73 A new S-rank and a new summoner

New chapter is here. Not much else to say. I'm having fun and that's all that matters.

If you want to hear more about what I'm getting up to, hop on to Shiro's Gaming Omniverse discord server. I have my own channel there and I mostly just shitpost and talk about my fics and other plot ideas if you're interested.

This is the link. Just remove the spaces. : / / discord .gg/ wd3tUYWVCd

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Anyway, here's the newest chapter.

"What do you mean he killed Roshi?" I asked confusedly, "Didn't we already assume that?"

It was morning now and I had been summoned to talk with Tsunade, Kakashi and Jiraiya here as well in the room with us.

"We were wrong." Jiraiya said simply, "Ashina evidently put a clone in his seal and got Roshi killed along with the Yonbi."

I shivered as I took in the information, my thoughts running at a fast pace.

This wouldn't go unanswered. A Jinchuriki got killed and Iwa nearly received the same treatment Konoha got when Kurama was broken out.

"Iwa has turtled up and has been sending ANBU on missions to scope out everything," Jiraiya continued grimly, "Basic strategy for war preparation."

I felt Kakashi's chakra simmer just under the surface, the minute shift being the equivalent of him pacing back and forth to someone who knew him fairly well.

"What does," I paused and shook my head, sighing irritably, "What does this mean for me and Rin?"

"Rin is with Itachi." Jiraiya reminded me, "He's evaded ANBU from different villages for nearly five years. You'd be surprised how many bounty hunters and nin have tried to fetch his eyes."

"I assume they're dead?" I raised a brow, having not heard of that.

Jiraiya nodded.

"Kid's a brutal little bastard," He scoffed, folding his arms, "No wonder he was capable of doing what he did."

Thankfully, neither Itachi or Sasuke were here. Jiraiya's comment would not have been welcomed by either of them.

"Plus, the Akatsuki think he's dead. He's in the clear to train them, don't worry."

That last comment reminded me of something to ask.

"Speaking of them," I said slowly, adjusting the new bracer on my forearm some, "Any clue on how the ring works?"

The Akatsuki ring Itachi had was currently under whatever security lock the Hokage had access to, and I was curious about its inner workings.

Jiraiya scowled visibly.

"The most atrocious piece of shit I've ever seen that can still count as a work of art." He said, his brow furrowed in annoyance, "The design is what Minato thought was the key to the Hiraishin working, but it was just a dead end that didn't work that way. It's an anchor that attracts chakra keyed into it, kind of like that Lightning Lure thing you have. Stupid name, by the way." He added.

I ignored the sarcastic little comment about my name for it. It never had an actual designation, like a majority of the Uzumaki made seals.

"I don't have the time to decipher it," Jiraiya sighed, "So let me get back to filling you in on what Ashina's fuck up means for you."

"First," Jiraiya held up his index, "You are never going on solo missions outside of Hi no Kuni. Either Kakashi or I will be with you, including if Tsunade-Hime takes leave of her senses and puts you in charge of a genin team."

I rolled my eyes and snorted at that. As if anyone would be crazy enough to put me in charge of a couple of kids.

Tsunade ignored Jiraiya's comment aimed at her, listening alongside Kakashi.

"Second, you're going to likely be targeted more than Rin. You got the worst of both worlds from your parents. Red hair and you're fast. Expect to have a Kill on Sight order within a few weeks or months."

"Bunch of people already want me dead," I responded, shrugging my shoulders, "This is just a normal escalation, isn't it?"

Even if I looked like I was taking it in stride, I wasn't. It scared me that entire nations wanted me killed, and that they'd sacrifice other people's lives to do it.

"And finally," Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, then back to me, "You need a summoning contract." He exhaled, seeming to deflate.

I did not miss how Jiraiya's expression had shifted when he looked at Tsunade.

There must've been a conversation between the two that didn't go in Jiraiya's favour, but I chose not to say anything to not open up that potential can of worms.

"I thought you didn't want me to reverse summon myself," I reminded him, "Unless... do you have one already lined up?"

Jiraiya shook his head.

"I don't know if the snakes are an option," He admitted, "And the Eagle contract got either destroyed or taken after Uzu's destruction."

'Eagles?'

At my look of curiosity, Jiraiya cleared his throat.

"Was it Ashina's father that had that?" Jiraiya asked Tsunade, the blonde nodding her head.

"Yes," Her amber eyes glanced towards mine, holding a calculating look to them, "He told me the story of his father sending eagles to find him, but they never could."

'I'll ask later about that.' I decided to hold off on learning more about my clan. I wanted to know about the whole summoning contract issue.

"You're not going to reverse summon yourself blindly if we can help it," Jiraiya eyed me with a warning look, "The toads aren't available, and the slugs don't suit you."

Jiraiya doubting my word on not listening to him made me frown, making me feel a bit insulted.

"Monkeys not open?" I asked, suspecting the monkey summons were exclusive to the Sarutobi clan.

"Not unless you're a Sarutobi." Jiraiya confirmed my suspicion about them, "And I think the old man might be giving his grandson some training on the side because of what's in store for the future."

'Konohamaru being trained by Hiruzen... I don't know why, but that scares me.'

The kid was already disturbingly sharp at learning different techniques when I gave him proper motivation, but there was no way in hell I was a better teacher than the literal Professor.

"I'll figure it out later." I said, resigned to having another thing to deal with on top of others, "What's the mission I'm going on?" I asked curiously, staring at Tsunade.

The blonde tapped her nails against the desk, meeting my gaze.

"Orochimaru's bases are likely to have things within that could be useful, or dangerous if in the wrongs hands," She explained, her hand at rest on a stack of papers that looked recently organized, "The mission is to get in to several different bases, salvage what there is, and destroy everything else."

I could tell that wasn't everything.

"And the reason why I am on this mission?" I asked with a raised brow.

Asuma or Gai probably did missions like this before. There had to be a reason why I was picked to go on this for my first actual A-rank.

"Name one person who can make as many bunshin as you," Tsunade replied evenly, looking at me with a faint smirk, "Casualties from traps will be next to a nonexistent worry with you in the field."

Honestly, I didn't know whether I should have been proud, or upset, that I was being basically treated as a mobile minesweeper.

"You realize getting blown up isn't my idea of a fun time?" I asked sarcastically, my eyes narrowed at the amused blonde.

"Hiruzen told me you had an unhealthy interest in explosives when you were six," Tsunade said in a near deadpan, "And according to Kakashi, your clones liked blowing up."

