“How are we going to tell Naruto?” Sakura said as she heard the news. Sai simply looked down to the ground. Kakashi kept his grip around me. This is exactly what I feared. People are me were dying and I wasn’t able to save them. I failed them.
“There is no simple way but to just say it,” Lady Tsunade said as she looked outside. Not only was Naruto beating himself up for not returning Sasuke to the Leaf now he must know about the death of his teacher and father figure. Naruto bonded with him, they had a connection that was like father and son. I can’t even imagine the pain he is feeling.
“Kakashi will you go and get him. If Lord Fukasaku will you please tell him. He should hear it from the person who was there,” Lady Tsunade said. Kakashi nodded and left to retrieve Naruto.
“We have to be prepared for the worst. I believe Pain, the opponent will be coming here for Naruto next,” Lord Fukasaku said dimly. I closed my eyes and put my hand over my baby. These stomach twisting feelings that I have been feeling were true, the Akatsuki did get a couple of more beasts.
“But if Naruto is the Child of prophecy then he must get over this quickly and begin training,” Lord Fukasaku said.
“Train?” I asked him.
“Sage. I will make the Child of Prophecy into a sage,” he smiled a bit. I smiled a bit too, he was the child of prophecy just like I was the chosen one. We were alike in so many ways, and if he was anything like me, he would because a sage. I had faith in Naruto.
In a matter of a few moments, Naruto and Kakashi were back. And I felt my heart ache.
“What are all you doing here?” He asked.
“So this is Jiraiya boy’s student?” Lord Fukasaku asked.
“Yes this is Naruto Uzumaki, the child of prophecy you speak of,” Lady Tsunade said.
“What’s with the geezer frog? Who is he? And who are you to call Master Jiraiya a boy?” he said a bit astonished.
“Watch you’re mouth Naruto. His name is Lord Fukasaku and he is one of the great sages. He taught Jiraiya Sage Art. He is Jiraiya’s master,” Tsunade said.
“What does he want?”
“I’m not too sure where to begin, but I am afraid Jiraiya boy has died in battle,” he said.
“Hh?” I heard Naruto squeak, “Wh-What are you talking about?”
“I know this all so sudden, and you may not believe me. For some time now there were rumors circulating that the leader of the Akatsuki were operating from the HIdden Rain village. So Jiraiya went in person to verify if these rumors were true.”
“The leader of the Akatsuki were in the rain village?” Sakura asked. I looked up to Kakashi, and he grabbed my hand tightly in reassurance. When were there, we felt it. We just didn’t know it.
“Isn’t it extremely difficult to infiltrate. That village, as I recall is closed off to the outside world.”
“Yes, but Master Jiraiya was skilled in infiltration and espionage tactics,” Kakashi relied.
“Yes exactly. Jiraiya boy encountered Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki. However, Pain was a former student of Jiraiya’s from many years ago. He called him Nagato.”
“He was a boy of three kids we encountered during the last Great Ninja War. The Rain Village was a battle field and he stayed back to help them. Who would have imagined those kids?”
“But to strike down an opponent like Jiraiya who did his opponent accomplish that?” Kakashi said.
“It’s because Pain posses the Rinnegan,” Lord Fukasaku said.
“What did you say?” Kakashi said. I tightened my grip on his hand and I felt myself get sick. I knew those eyes were real and I have seen them before. But to know that they were used and powerful made things worse.
“Its an ocular jutsu that is said to have been possessed by the father of all shinobi, the sage of the sixth paths.”
So the Sage of sixth paths was real after all. I knew it, I always believed in him but i had my doubts.
“The power was greater than anyone could imagine, but there is more. There were six of them,” Lord Fukasaku said grimly.
“How could that even be possible,” Kakashi said. I was beginning to feel my knees go weak.
“I am not sure but Jiraiya boy found out He was not able to tell me, for Pain had crushed his throat. He knew the end was near but he wrote this message before collapsing,”Lord Fukasaku said as he took off his coat and showed us his back. There were numbers etched into the toad’s skin.
“Its a code.”
“I’m sure he did this to make sure ain didn’t catch on. If you break this code then you will know the secret to their powers. I’m sure of it. That is all I know about Jiraiya boy’s efforts.”
“You let him go is that right granny?” Naruto said after listening to everything.
