of a lifetime.
"It's a pretty good picture, sensei. But with Kiri's ninja being more unhinged than ever and how much Iwa hates us, it's unlikely."
"Unlikely doesn't mean impossible, my former student. Anybody would have said that you marrying Tsunade was also 'unlikely', yet look what happened. As long as there's a chance for something wonderful, we should fight for it with all our strength, don' t you think?"
"I guess you're right."
"Keep up with the Akatsuki. I have a feeling that the mysterious attacker who unleashed the Kyubi was part of that group. With enough luck, we might gather enough evidence to exonerate the Uchiha."
"Speaking of which, how are the Uchiha doing?"
Sarutobi's expression soured. "Sadly, not good. There seems to be an information leak, and the Uchiha learned that they're being held suspect for the Kyubi attack, and my ANBU are hearing murmurs and rumors about the Uchihas being potential traitors among the population. As you can imagine, Fugaku-san was far from amused."
"This is not good. The Uchiha will grow restless, and that will only make them to look more suspicious on Danzo's eyes."
"That's why your investigation is so important, Jiraiya. I decided to be lenient and let you enjoy some time alone with Tsunade, but now it's time to get back to work. We need information on the attack, and we need it as soon as possible," Sarutobi sternly said.
"The Akatsuki lead seems to be the best one. I'll continue with that."
"Good. You're dismissed. Now, I have a treaty to sign."
…
Unfortunately for the Third, his hopes for peace would be cruelly crushed. The very same night the treaty was signed, a masked ninja attempted to kidnap Hiashi Hyuga's three year old daughter, Hinata. Hiashi killed the man before he could even get out of the Hyuga Compound. The kidnapper turned out to be Kumogakure's head ninja.
Now it was obvious that the whole treaty was just a ruse to infiltrate a Kumo ninja on Konoha who could abduct an Hyuga. The Raikage's answer came quickly in the form of a rather scathing letter demanding for the killer, Hiashi Hyuga, to be extradited to Kumo to be judged for attacking a diplomat, while at the same time vehemently denying any kidnapping attempt on their part. Refusing the demands would result in war.
There was an emergency meeting at the Hyuga Compound. Besides the highest ranking memebers within the clan hierarchy, such as Hiashi Hyuga, head of the Main Family, his brother Hizashi, head of the Branch Family, and their father, a clan elder and former head of the Main Family, there were also the Hokage, Jiraiya, Koharu, Homura and Danzo.
"Our main priority is avoiding a war with Kumo. We haven't recovered yet from the Kyubi attack, we can't afford going to war so soon, especially not after a village that strong," the Hokage declared.
"We all read that letter. The only viable solution is for me to be handed to Kumogakure. It was me who killed the Head Ninja, so it should be me who shoulders this responsibility," Hiashi declared solemnly.
"Hiashi, don't. We can't let the Byakugan to fall into those bastards' hands," the Hyuga Elder said.
"I agree. If we hand the Byakugan to the enemy, we will give them a weapon to use against us. What guarantee we have that they won't declare war on us once they forced you to produce enough Byakugan bearers?" Danzo asked.
"That's why we already have devised a solution. Hizashi will go in your place. We shall execute him in front of the Raikage, and hand the corpse to him. That way, Kumo won't get the Byakugan and we'll avert the war," the Elder said. Upon seeing Hiashi's reaction, he added: "Hizashi already agreed with the plan."
"Are you really thinking in surrender to their demands? So one of them commits a crime against one of our clans on our own village, and WE are the ones who have to compensate THEM? What kind of message would be sending to the rest of the villages, that we let everybody to trample over us with impunity?" Koharu angrily shouted.
"I agree with Councilor Utatane. Konoha must never kneel before potential enemies," Danzo added.
"I can't believe what I'm going to say, but I agree with Danzo," Jiraiya added. Danzo shot him a neutral look. "This may set a dangerous precedent. When other villages hear out of this, what will stop them of making unreasonable demands under threat of war?"
"But we can't afford going into a war!" Homura interceded. "Even if we win, we would be so weakened afterwards that we'd be an easy prey for even the minor villages!"