'Traitor.' I shot a glare at Kakashi, but he didn't appear repentant or anything of the like.

I shook my head and muttered under my breath, looking away from the adults in the room.

"What else related to the mission?" I grumbled, annoyed by my lack of response.

"A Kumo ANBU team and one of our own teams will be one the mission as well," Kakashi spoke up, stepping towards me by a couple feet, "Please don't be... you when interacting with them."

I scowled at the comment. "I resent that, and you're the main adult figure in my life." I reminded him, "Take responsibility for being a bad example."

And the worst part, he literally was. He was more hands-on in interacting with me than Hiruzen, and Kakashi was closer in age to me as well.

"You were already dysfunctional before you met me," Kakashi said flatly, ignoring my glare at his totally not biased attempted at not accepting the blame, "Collect the rest of your gear so we can get out of here. Meet at the north gate that you went through a couple months back."

I ignored the first half and nodded my acknowledgement at the last part, turning on my heel and leaving the office, going towards my apartment.

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After Naruto left the room, Tsunade glanced at Kakashi and shifted her posture to face him.

"Kakashi, you are dismissed," Tsunade said, gesturing towards the door, "Make sure Naruto doesn't get distracted."

Kakashi scoffed lightly, but did as requested and left, leaving the two remaining Sannin alone.

Once the two were definitely alone, Tsunade groaned and pressed her head against the table, her hand sliding the papers over some.

"No wonder Sensei grew old wearing the hat." She exhaled audibly, reaching to her right.

She casually opened up a drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake, removing the cork and pouring herself a glass.

"I thought you were training your students today." Jiraiya snorted, staring at the drink in her hand. "I didn't know you were in the habit of teaching impressionable children to get drunk.'

Tsunade gave him a halfhearted glare, but shook her head and decided not to respond with an equally sarcastic remark.

"It's only theory stuff today, so Shizune volunteered to cover it." Tsunade waved her hand at him dismissively, grimacing as she drank the entire glass. "That was mislabeled." She coughed into her sleeve as she finished.

Jiraiya frowned at that, wondering how Tsunade could have confused different brands of alcohol.

"That wouldn't happen to be Sensei's stash, would it?" Jiraiya raised a brow, squinting as he looked at the actual bottle.

"Well, his taste in alcohol is awful." Tsunade chucked the nearly full bottle out the window, not caring about hitting anything.

Jiraiya chuckled at the display, expecting such an insult as bad sake affecting Tsunade more than most things.

"I can tell you want to speak about something that you don't want even Kakashi to hear," Jiraiya folded his arms, closing the distance between them until they were within arm's reach of one another. "Come on, spill." He said shortly.

Tsunade gestured for him to sit down, which he did in the spare chair.

"How long before Naruto reaches S-rank?" She asked simply, not beating around the bush.

Jiraiya paused for a moment, thinking of an accurate estimate.

"A year at most," Her teammate replied, adjusting the end of his sleeve, "He has all the techniques necessary, but needs more time to actually learn how to use them properly and cohesively. He's tried doing what Orochimaru did, except you know what Orochimaru was like."

Tsunade hummed lightly at the last part. Orochimaru, when they were younger, reached for anything and everything to learn, instead of focusing on specific things until he mastered them.

Granted, he ended up mastering everything he put his sights on. But that wasn't the point.

"That's a relief then," Tsunade seemed to relax some, glancing up at Jiraiya, who still towered over her when they were sitting, "But that's not the main thing I want to talk about." Her tone shifted to an uncomfortable sort that had Jiraiya on guard.

Jiraiya sat up straight and had his eyes fixed on her, his focus razor sharp.

"How are you doing?" She asked softly, her features relaxed as she looked at him with a gentleness in her eyes he was seldom the recipient of. "I know them being alive hit you hard."

Jiraiya jerked away, not wanting to talk about it.

"I'm not sure you could understand," He said defensively, his eyes narrowed, "Sensei does, but not you, or anybody else, know what it's like to raise someone and find out they want to destroy everything you ever cared about and love."

Just as suddenly as his mood went from neutral to hostile, Jiraiya seemed to collapse in on himself, a look of exhaustion on his face.

"I'm not doing well." He said honestly, his fingers pressed against his forehead as he leaned forward. "I don't know what to do and I know how dangerous Nagato is."

Jiraiya had mentioned how Nagato was able to use all the different Nature Releases with minimal training, and any type of Ninjutsu came naturally to him.

"I know you worry about me, Tsunade," Jiraiya smiled at her, even if it looked fragile, "But the only thing that's going to help at this point is time, and I don't know if I have time to stew over this... Konoha needs me." He whispered, shaking his head from side to side.

The way Jiraiya was closed off made Tsunade's thoughts creep towards a subject she never wanted to think about.

She'd seen him get drunk and stagger through the street the first few days after, shouting at alley cats and a few ANBU patrolling that were too frightened to test the ire of an inebriated Sannin.

It reminded her of her own less than healthy choices to cope with issues.

"You know that I'm right here, Jiraiya." She said his name softly, silently wondering if the feeling of powerlessness she was currently stricken with was something Hiruzen, Jiraiya, or even Orochimaru had felt when she lost Nawaki, Dan, and her clan.

"Heh," Jiraiya coughed, his eyes misty as he looked back up, "Decades of fighting and losing people we've held dear, but look at us now. You're the Hokage, and I'm the supreme errand boy."

Tsunade let out a snort, knowing he was trying to disguise how vulnerable he likely felt.

"At least you'll be a better advisor to me than what Danzo was to Sensei." She pointed out to him.

"Kami forbid I lose an arm." Jiraiya chuckled, looking less melancholic than he did just seconds ago. "And an eye... and get a bum leg."

"You only need one arm to write with." Tsunade said in a singsong tone, grinning internally at drawing the Jiraiya she knew back out. "And for whatever else you do."

"I probably could manage without using my hand." Jiraiya snorted loudly, "I just about did after you nearly beat me to death."

"I healed the injuries," Tsunade countered, annoyed by him bringing that up again, "And you deserved it after peeping."

"I pissed blood for a week," Jiraiya deadpanned, "And if the brain damage you gave to me didn't make me question what happened, I'd say you punched me some more after healing me."

"You're imagining things." Tsunade hummed, smirking at the petulant huff she got out of him. "And don't stare at me or any of my Kunoichi if you know what's good for you."

Jiraiya let out a bark of laughter, his dark eyes shining with a light in them Tsunade was all too familiar with.