“Yes.”
“Why would you ever let him do something so reckless? You knew Pervy Sage better than anyone! How could you send him somewhere so dangerous alone!” He yelled.
“Stop it Naruto. You out of all people should know Lady Tsunade’s feelings,” Kakashi said shortly.
Naruto bit his lip and tightened his fists. Naruto turned around and began leaving the office.
“Naruto wait. Where are you going?” Sakura asked.
“If the pervy sage was hokage he would have never let granny take a risk like that,” Naruto said before leaving.
“Naruto!” Sakura said.
“Don’t Sakura. Just let him be for now,” Lady Tsunade said.
“My apologies Lord Fukasaku. I’ll arrange for Naruto-”
“No need for apologies. I can see this child truly loved and admired Jiraiya boy. It makes me hope more than anything that he is the child of prophecy.”
“Lord Fukasaku, if I may say something. Without a doubt he is the child of prophecy. He will go very far with the sage training. I know it.” I said in encouragement. He smiled and nodded.
“But for now, Lady Tsunade it is essential that you stay strong. You must protect the village.”
“I know.”
“In any case let us discuss the clues Jiraiya has left us. He left a hidden Rain village shinobi that he managed to capture is inside the belly of this frog. And one last thing remains.”
Lord Fukasaku said as he sealed his hands and a toad appeared.
“Jiraiya was able to kill one of Pain and we have it inside this toad’s body.”
“You have the body?” Kakashi asked.
“Yes. Hopefully you can gather some information from this corpse.”
“Thank you. Shizune go take this to lab. Keep it under top security. For now we will take a picture of the code,” Lady Tsunade instructed.
“I’m going to go back home. To keep the book safe,” I told Kakashi.
“I’ll take you back.”
“No its okay. You’re needed here. I’m okay walking back, the hot flashes disappeared.
He squeezed my hand once before letting me go. I bowed to the others and left to go back home. My heart wouldn't stop racing, I couldn’t stand being in the same room as the toad. Just knowing he was in there made my skin crawl. He had the Rinnegan, and if he got his hands on the book of the three doujutsus then I fear the world is truly over.
If only he wasn’t an enemy, if we had the Rinnegan then perhaps the truth could help this world from complete devastation.
When I got home I headed to the closet where under the floorboard and inside a fire safe locked box. It couldn’t be unlocked without my woodstyle chakra, which I should probably change to only my chakra. This box should never be opened by anyone else but me. If I die then this box will die with me, but I couldn’t change it now. Not until I give birth.
I put back the floorboard and put heavy weapon bags on top of it. Where else would it be safe? With my father? No, he’s not home as often as me, I should just keep it. Kakashi came home late that night. But as we fell asleep I began to get hot flashes again. I got up and began to put on my shoes.
“Where are you going?” Kakashi asked as he rubbed his eyes awake.
“I’m going to the corner store to get a popsicle. Go to sleep. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll wait for you in bed,” he said as he went to the bedroom. I walked to the corner store, it was still open at late nights. As I was going to enter I see Naruto sitting alone under a street lamp. I walked over to him as I saw his orange popsicle melt and his tears fall. I felt my heart break.
“Naruto,” I said softly as I sat besides him. He quickly wiped away his tears.
“Oh hey Kiyoko,” he tried to give me a brave smile but I knew better than that.
“Its okay to cry Naruto. Just let it out,” I said.
“All I wanted was for him to watch over me. I wanted him to see me become hokage.Instead I just showed him the most uncool and childish side of me. I am still just a kid.”
I petted his head, it always made me feel better.
“Jiraiya always boasted about you. I know he was very proud, you know he once told me he looked at you like his own grandchild. You inherited his will Naruto. He believed and knew that you will become hokage one day. But he is still watching over you and he always will be. Even right now, I know he is watching us. He wants you to be strong, and keep getting stronger for Leaf Village that he sacrificed himself to save. It’s okay to mourn and take your time, but don’t lose yourself in the grief. Shinobi's like us can’t afford that,” I said with a small smile. He looked at me as though he’s never heard me talk.
“You were recognized as a student of a legendary sanin, Jiraiya himself saw a lot of him in you. After all you have to protect the Leaf Village. You have to keep people like me safe,” I said as I took his popsicle and split it in half.