"Actually, I believe that the Raikage's threat of war is just a bluff," Jiraiya stated.
"What make you be so sure of that, Jiraiya-sama?" Hiashi asked.
"We just killed one of their higher ranked ninjas on a diplomatic mission. That's a pretty valid excuse to wage a war, and at least one of the previous wars was waged over even less than that. If they really wanted war, the Fourth Ninja War would have already been declared."
"Do you have any ideas, Jiraiya?" the Hokage asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do sensei. Let's reply their bluff with one of our own. I believe that since neither Tsunade nor I officially went back to active duty, they probably don't know that we're back in Konoha. Let him show that two of the Legendary Sannin are back in business, and see if he's so eager to wage war against us then."
"That's a dangerous gamble, Jiraiya. While you and your teammates built quite the reputation during the Second War, it isn't a guarantee that might intimidate the Raikage."
"Guess that after living with Tsunade so much time something of her rubbed off on me, hehe," Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "Fortunately, my luck will be better than hers."
"I like your plan, Jiraiya. It's good to see that after all the pacifistic ideas Hiruzen surely filled your head with, you're still capable of some ruthlessness," Danzo told him.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, then shuddered. A compliment from Danzo. He never felt so dirty.
"Hokage-sama, what is your decision then?" Homura asked.
Sarutobi closed his eyes, and pondered his options for a few minutes. He finally reached a decision.
"We will follow Jiraiya's plan. I'll send a letter to the Raikage asking him to meet me on neutral ground. Once there, we'll attempt our bluff."
…
The next week, the Hokage and a group composed of Jiraiya, Tsunade, Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Kakashi Hatake and Shibi Aburame were heading towards the Land of Hot Springs, which would serve as the neutral ground where the meeting would take place. Several Chunin were carrying the corpse of the Head Ninja on a stretcher, as well as the other two Kumo ninja that came with him.
"Ugh, they didn't have women my size in mind when they made these goddamned flak jackets!" Tsunade grumbled, trying to close her jacket over her massive rack, before finally giving up.
"If it was a man who did, I can guarantee he did. All men have women your size in mind at some point in their lives," Jiraiya said with a perverted grin. Tsunade shot him a cold glare. " Don't give me that look, I'm just stating facts."
Both of them were wearing a green flak jacket over a blue long sleeved shirt, blue pants, and a Konoha forehead protector.
"I can't believe I let you make me agree to do this. We had left this shit behind," Tsunade protested.
"Relax, Hime," Jiraiya whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We aren't going to fight, just to instill some fear into their bones. This will be over before you realize it."
He decided not to tell her that Sarutobi was wearing his battle armor under the Hokage robes. Sarutobi also hoped that the meeting wouldn't end in a fight, but you could never be too cautious, especially with somebody so rage-prone as A.
"That better be right," Tsunade replied in a threatening tone.
Hiashi's Byakugan located the Raikage and his entourage, who were already in the meeting point, a clearing between a forest and a river. Everybody instinctively checked on their weapons, even if they weren't mean to fight.. After a few minutes more of walking, everybody else saw them.
"He brought more people than us," Tsunade noted upon glancing at the group of Kumo ninjas.
"Focus not on quantity, but quality. Do you see the man with sunglasses and a scarf, and that blond woman with a ponytail? Besides the Raikage, you should worry about those two the most."
"Let me guess, they're the Kumo Jinchuriki?"
"Correct."
"The Raikage brought the heavy hitters. I don't like it."
"Hey, so did we. Besides, this confirms my early theories. The Raikage wants to intimidate us as well. Now it all depends on who gives into fear first, sensei or the Raikage."
Upon noticing the Hokage's group approaching, the Kumo ninja walked towards them. Both groups stopped at a safe distance from each other.
"So, you finally came, Hokage, and you brought the murderer with you. Good. Hand him to us, and we can get over this already," the Raikage said, his voice dripping with impatience.
"Not so fast, Raikage-dono. Yes we are aware of your terms to settle this dispute. I discussed them with my councilors, and we decided to reject them."
"WHAT!?" The Raikage roared. "Do you realize this means war, right!?"