"Say that to Naruto." Jiraiya challenged, "The girl he likes is a student of yours, and I don't stare," He added absentmindedly, "I gaze ravenously."

Tsunade tilted her head curiously at the first half. "What do you mean by that?" She asked.

"The gaki gets defensive whenever I bring up his friends of the female variety," Jiraiya grinned, looking pleased with himself, "He really doesn't like it when I mess with him."

Tsunade considered it extremely unprofessional to talk about this, but she was bored at times and wanted to at least be aware of any future situations that might arise.

The three girls she knew were Naruto's friends were Ino, Hinata, and Karin. Two of whom were clan heiresses and the other was his cousin.

"Do you think it might be because you are a lecherous old man with no sense of boundaries?" Tsunade jabbed Jiraiya in the arm, making him wince.

"That stings," He grumbled, massaging his arm, "And don't forget you're older than me, Hime. What does that make you?"

Tsunade felt a tic mark appear on her temple, her teeth grinding together for a moment.

"I can give you a repeat of the last time I beat you." She threatened.

"If your tits are hanging out like last time, then sure." Jiraiya's eyes flicked down towards her chest, intentionally lingering there. "Broken bones and concussions aren't enough to destroy that memory."

"I regret the day Sensei ever picked you up from the academy like a stray dog." Tsunade rolled her eyes, sitting up and crossing her legs.

"You know you love me." Jiraiya chuckled, leaning back in his chair some more, "But Naruto... I'm not sure what kind of girl he likes." He finished with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Wait," Tsunade stopped him, looking at him seriously, "You actually are wanting to know what girl Naruto likes? Why?"

She had no clue about her cousin, and it confused her why Jiraiya would ask her anything.

"You underestimate how fun it is to annoy him," Jiraiya laughed, sounding completely serious, "You should see how he acts when I torment him. It's so adorable."

Tsunade sometimes couldn't tell if Jiraiya had a few screws loose or not, and it showed right now.

The blonde Sannin sighed and decided to go along with it, expecting payment in return for helping her teammate continue to have the edge in whatever weird competition he had with the temperamental redhead that was her cousin.

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"Where the shit is it?" I asked myself irritably, having spent the better part of 20 minutes looking for the scroll that had my rations in them.

I always kept my gear on me at all times, but I didn't keep the half dozen scrolls for other things.

One of which was missing.

I kept searching around and noticed one of the scrolls looked a bit off. I picked it up and inspected it, growling when I realized it wasn't mine.

It was Karin's.

Realizing she probably accidentally grabbed it when she came by yesterday for some help in Fuinjutsu, I walked out of the apartment and Shunshined to where she and the others typically trained their Iryo-ninjutsu.

I zipped through the streets, leaping up to a rooftop and shooting across to the west. Within about 20 seconds, I got there and jumped down, walking in when I pressed out my sensing and felt them all.

My steps echoed in the hallway as I went through the open door, going down the short corridor to the room.

Pausing as I got there, I knocked three times and opened it, seeing five people inside.

Sakura looked to be explaining something to Ino while a book was open, the blonde's chakra tight and coiled like she was annoyed. Hinata was reading a manual on something on her own, and Karin was talking with Shizune.

"You grabbed my scroll accidentally, Karin." I held up her scroll, seeing her grimace when she looked to her right at me.

"Sorry." She said quietly, pointing at a scroll that was to the side. "It's right there."

I nodded and walked towards the table, switching out the scrolls.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked, having set down her reading material.

"Mission outside of the village." I said vaguely, not knowing if I was cleared to give details or not.

Her chakra stilled, causing me to blink at that.

"How long will you be?" She asked quietly, a look of concern on her face.

"Eh," I didn't exactly know what to say, "Few days?" I offered unconvincingly. "I'm not sure."

Ino and Sakura had stopped talking at that point, the two listening in.

"I guess bloodline training will wait until then?" Karin cut in, her hand going up to adjust her glasses.

I'd tried to make a point of finding time to try and teach Karin how to manifest chains if the way they worked was similar to my bloodline ability, but I got a little too carried away trying to train my own techniques more.

"Yeah." I replied, give a nod and smile to my cousin, Ino, and Hinata before I turned to leave. "Later!" I called out as I waved, taking off and going towards the location I initially was planning on going to had I not been delayed.

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I reached the weapons store that Tenten's father owned and walked in, the bell dinging audibly.

"Just a moment!" I heard Tenten's voice come from the back, a faint curse being barely heard by me as she dropped something.

She came out and saw that it was me, her expression immediately going from slight annoyance to friendly familiarity.

"Hey, Naruto. Fancy seeing you here."

"I'd ask how you're doing and all the normal pleasantries, but I'm in a bit of a rush." I said apologetically, pulling out a specific scroll, "I need a sword reforged and your dad's the only one I know in Konoha that can reforge a chakra conductive blade without jacking it up."

There were about half a dozen stores in Konoha that either sold weapons, made custom ones, or both. Higurashi's had the unique position of knowing how to properly repair straight up broken weapons to an excellent degree.

"Can I have a look?" She asked, eying the storage scroll I had in my hand.

I didn't see a problem with that, so I opened up the scroll and pulled out the two sections of the sword.

"Ouch." She frowned at the sight, "How'd it break?"

"Stabbed somebody and ended up snapping it off." I said simply, not mincing my words.

"There's no way." Tenten frowned, inspecting the snapped edge, "This is top quality steel."

'You weren't there.' I wanted to spout off, but I didn't want to be an ass.

"I fought against a Kaguya and clashed against him repeatedly," I elaborated further, "Bones tough as steel."

Tenten shook her head at what I said.

"I think it's been broken in the same spot before." She said, running her finger across it. "Where did you get it?"

"Momochi Zabuza." I replied, causing the brunette to widen her eyes.

"I almost forgot you fought him," She mumbled, her voice holding a tone I didn't recognize from her, "But did he say where this came from?"

I shook my head.

"No. I just want it fixed because of the sentimental value, even if I already have a superior replacement."

The Kusanagi was more than just superior, it was in a completely different league of valuable. But this was the sword I used against Zabuza, Orochimaru, Gaara, and Kimimaro. It just felt right to keep.

Tenten acknowledged what I said and grabbed a notepad, jotting down something real quick.

"I don't know when my Tousan can fit you in, but when do you want it back?" She had her pencil hovering over the paper as she looked at me expectantly.

"No later than a month, I suppose." I replied, not sounding all that certain, "But it honestly doesn't matter to me that much."