“Don’t mind if I take the other half do you?” I said. He smiled and shook his head. I bit into the nice cool popsicle.
“Thanks Kiyoko. For a second I didn’t know where I was going, but now I do. I need to get stronger, for Sasuke, for Pervy Sage, for you and for the Leaf Village,” He said with a larger smile and began to eat his popsicle.
“I hope that one day my child will have a teacher like Master Jiraiya was with you,” I said softly.
“I understand now.” He got up from the bench suddenly.
“I can’t keep whining and complaining. I’m not a little kid anymore. I need to stop being a student and begin being a teacher. I need to step up if I want become Hokage. One day I hope your child will call me Naruto- sensei. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
I laughed a bit. My heart swelled warmly as I watched him, “Yes. That would be nice.”
I got back to the apartment and slept much better and easier that night.
“What took you so long?” Kakashi whispered as I got into bed.
“I ran into Naruto. I think he’s going to be okay now. And I may or may not have promised our baby will be his student in future.”
“Huh?”
“It just came up. I think it motivated him to become a teacher like Master Jiraiya.”
“Hmm. It would be great to have the hokage as your sensei. I would know,” he said with a small smile. I got closer to him and kissed him goodnight.
The next morning when I woke, Kakashi was already gone. He must have gone to Lady Tsunade’s office to start investigating all the clues. Hopefully with the clues they discover they are able to stop Pain. There is no other choice but to stop them. No one is strong enough to stop Pain.
I can’t stop him, but neither can Naruto. Not unless he goes to Mount Myoboku to train in Sage art. The evening came quickly and Kakashi didn’t come back. I left to go walk around the village for a bit. No one knew about the danger that lingered in the back. Everything went on normally.
For a second I wish I had that luxury to simply live with no worries. But I knew that was never in the books for me at all. I couldn’t live like them, perhaps in the future, far future I can. I sat near the river, and watched the water flow under the bridge. It was so quiet, it was a perfect night. The sunset west, like always, the fireflies flew, and the wind blew. Nothing was out of the ordinary. I smiled a bit and rested my head on the railing. The sound of the river calmed my thought for a bit.
“I had a feeling you would be here,” I heard my father’s voice. I turned around to see him with a small smile. I patted the spot next to me.
“This was your mother’s favorite spot to walk to. Unknowingly you two are so much alike. Even death can’t break the bond of daughter and mother.”
I looked at him, he has aged since his time here, but his eyes looked very alive. The warmest I’ve ever seen them in my life. His eyes were his youth, they were all of our mirrors of ourselves.
“So only one sanin is left. It is a shame to know that he is gone now, especially since the Akatsuki are moving,” he said quietly.
“How do you know?”
“I can sense their chakras, barely, they are very good at keeping themselves hidden, but no doubt they are heading this way. I just can’t tell when.”
I sighed a bit and by habit held the baby in my hands. I felt the baby move around gently.
“But don’t worry. I’ve warned the Fifth Hokage and they are sending squads for rounds around the village. Even if they come we will know,” he said reassuringly. I nodded and looked up at the dark night.
“Just three more months until I see my little grandbaby,” my dad changed the subject as he crouched down to my protruding belly’s level. I smiled a bit.
“I can feel her strong chakra. I hope I’m not confusing it for the beast’s chakra, but this little child is strong. I can’t wait to meet this little one.”
“I know, I can feel it too. I’m very excited to meet her,” I said.
“So you think it’s going to be a girl too? Your mother wasn’t wrong about her prediction, so I might as well believe you’re right too. Although you may be right about the gender, she’s probably going to take after Kakashi a lot. That’s bound to happen,” he said and laughed a bit.
My father walked me home that night, and as he saw Kakashi in the kitchen he left. He would be coming around more often, he was probably going to stay around for me. To keep me calm.
“You’re home. Making dinner?” I asked. He nodded. From the first time since he tried, to now, his cooking skills have gotten a lot better. His food is actually edible now.
“I haven’t been home all day. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I already know the life of a ninja, I was one a long time ago, remember?” I joked around a bit and tied an apron around my waist.
“I know, but I still don’t like the idea of you staying here by yourself all day.”
“It okay. Don’t worry, just worry about helping the others with decoding the code. So how’d it go?”