"I haven't finished yet. Now you will hear my terms: Not only you will cease your demands, but you will apologize to Hiashi-san, the Hyuga Clan Head, for attempting to kidnap his daughter, right here, and right now. As a gesture of good will, we will give you back the corpse of the Head Ninja of Kumo so he can receive a proper burial, as well as the two ninja who came with him. As you can see, they received no harm during the time they were under our custody."
A looked livid. He was releasing so much killing intent that the Konoha ninja instinctively reached for their weapons. The Hokage, however, remained impassible. Then, the Raikage appeared to calm down, and chuckled.
"I know what you're trying to do, Hokage. You got me there for a second, but I saw through your trap. Still, gotta give credit to you for the effort."
"Excuse me?" Sarutobi titled his head, genuinely puzzled.
"Tell those two subordinates of yours to dispel the transformation. They are not the real Jiraiya and Tsunade. They're only embarrassing all of you."
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about. Those are the real Jiraiya and Tsunade."
"Oh please. The guy posing as Jiraiya is putting some effort, but the Tsunade poser looks in her twenties, while she should look much older than that!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD, YOU STEROID MONSTER!" Tsunade bellowed as she tried to attack the Raikage. Fortunately Jiraiya managed to restrain her.
"Calm down, Hime. Ignore him, he's not worth your time," Jiraiya whispered to Tsunade's ear.
"Well, if you believe I'm bluffing, why don't you check their identities yourself?" Hiruzen asked.
"I see your bluff, Hokage, and I'll take it. Darui, come here!" A shouted.
A dark skinned man with shaggy blond hair that covered his left eye, looking no older than eighteen, who was carrying a rather large sword on his back, stepped forward.
"Yes, boss?"
"Check if those two are the real Jiraiya and Tsunade, or if they're two other people posing as them as I suspect."
"Alright," the young man calmly said, and walked towards Jiraiya. He placed his hand on the white haired man's shoulder, and send a pulse of chakra through his body. Said pulse should have dispelled any transformation, as well as any genjutsu in case Jiraiya was under one. Yet the Toad Sage remained the same. Darui looked at the Raikage uncomfortably. "Uh, sorry boss, but this man isn't under any transformation jutsu."
The Raikage was trembling with fury. "Now the woman!"
Darui moved towards Tsunade, and hesitated a bit before placing his hand on her shoulder. Besides shooting him a murderous glare, the blonde Sannin was projecting an immeasurable amount of killing intent, as if saying "go ahead, put a hand of me, I dare you".
Still, Darui was a dutiful ninja, and didn't let Tsunade's anger to get in the way of following his boss' orders. He repeated the process, and Tsunade started to change into a visibly older woman.
"HA! I KNEW IT!" The Raikage yelled in triumph. But said triumph proved to be short lived when Tsunade didn't change any further. She was still Tsunade, only with a few wrinkles.
"Well, are you happy now!?" Tsunade barked at Darui, who jumped back, startled.
"Uh, boss, this woman seems to be Tsunade as well," Darui said. Then he turned towards Tsunade again. "Sorry for dispelling your...beauty transformation, Tsunade-san."
Tsunade just growled in return as she quickly reapplied the transformation. Darui quickly returned at his boss' side before the Sanin could lash out at him.
"Since when did those two rejoined Konoha!?" the Raikage shouted. His anger was an all time high.
"Three years ago, shortly after the Kyubi attack. The village needed help, and they heeded our call. In fact, they even married not long ago, and have an adoptive son," Hiruzen calmly replied.
"I even have pictures of him here! Wanna see them? He looks so cute when he tries to ride our pet pig!" Jiraiya mentioned.
"Jiraiya, please. Naruto always looks cute," Tsunade corrected.
"Anyway, now that the identities of my students is no longer an issue, can we go back to the matter at hand?" Hiruzen asked, not bothering to a hide a smile.
Gritting his teeth, the Raikage pondered his options. His ploy to get the Byakugan was falling apart, and he couldn't see any way to save it. His intimidation tactics weren't working, and it appeared that the Hokage had realized that the threats of war were just that, threats.
Now, if Kumo went to a war against Konoha, the Raikage was sure that they could win. But it would be a very costly win, now that two of the Sannin were back among Konoha's ranks. And he didn't want to start a war in the first place. As much as it pained him, there was no other way out other than quit now.