Tenten muttered to herself, scribbling it down. She then grabbed another paper and wrote down a couple things, before handing it to me.

"20 percent right now, and the rest when it's finished," She pointed at the rough estimation of the cost, "Shinobi discount isn't factored in yet, so expect 5 percent off the charge."

I looked at the charge and I groaned, not realizing it was that expensive.

'Whatever, I have plenty of money from selling tags.'

The money I was making was ridiculous because the demand for explosive tags had skyrocketed ever since rumors of conflict started to spread and the village was starting to get set closer to a war footing.

I fished out the needed money and counted it out, handing it to Tenten after I double checked that I had done it accurately.

"Okay," She said, grabbing the scroll and sword pieces, "I'll see you later, Naruto."

"You too." I waved absent-mindedly, turning to leave the store a few thousand Ryo lighter.

The door opened as I pushed it and Shunshined to where Kakashi was located, judging from his chakra not being suppressed intentionally.

As I zipped through the village streets, leaping to the rooftop of a building and continuing, I silently relished in how I could slow down everything my mind processed so I could actually see where I was going while moving faster than any land vehicle I'd driven.

I got to where Kakashi was at and abruptly stopped when I saw him, his hair and taller stature standing out amongst everything behind him.

Now that I wasn't running, I slowly looked around as I approached Kakashi and noticed something.

The area we were supposed to meet at had less traffic than normal, and it was pretty noticeable as I saw maybe 10 or so people at most as I kept walking.

As I got closer, I noticed three other people near the disguised gate, all wearing ANBU masks and armour.

One was Bear, another was one with dark blond hair I didn't recognize, and Neko was the third.

Whistling to let them know I was here, even though they probably already knew seconds ago, I walked up to them and greeted them.

"Hey, guys," I said, glancing at Neko, "And girl. We ready to go searching for the forbidden knowledge of the Snake King?"

None of them reacted.

"Tough crowd." I muttered, turning my attention to Kakashi, "We ready to go now?"

Kakashi nodded, reaching into a pouch and pulling out two masks.

"Here." He tossed one of them to me, putting on the dog mask of his. "Standard procedure for ANBU missions to wear one."

I looked at my mask and snorted, before putting it on and strapping it to my face.

It was a fox mask.

Kakashi walked towards the gate and forced it open, stepping outside as it opened with a slight creak.

Sunlight came through the gap with a pleasant ray, making me smile.

"At my pace." Kakashi looked over his shoulder at all of us, his chakra sharpening.

Kakashi disappeared in a blur, followed by the four of us as we raced towards our destination.

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Two weeks after departure from Konoha:

"Aggghhhhhhh!" Rin screamed louder than she had in her entire life, barely hanging on as Gamabunta hopped once more.

'I'm going to die. I'm going to die.' She kept repeating in her mind hysterically, desperately clawing at the toad's head to steady herself.

"Just keep hanging on!" Jiraiya shouted in encouragement from the ground, but it didn't help at all.

Her hair was flying all over the place as the air tore across her, her fingers starting to hurt as she tried to hold on.

She should never have agreed to the Toad Summoning contract. She should've just not done it and dealt with Jiraiya's disappointment.

'Your brother held on for awhile and only fell off because the toad rolled him off.' The Kyuubi's voice rang through her head. 'And your squealing is adorable.' He added with a chuckle.

'Shut up!' She growled internally, letting out another scream as Gamabunta landed again and jarred her.

It didn't stop and she kept clinging on to the toad, the hell she was subjected to not ending as she failed to gain her footing and just clung on with her hands.

At one point when the sun was starting to set, she puked up the contents of her stomach when her back hit the crown of Gamabunta's head for the untold hundredth time, causing it to get all over her front and her hair.

The nightmare finally ended after Gamabunta stopped hopping, coming to a complete stop.

"You stayed on," Gamabunta said, his voice too loud for Rin's ears, "You pass."

The toad then flicked his head and caused her to fall, eliciting a final scream from her.

Before she hit the ground, Jiraiya was there and caught her.

"Oof," He grunted, "That stung." He then straightened her up and let her go.

Rin's legs were too unsteady for her and she promptly fell forward, coughing weakly as her stomach tried to rebel against her again.

"I'm dying." She wheezed, her hair covering her face as parts of it were caked to her face from the dried vomit.

"You're not dying." Jiraiya scoffed, rubbing her back gently while stopping her from falling face first into the ground. "Just take your time and catch your breath."

Rin nearly retched at the smell of vomit and moaned weakly, breathing in and out slowly.

"Go ahead and go, Gamabunta!" Jiraiya called out to the boss toad, "She's not in any shape to have a celebratory drink."

Gamabunta huffed and nodded his acknowledgement. "Just make sure she does it soon." The toad then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Rin coughed at the smell of her own vomit again, groaning at how uncomfortable it was to have her hair stuck to her face still.

"Here." Jiraiya said gently, opening up a canteen of water and shifting to her left side and grabbed a rag from one of his pouches. "Let me help you out there."

Her godfather that she had seldom spoken with on her own got the rag wet and gently cleaned her face, pouring some water through her hair as well.

"I've had to clean blood out of my own hair before," Jiraiya said quietly, his fingers working through her shoulder blade length locks, "And don't worry about me being grossed out. Your mother puked on me halfway through telling me she was pregnant with you."

Rin let out a weak laugh, having mostly recovered from the nauseating experience after the few minutes of the white haired Sannin's careful efforts to clean her up.

"There," He said, finishing with cleaning her hair and face the best as he could, "All better now."

Rin pulled her hair back and tied it together to stay out of her face, before standing up slowly to not stumble.

"I hated that." She muttered, looking down at her jacket distastefully as she so saw how covered it was.

The one upside to Naruto not being around her was that he wouldn't look at her strangely when she wore orange coloured clothing. The jacket she was wearing was one that she saw in the store a few months back and decided to treat herself to, with her twin being none the wiser.

And now it was stained and smelled awful.

"Just wash it in the creek nearby and take an actual bath afterwards." Jiraiya seemed to read her thoughts, patting her shoulder. "And I'm proud that you passed the test. Your father would be proud too."

Rin frowned slightly at the last part, even if she was mostly happy that she managed to pass what was her entry test to become the next summoner of the Toads.

"Can you tell me more about him?" She asked, slipping off her jacket and putting it in a storage seal.

She and Jiraiya seldom were alone, Naruto always being present as well. He'd shared with them a great deal of things about their parents, but she could tell that her brother was the object of attention more so than her.