“We were able to decode it thanks to Naruto. He’s looking back to his normal self now, thanks to you. You know he even brought up being a sensei to our child today. He seems a bit excited to meet this baby too. But anyways, the code read, the real one is not among them. We still don’t know what means.”
“Hmm. The real one is not among them?”
“Naruto left with Lord Fukasaku to train for sage art. I hope he comes back to the Leaf Village quickly. We can’t afford to be without him for long.”
“If anything he will come back quickly, he mastered that wind rasengan in days. Sage jutsu is different but with all the responsibilities and love he has for this village he won’t leave this village for long. He can’t. He won’t.” I said as I peeled a potato.
“I’m excited to see his sage mode. I never got to see you in your sage mode. One day you’ll have to show me.”
That night came faster, and the next day passed quickly. I couldn’t help but think about the code. The real one is not among them. What could Master jiraiya mean by that. Perhaps the real Pain wasn’t among the six. By the fourth Naruto left, I began to feel very uneasy. My heart was racing irregularly. Was this another symptom of pregnancy?
I was drinking water when I felt a pang in my chest. The sudden jolt made me lose grip of my cup and it shattered. Kakashi came in quickly.
“What’s wrong? You don’t-” He was cut off by a sudden rumble. It was an explosion. I looked at him as fear crept over me. They were here much faster than anyone anticipated.
“Akatsuki. I feel them,” I told Kakashi. He looked a bit panicked but he grabbed my arm and led me to the living room. He quickly grabbed a bag and put the box where the book of three dojutsus was sealed. I put on my shoes as best as I could. My shaky hands made things worse. How could they be here already? Were they going to find out about me today? Was I going to die?
“It’s too dangerous for me to take you through the rooftops and I can’t move you around, its dangerous for the baby. We’ll have to walk to the Lady Tsunade’s office,” he said quickly. I nodded and he grabbed my hand.
“Kakashi will provide you cover. Get her to Lady Hokage quickly,” one of the four ANBU appeared before us. They were always around to protect me after Lady Tsunade put them on guard duty. Kakashi took my hand as we quickly walked to the Hokage’s office. I held on tightly as I could feel the fear and panic of the village spread.
A sudden explosion went off to our right, and I felt Kakashi tug me towards him as he shielded my body with his. I looked up to see a pained expression, a piece of debris must have hit him. This is what I feared. The people i love were getting hurt because I am powerless.
“Kakashi,” I said.
“Don’t worry. We’re going to get there safe,” He said. After the explosion died, he grabbed my hands and pulled me towards the hokage’s office. I couldn’t see his face but by the tightness of his hand around mine, he didn’t know if the village could hold off the enemy until Naruto got back.
The hokage’s office was in view quickly after.
“Inside the bag I put a few water bottles, and a blanket. I put in some dried foods too. Ou have to keep yourself hydrated and fed, for the baby.”
“You have to keep yourself alive! Do you hear me? I won’t forgive you if you don’t!” I said with authority. It was only a few times that I’ve ever raised my voice at him. We walked up the stairs to the office as he turned around a bit.
“Like I said, I’m not going anywhere until I see our baby’s face. Right now you only have to think about yourself and the baby. Put everything else away. If anything happens to you, this world is truly over. I wouldn’t want to live on this planet anymore anyways.”
We stopped in front of the office, as he pulled me into his arms. I tried my best to not cry, he kissed me slowly and sighed as he opened the door. My father was already there and Lady Tsunade looked over the village giving orders.
“Thank you Kakashi for bringing her here quickly.”
“I’ll be heading out. Please, Soichi keep her safe,” Kakashi said to my father and gave him the bag. My father nodded as Kakashi left through the window.
“Kiyoko, your father will be your guard. I believe he is capable of fighting one of the Pain if necessary. I want you and your father to head to the bunker on the south of the village. There you will stay, sealed and away from the fight. This is all I can do to keep you and the world safe.”
Lady Tsunade gave me powerful eyes, but even I could see the fear behind them.
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Chapter notes: Here is the chapter. I kept my promise this time, to not take too long. I felt inspired and I had time to write. Enjoy the chapter. It pains me to see that the pain is beginning. :(
Chapter end notes: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you guys think. Sorry if there are any errors, I wrote this pretty much all day today! Love my readers! Hopefully I ca update soon!