"Alright Hokage...I...I agree with your terms," the Raikage said, almost spitting those words.
Hiruzen's smile widened. "I'm glad you could see reason, Raikage-dono. Hiashi-san, please step forward."
The Hyuga Clan Head moved towards them. He had his chin up, and his face was sporting a smile of superiority.
"Well, Raikage-dono? I'm waiting," the Hyuga said, in an almost mocking tone.
"On my and the entirety of Kumogakure's behalf, I'm sorry for the actions of my representative on your village. Please accept our apologies."
A looked as if he was in pain. Darui wondered why his boss, and everybody else for that matter, had such a hard time apologizing. After all, was really saying two short words that hard?
"Apologies accepted, Raikage-dono. I hope this incident never happens again."
"Well, now that everything's settled, we should head back to our respective villages, and try to forget that this unfortunate incident ever happened," Sarutobi said.
"Wait a minute!" Jiraiya said as he moved towards the Kumo ninja. "It would be a shame if you guys went home empty handed after getting here, so you can have this!"
Jiraiya handed the Raikage a book.
"Icha Icha...Violence?" The Raikage asked, puzzled as he glanced inside the book.
All other Konoha ninja sweatdropped.
"That's right! The second installment of my successful series will hit the bookstores next month, but you can have now a copy of that book, completely free, and signed by yours truly!"
"What is this...smut!? You pretend to appease me with this badly written porn!?" the Raikage roared.
"Hey, the proper term is adult literature with erotic scenes, and as for poorly written-"
"Look what I do with your stupid book!" the Raikage said as he angrily tossed the book into the ground.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Time suddenly slowed for Jiraiya as his beloved book fell to the ground with enough force to shatter upon impact. But then a miracle happened, and a pair of dark skinned hands caught the book before it could touch the ground.
"Yes! Saved!"
"B! What the hell are you doing!?"
The one who saved Jiraiya's book was the ninja with the sunglasses and the scarf, one of the Jinchuriki.
"Come on bro, don't be such a fool, this book you just threw is pretty cool!"
Now it was the Kumo ninja's turn to sweatdrop. The Raikage, however, wasn't in the mood to get in an argument with his brother.
"Well, if you like it so much, you can have it then!" the Raikage said, then he turned towards the rest of his ninja. "Everybody else, gather your stuff, we're going back to the village!"
Jiraiya then walked towards the Raikage's brother.
"Nice to see that there are fans of my books outside the Land of Fire," Jiraiya said as he stretched his hand. "Name's Jiraiya, though you probably heard it already."
"Killer B is the name, and being awesome is my game!" Killer B replied. "Your book is sublime, but it misses some cool rhymes!"
"Uh, that's nice, I'll keep it in mind for the next book. By the way, I wonder if I could ask you a favor," Jiraiya said. Killer B nodded. This was a risky move since it meant sharing sensitive information with a foreign village, but the chance was just too good to pass. "Konoha has a Jinchuriki too. Do you think that once he's old enough you could train him in order to control his Tailed Beast?"
"I'd love to, pal, but I don't know if shall, because you see, my bro has to agree!"
"I see...well anyway, I had to try. Enjoy the book then."
Killer B couldn't be happier. Not only he had gotten an exclusive Icha Icha book for free, weeks before it would be for sale, but that blonde Sannin didn't notice that he had been staring at her boobs during the whole ordeal.
Thank Kami for whoever invented the sunglasses.
…
A few days later, the Hokage's group returned to Konoha, relieved that they had averted a war and they didn't have to surrender one of their Bloodline Limits to an enemy village. And despite his face remained as stoic as usual, Hiashi Hyuga was the one who felt the most relieved. His brother was already waiting for him at the compound entrance.
"Welcome back, brother. I believe the trip was successful?" Hizashi ventured to ask.
"Indeed it was. Thanks to Jiraiya's plans and Hokage-sama's resolve, I believe we averted a potential disaster," Hiashi replied.
"I'm glad to hear that. Come on, I'm sure Hikari-sama and Hinata-sama are dying to see you again."