"He was," Jiraiya took a deep breath, looking up at the sky for a long moment, "A much better student than I deserved. To be honest, he was the closest thing I ever had to a son." His voice lowered at the last part and she felt a shiver go up her spine.

Ever since the first time she had felt Sasuke's emotions, she had started wondering if she could somehow feel echoes of negativity before she ever knew about that ability, and it scared her.

"Naruto is a lot like him," Jiraiya continued, "I know I've said it before to him and the both of you, but think of the good things about your brother. That was basically Minato, minus his sarcasm."

That made her happy, but it also reminded her of what she had lost because of him dying. But, at least she knew she could be able to hear this stuff, one on one, instead of with Naruto.

Sure, she loved her twin brother more than anybody in the world, but she never realized how often he was around her for their entire lives. It felt strange, but not bad, to be away from him now.

Jiraiya had already said Naruto wasn't reclusive and depressed after the first couple days since she left, which was her main fear. Thankfully, it wasn't the case and she was here right now.

"Now come on," Jiraiya's voice cut through her thoughts as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her to the rough direction where the nearest civilian village was, "I'm buying my goddaughter a gift to commemorate her passing a test almost as well as me."

"I passed," She huffed, "Does it matter how well I did it?"

"I didn't puke on myself." Jiraiya snorted, eliciting an icy glare from the blonde, "And your mom's glare was scarier, but that might be because she was a redhead."

Rin made a hand seal and Henged her hair to look like Naruto's, then she kicked Jiraiya's shin.

The extremely tall man groaned at the impact, his palm smacking the back of her head enough to sting.

"Gaki." He said, ruffling her hair forcefully as a response.

"Quit it!" She shouted, backing away from him as her hair got completely tangled and messed up. "Don't touch my hair."

"It was red," Jiraiya deadpanned, but she could practically feel the mirth coming from his voice, "So it triggered my instinct to ruffle it because your brother hates it when I do it."

'I wonder why.' She thought sarcastically, trying to put a modicum of order in place again.

"But you do look a lot like Kushina with your hair being that colour." Jiraiya was back to his more relaxed and polite self, instead of his more sarcastic and chaotic aspect. "She was a beautiful young woman, and uncommonly kind. I know you'll be just like her when you grow up."

Rin couldn't help but blush slightly at the praise, not knowing how to respond.

"And I just realized I almost forgot." Jiraiya stopped abruptly and pulled the giant scroll off his back and stepped away from her, unfurling it and pointing at a specific part. "Put a drop of blood here."

The spot had multiple names next to an individual drop or two of blood, and judging by how some of the intricately woven seals on the outside of the section looked similar, she could hazard a guess that they operated by keying somebody's chakra via their blood into summoning toads.

'I love that Sasuke can't understand a single thing about this.' She thought gleefully.

Was she a bit arrogant about being the best at Fuinjutsu in her generation, even compared to the prodigiously intelligent Uchiha that was her friend? Yes, she was.

"I, ugh," She grimaced when she realized that she needed to bleed on the scroll, "I hate cutting myself." She pulled out her tanto from its sheath and prepared to stab her thumb.

"Just bite your thumb with a canine." Jiraiya said quickly, looking at the gift she got from Naruto distastefully. "Not as messy."

"Oh." Rin muttered sheepishly, looking down with some embarrassment as she put up her knife.

"If I ever had doubts about you being Naruto's sister." Jiraiya chuckled amusedly, causing her to furrow her brow.

"I'm not Naruto's sister, he's my brother." She said petulantly, causing a louder laugh to come from Jiraiya.

"Okay, second offspring of Naruto's parents." Jiraiya shrugged, intentionally trying to rile her up.

'No wonder Naruto and him get along so well.' Rin thought, pressing her thumb against her bottom canine forcefully.

The skin broke and she hissed from the stinging sensation, pressing her bleeding hand on the signature section of the scroll.

After she left a mark of her blood on it, she pulled her hand away and watched the puncture in her thumb slowly stitch together, the stinging fading.

"Just put your name next to it and you're good." Jiraiya handed her a brush that he had dipped in a small pot of ink that he removed from a scroll.

Rin took it and signed her name, adding a slight flourish to the symbol for her given name.

"Pulse chakra into it for a moment." Jiraiya instructed. "Don't worry about making hand seals, just check if there's a reaction."

Rin nodded and pulsed chakra through her hand, pressing it against the scroll in a different section.

The scroll hummed and she felt her chakra connect to it similar to how she could feel her wind chakra when flowing it through her knife.

"Wow." She whispered, surprised by the sensation.

"It looks like you're now the next summoner of the Toads." Jiraiya clapped her on the shoulder, smiling broadly.

Rin returned the smile and stood up, stretching her legs after being crouched some.

Jiraiya rolled up the scroll and strapped it to his back once more, walking towards the village again.

"Hey, wait up." Rin almost ran after him, trying to catch up with Jiraiya's much longer stride.

"It'll take about an 2 hours for us to get there if we walk, so get ready." Jiraiya said, taking a step to the right and making a hand seal, "Try to keep up." He laughed, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Rin followed suit, using more than one seal unfortunately, and shot after the white haired man, silently elated at her progress.

Training the last couple days with Jiraiya was much more enjoyable than with Itachi, and she was going to start meeting the rest of the toads.

But who knows, maybe Itachi's training regimen would be better after this.

///////////////////

"You must break through them faster." Itachi said sharply, standing over Rin as she struggled to stand. "I do not plan on wasting my time preparing you, only for you to be killed within your first engagement."

Rin's fingers dug into the ground, everything spinning as she tried to flare her chakra to desperately break out of the Genjutsu.

"I. Can't." She said weakly, struggling with everything she had to tear the illusion away.

Everything was spinning, her nerves felt like they were on fire, and she thought she was going to pass out any second.

This was what accounted for a majority of her one-on-one training with Itachi over the last few weeks of training. As a Jinchuriki, she was more vulnerable to Genjutsu and needed to be able to break them like it was second nature.

She'd been doing this with Sasuke when they had trained leading up to the exams, both to help herself and him. But Sasuke's best illusions were like a toddler with a bucket of paint compared to what Itachi's were.

"Stand up." Itachi ordered, his voice hard and cold.

'I can't.' She almost cried internally, feeling like she was blinded and stripped of all control. If this was how Naruto felt when he was attacked in the alley, then she fully understood his hatred of Genjutsu.

All the progress she felt like she gained since Jiraiya had come by and had her sign the Toad summoning contract felt like nothing now. She felt useless and pathetic in the face of a monster.

"You will never survive against Tobi if you are incapable of throwing off even the most mild of Genjutsu that I can cast." His arm reached out and pulled her up, chakra flowing through his hand that made her feel like her forearm was branded.

"Agh!" She let out a quick scream, before the Genjutsu cracked and fell away, leaving her free of it.

"You failed." The raven haired Uchiha let go of her arm, his Sharingan staring directly into her own eyes, seeming to dissect her inner thoughts. "Tobi is the strongest Uchiha I ever met, including my father."

Rin flinched when she touched her arm, pulling down her sleeve to see a healing chakra burn in the shape of Itachi's hand.

'Bastard.' She thought acidly, but kept her mouth shut as Itachi kept talking.

"I will not have my brother put at risk because your ineptitude forces him to save you from the fruit of your own stupidity or lack of drive." He finished with a dangerously flat tone.

"Well," Rin glared up at him, her teeth gritting tightly, "It's not really my fault that I only had one Uchiha to help me throw off visual Genjutsu, is it?"

Itachi didn't react at all to what she said.

"You will have to try much harder to get a reaction from me." He said clearly, not openly irked by it. "You lack the cruelty your brother has, and it shows."

Rin went to call Itachi out for saying that about Naruto, but she paused and considered before she spoke.

He wasn't wrong. Naruto could easily say or do things to hurt people if he wanted to, and she saw him do it on occasion. He even did it to her when he told her about their father.

"Tobi will show no mercy to you," Itachi said, his eyes narrowed when he said the name, "Do you understand what he is?" He asked quietly.

Rin couldn't tell what type of answer he was fishing for and just stood there quietly, unnerved by the Uchiha.

"He killed thousands of people by unleashing the Kyuubi. Innocent people," Itachi's fingers curled into his palm tightly, "I wasn't the only one that killed Uchiha on the night that caused Sasuke to hate me either."

Rin had made the connection that this Tobi person was why her parents died and why she and Naruto were hated for years, but she didn't know that he participated in the massacre.

"Do not think because you are young that you would be spared," Itachi took a slightly longer inhale of breath, just barely, "I wasn't the one that killed the infants and toddlers."

Rin felt cold at the last sentence. She assumed what happened, but she could never bring herself to ask Sasuke about it.

Itachi's eyes flicked towards the sun, inspecting the location of it to judge the time.

"We will continue your Genjutsu resistance training tomorrow," He said, turning on his heel and heading towards their encampment near the treeline, "You need to eat."

The elder Uchiha disappeared in a black blur, flickering towards where Sasuke was.

"Stupid eyes." Rin muttered, envious of how pinpoint that entire clan could be with the Shunshin.

Even Naruto figured out how to mimic it, albeit with lightning.

Giving one last look at the clearing they'd been training in, Rin ran towards where Sasuke and Itachi were, trying to ignore the headache from being hit with Genjutsu.

////////////////

Chidori.

Sasuke forced the lightning coming from the tenketsu of his hand under his control, gritting his teeth as it chirped at a near deafening pitch.

Kakashi had shown it to him, telling him to use his Sharingan to copy it, right before they had left. He had also had him copy all the derivative techniques of it at that point, including the one that Naruto created; the senbon one.

Rushing towards a tree with his Sharingan active, Sasuke smashed his fist into it, tearing a hole through it with a loud crunch.

He then pulled his arm out and deactivated the Jutsu, looking at the effects closely. The hole wasn't as big or cleanly pierced as what Naruto could manage, but his red haired friend had also been using the Jutsu for nearly a year longer to be fair.

Wiping the chips of bark and wood off of his sleeve and arm, Sasuke flexed his fingers to try it again, knowing he could do it at least one more time.

Kakashi had told him he had the largest reserves of his class aside from Rin and Naruto, but that didn't bother him in the slightest. His two closest friends were Uzumaki and Jinchuriki. He was content with his prodigious ability being validated by Jonin level reserves and the rank of Chunin shown by the jacket he had in a storage scroll currently.

Deciding to shift his training back to the Shunshin, Sasuke tried to do what Naruto could and make a half seal, attempting to make his chakra respond.

Barely anything happened at all, his chakra frothing some in his arm.

'Damnit.' He thought, narrowing his eyes as he did it again, followed by another two half seals.

He got a better reaction than when he tried it last time, but it still didn't give him anything of value to work with.

Right as he was about to try again, he heard a crack of a twig next to him.

His head jerked towards it and his hands raised, ready to switch with an object or Shunshin away.

But when he saw the source of the noise, his arms dropped back to his sides and he sighed tiredly.

"Oh." He said flatly, seeing that it was Itachi. "It's you."

'He could have at least announced himself without intentionally stepping on a twig.' There was no way Itachi didn't do it on purpose to get his attention, and it annoyed Sasuke to no end to be reminded of how far ahead Itachi was.

"I have finished with Rin's training today." He said evenly, what once were Sasuke's eyes flicking towards the tree that was the recipient of Sasuke's Chidori. "How has your progress gone?"

Sasuke silently weighed his next few words, not wanting to waste time by engaging in small talk with Itachi of all people.

"I can use the Chidori itself with little difficulty," He replied, the damage to the tree being self-evident of his ability, "But I can't Shunshin at the same time."

Itachi looked to be thinking of something, before answering promptly. "There are... methods to improve chakra in a specific hand to more readily be able to use a half seal."

As much as it rankled Sasuke to ask his brother for direct help on something he had absolutely no idea about, he needed this if he was going to be able to be even remotely comparable in having a speed boost like Naruto. The fact that he couldn't even see him when he impaled Gaara was saying something.

"What are they?" Sasuke asked casually, trying to not sound interested beyond a certain point.

Before Itachi could answer, Rin arrived at the campsite and waved at Sasuke, before immediately collapsing on the cot she had set up earlier.

With his Sharingan still active, Sasuke looked at Rin up and down, focusing on how her chakra made an extremely faint outline around her, similar to Naruto from how potent their chakra was.

Judging by the slight twitching in her fingers and how her chakra radiated from her in a choppy fashion, she had been subjected to constant Genjutsu attacks.

Oh, how much Sasuke wanted to hurt Itachi. The rational part of his mind would say that it was necessary training so she could shatter illusions with little thought, but Sasuke was never rational when it related to Itachi or what he considered his. And Rin was his friend.