They walked through the front courtyard, when some young Main House boys and girls were practicing the Gentle Fist, under the watch of a Clan Elder.
"Hizashi, during the whole time I've been out there has been something in my mind that I couldn't shake off. Were you really willing to die in my place?"
"You were willing to die too in order to prevent a war," Hizashi replied.
"But it was me who killed that Kumo Ninja. And it was me who Kumo wanted. Besides, you didn't answer my question," the older twin said.
"Yes. Yes I was."
"But...why? I thought you hated the Main House!"
"And I do, make no mistake. But that doesn't mean I hate you. You're my brother and I love you, Main House or not. And I'd be willing to die for you, just like how you'd die for Hikari or Hinata. Isn't that enough?"
"I'd die for you too, you know, Branch House or not."
"I prefer if you wouldn't. I don't want to have your death on my conscience," Hizashi replied. "Come on, let's stop talking about death, we averted a war, the Byakugan is safe and none of us had to die."
"Yeah, guess you're right. Did something interesting happen while I was out of the village?"
…
At the same time the Raikage and his ninja had also returned to the village, through their mood was considerably less cheerful, for obvious reasons. While A wasn't a man who indulged often in alcohol, now he could use some sake, at least to forget the past few days. He remembered he still had a few bottles of sake the Lightning Lord gave him as a gift for his appointment as Raikage.
Opening the door of his office, he saw that there was a man already there. More precisely, the man who started all this mess to begin with. A young man with shaggy white hair, pale skin, and had his eyes closed for some reason. Though maybe "man" was stretching it, since he couldn't be older than sixteen.
"Back already, Raikage-dono?" the young man's lips formed a half smile. "And I guess that your contingency plan failed."
The Raikage slammed the door closed, and walked towards the intruder, trembling with fury. "What are you doing here!?"
"I wanted to check the progress of the mission, that's all. But even if you didn't say anything, I can guess that it ended in failure. So, you failed to capture the Byakugan Princess, and failed to procure me a pair of pure Byakugan. Disappointing."
The Raikage's face contorted in fury, and grabbed the man by his robe's collar. "Watch your mouth, brat! Or you will find that my rage is all but disappointing!"
"Is this how Kumo treats their clients?" the man replied, not losing his cool.
"This is the way Kumo treats those who pissed the Raikage! And look at me in the eyes when I talk to you!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, due to some...impairments," the man said, opening his eyes, revealing two empty eye sockets. Even the Raikage was startled by such an horrible visage, and released the white haired man on instinct. "Even if you failed the mission in every possible way, you can keep the payment if you wish. Let's hope I can find somebody who can actually help me in my endeavors."
And with that, the man suddenly vanished, as if he was never there to begin with.
"Now I really need a drink..."
...
Later that night, Tsunade and Jiraiya were in their bed, on each other's arms, trying to sleep. The Slug Princess then started to giggle, which evolved into a laughing fit.
"May I know what do you find so funny all of sudden, Hime?" Jiraiya asked.
"It's just...I can't believe you tried to promote your book back then!" Tsunade said between laughs. "I mean, we were trying to stop a war, and you tried to sell them porn! It was so surreal!"
"It's not porn, it's adult literature with erotic scenes! How many times I have to repeat that?" Jiraiya complained. "Besides, that Jinchuriki was a fan of my book, and I almost convinced him to train Naruto."
Tsunade suddenly turned at Jiraiya, and looked at him with her eyes wide open. "Really? Because if Naruto learned how to use the Kyubi's chakra then-"
"Unfortunately, he has his hands tied. He needs the Raikage's permission first, and I doubt that such thing will happen anytime soon. Though I do plan to train Naruto to use the Kyubi's chakra myself."
"Really? Do you know how to do such thing?"
"Yes, I've collected some scrolls about Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki, and have some hints that might be useful."
"I hope you can teach him. Naruto's going to need all the help we can bring him."
"Naruto will grow up into a strong ninja, just like his parents. You'll see that when he grows up."
They both kissed, and within minutes they fell asleep.
If they only remained awake for a couple more minutes, they would have noticed that the crystal on Tsunade's necklace started to glow with a dim, teal light...