With extreme difficulty, Sasuke tore his gaze from Rin and stared at Itachi, noticing a flash of something in Itachi's eyes that almost looked like unease.

"I must speak with you in private." Itachi said, glancing at an almost fast asleep Rin.

"You have to eat." Itachi said, tapping the cot leg with his foot.

"Don't care." Rin mumbled, "My head hurts and I don't want to puke on myself."

"You will feel worse if you don't eat." Itachi sighed, looking slightly annoyed by the defiance shown. "A protein ration is enough."

Rin opened one eye and gave him a glare that promised revenge, before forcing herself out of the cot and fishing through a bag.

She got a protein bar out and tore the wrapping off with her teeth, spitting the paper at Itachi's feet before taking a large bite.

"I'm sleeping in your cot so I'll throw up on your stuff instead." She said flatly, walking straight towards Itachi's section that was separate from theirs and plopped down on it.

Sasuke didn't know how to feel about what he just witnessed. Rin just challenged Itachi and was basically defying him, which made him happy, but it also was strange to see.

"Sasuke." Itachi said sharply, making him look away from Rin and his posture stilled.

'Stop.' He growled internally, angry at himself for responding that way. That tone of voice, just like their father's, demanded that he listen and obey. It made him nearly clench his teeth in anger at himself.

"Follow me." His brother disappeared in a blur that he was able to track, which Sasuke followed right after.

They reached a secluded part of the woods they were using as cover and Itachi stopped, staring at Sasuke as he too came to a stop.

"Well?" Sasuke crossed his arms and stared at Itachi, "What do you want?"

His brother didn't beat around the bush and simply spoke.

"Personal training concerning your Mangekyo Sharingan," Itachi replied, frowning when Sasuke scowled, "I don't care about your thoughts on it. You have to learn from me if you don't want to cause anything unintentional."

The conversation they had a few days ago wasn't a pleasant one, and that was using the standard of their currently non-existent sibling relationship.

Sasuke was hungry for more power and abilities, but it wasn't the best for his mindset to continuously remember why his eyes matured. He could technically activate them, but there was a hurdle on him being able to actually use his eyes.

"I already know how to use more potent Genjutsu with them." Sasuke said, knowing Itachi wouldn't accept that for an excuse.

"If you have Amaterasu like I do, you must train it to ensure you don't burn an entire city to the ground," Itachi said clearly, "And whatever technique Kakashi has, is also difficult to determine how dangerous it is. Do you really wish to put yourself, Rin, and others at risk because you possess a weapon that only Uchiha Madara ever accomplished?"

It did not go unnoticed that Itachi neglected to include himself in the category, likely from him considering himself to be different from the former leader of their clan.

Sasuke sighed and slumped his shoulders, knowing it was useless and a waste of time to be contrarian for the sake of it.

"Fine," Sasuke muttered, turning to head back to their encampment, "You win."

He honestly should try to make things easier and more smooth with Itachi, but he spent five years of his life feeding that hatred and constructing the monster that he had believed Itachi was.

Losing that almost felt like losing an arm. What had been natural to him was gone, never to be replaced.

Sasuke paused his stride and took a deep breath, letting his anger slowly bleed away.

"We can start in a couple days." He said to his brother, forcing himself to show some civility.

With that, Sasuke Shunshined away, wanting to crash for the day.

///////////////

Omake: Breaking Bro Code.

'I must speak with him.' Itachi thought uncomfortably, discreetly monitoring his two students as they finished sparring.

Rin's back was turned and Itachi saw Sasuke looking at her in a way he wouldn't when she was looking at him.

It was apparent that his little brother had feelings for the girl and would need to be spoken to about it. The fact that Sasuke infiltrated the Hot Springs was undeniably debased.

'13 years old, and already trying to emulate Jiraiya-sama in all the worst ways.'

The thought of their father and mother's reaction to the reality that their youngest had such traits made Itachi visibly shudder.

'I must set him straight.' Itachi vowed, dreading what he needed to do. 'I won't let him become a degenerate.'

With that decision made, Itachi approached the two young teenagers, both laughing at something said.

"Sasuke." Itachi said, drawing his brother's attention towards him.

The thinly veiled hostility in Sasuke's eyes was something he never enjoyed, but it was understandable.

"Yes?" Sasuke asked, maintaining a neutral tone.

"Would," Itachi paused, his eyes darting towards the violet eyes of his blonde student, "Would it be possible for us to speak in private?"

"Why?" Sasuke asked slowly, appraising him.

"It is important." Itachi said, averting his gaze from Rin as she was staring at him intently. "Clan related."

"Oh." Rin said quietly, hopping up to her feet and preparing to give them some privacy. "I'll let you guys talk."

The girl then Shunshined across the flat area, not impeded by debris or other things she would struggle to see.

/////////////////

"I can tell you were misleading." Sasuke crossed his arms, looking at his brother suspiciously. "What is this really about?"

Itachi showed the most emotion on his face since he had confessed to the truth about the night of their clan's murder, except instead of shame and anguish, it was discomfort and... embarrassment?

"I can assume you were given a version of what Tousan told me when I reached a certain age," Itachi said elusively, a faint grimace appearing in his features, "You know how children are created?"

Sasuke did a near spit take after comprehending what he was asked, his eyes widening at what Itachi was trying to talk about.

'I'm not getting a repeat of The Talk from Itachi!:

Hearing about it from some random teacher in the academy alongside his male classmates was awkward enough from how clinical it was described, and Naruto somehow managed to make it even more awkward by asking specific questions that flustered even the teacher.

Sasuke did not want to hear it ever again, especially now.

"I know how that all works," Sasuke huffed, genuinely aggravated that Itachi thought he was a naive child, "And I don't want to hear it again."

"But, you were taught about boundaries as well?" Itachi asked, another flash of discomfort appearing. "Certain things you're not supposed to do?"

'This can't be happening.' Sasuke wanted to run away just to escape this. Had somebody told him six months ago that Itachi would be trying to talk to him about something as awkward as sex, he'd have called them an idiot and offered to drag them to a Yamanaka.

"I don't know why this even matters." Sasuke said exasperatedly, trying to fight off the uncomfortable feeling creeping up on him at something this personal to him being mentioned.

Itachi pressed his index and thumb against the bridge of his nose, sighing audibly. "A blind man could see that you are infatuated with Rin."

Sasuke choked on an intake of air and started coughing, feeling himself flush in spite of himself.

"W-what?" He stammered, feeling completely exposed by the flat statement.

He was already conflicted about his liking of Rin. There have been more than one restless night where he had been trying to determine whether he liked her for who she was, or if he liked the idea of someone like her.

It hadn't been until recently that he had decided that he liked to Rin, not just the idea of a girl that was capable of defending herself and wouldn't take the cruelties of the world lying down.

"Your reaction is as good of an answer as I need." His brother looked resigned to whatever he was thinking, shaking his head minutely.

'I'm not talking about this. No. No.' Sasuke could barely look Itachi in the eye, he was that uncomfortable.

The thought of telling Naruto that he had feelings for the redhead's darling little sister sounded more enticing than the horror that Sasuke was experiencing right now, even with the likely scenario of him losing a limb or two.

"I've seen you stare at her on multiple occasions..." Itachi continued, looking more and more concerned, "I need you to be honest with me, Sasuke. Do you understand proper boundaries?"

Sasuke fought the urge to look away from Itachi, trying to stop himself from showing how uncomfortable this discussion was.

"I'm not talking about this!" Sasuke shouted, wanting to sink into the earth in mortification. "And I definitely wouldn't talk with you about it." He added irritably.

"I know about everything, Sasuke." Itachi whispered quietly. "I know what you did."

"Know what?" Sasuke demanded, balling his fists as he focused on being annoyed instead of embarrassed.

"It is my fault the way you are." Itachi muttered, looking ashamed. "And I must rectify it however I can."

For some reason, Itachi's comment really pissed off Sasuke.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you cannot tell what is wrong with your desires," Itachi took a shuddering breath, "Then I don't know what to say."

"You are not the reason I care about Rin!" Sasuke glared at Itachi hatefully, refusing to let one of the few good things in his life be claimed by his bastard older brother, and as something wrong at that. "You didn't tell me to become friends with a blonde that punches me and calls me an Uke, and who actually listens to me when I needed something."

Itachi closed his eyes and visibly tried to calm down at the reveal of Rin's pet nickname for the younger of the two, but Sasuke continued on in a tangent about how Itachi should shut up and stay out of his business.

Eventually, Itachi spoke once more and shut him up.

"I would rather you distance yourself from her so I am not forced to fight her brother and godfather when you do something predictably stupid in your pursuit of whatever you're wanting." Itachi cut through his rant, looking resigned to the heated comments.

"I've never done anything stupid, Niisan." Sasuke said, pausing when he realized what he said.

Itachi cleared his throat and gave Sasuke a serious look.

"I know about the hot springs, Sasuke," Itachi said firmly, "I will not have you sating your... peculiar urges by antagonizing Rin while I have to-"

"What does that have to do with this?" Sasuke interrupted, scandalized by the wording, "And who told you about the hot springs incident?" He added with a disgusted tone at the thought of Itachi knowing something as horrific as that experience.

'Why does this even matter?'

Sure, his Sharingan was active when he saw several women in a state of undress, but that didn't mean much when they were all actively trying to murder him, Naruto, and Shikamaru.

And besides, it was an accident and he was covered in sewage and was almost beaten half to death.

"It does not take an expert to figure out a pattern." Itachi said flatly, a faint glare fixed on Sasuke. "Your liking of a more feral girl, antagonizing said girl at times, and predictably getting punched or hit in response. Constant arguments that you seem to relish in... One might think you consider it fun."

Sasuke's face got progressively redder as Itachi rattled off the details of Rin and his way of messing with one another. It was nothing like what Itachi was getting at, it was just how their friendship worked.

"I-I." Sasuke couldn't get himself to speak clearly from how embarrassed he was from how Itachi was describing it. "No?" He said it questioningly, mortified at the thought.

He had to be in a bad dream. He did not just get accused of liking pain and getting punched by a girl.

He could never look Rin in the eye again after this, or even spar with her.

"You did the same thing when you snuck into the hot springs, caused an incident, and was then attacked by Inuzuka Hana." Itachi said sadly, looking genuinely unsettled. "I thought you were better than this."

The entire statement made had Sasuke's eyes widening impossibly large in shock.

'What?'

Sasuke's mind ground completely to a halt, confusion being the dominant feeling in his mind at what Itachi had just said.

It took a few seconds for his brain to translate what was said, comprehend it, and start to think of what on earth was going on.

But a sudden thought striking him moments later made too much sense for whatever hell he'd been sentenced to in getting scolded by his brother for something he didn't do.

Naruto.

Uzumaki Naruto was the one that roped them into going to the hot springs and was attacked by the crazy Inuzuka. Uzumaki Naruto was the kind of person that knew how to tell the truth and omit important context. And above all else...

Uzumaki Naruto was the type of friend that despised Itachi enough to potentially make him think his little brother was a degenerate to both screw with Itachi and Sasuke.

"Did Naruto say this to you?" Sasuke asked with forced calm, his chakra making his skin itch as he kept his breath steady.

"I was made aware of this by both Naruto and Jiraiya-sama." Itachi admitted. But before he could continue talking, Sasuke cut in.

"That just makes it worse!" He threw his arms up in exasperation at the confirmation of his theory. "Naruto was the one that got attacked, not me!"

At Itachi's skepticism, Sasuke growled irritably and explained.

The next couple of minutes involved Sasuke giving his anger filled explanation of the actual details of the failed sewer mission. The reason for Naruto being punished with the D-rank was mentioned, along with the reason he and Shikamaru helped him, and finally, the mix-up with the ANBU and the resulting explosion.

Itachi seemed to digest the omitted details and his face stilled, looking like a statue's.

"Your friend is the most insufferable person I've ever had the misfortune of meeting." He said simply, breaking the silence.

"I've had to deal with him for longer," Sasuke pointed out, "And I know he's having a laugh about this."

"He did not inform Jiraiya-sama of the details either," Itachi mused, "He planned this out for maximum effect."

'He's making him sound like a mad genius.' Sasuke thought, before realizing the 'mad' part definitely fit Naruto in every way.

"So, just to ensure I have missed nothing," Itachi looked him directly in the eye, "You do not have a strange need to be hit by... adversarial women, Naruto left out details, and we were both subjected to a very awkward conversation because of him?"

Sasuke nodded, still trying to recover from the ordeal. "Yes."

Itachi accepted the answer and scowled openly, looking quite agitated.

"I have spent the last weeks trying to think of how to explain to you that spying on women is not normal and is a bad thing," The elder of the two shook his head, his face twisted into a distinct grimace that reminded Sasuke eerily of their father when he was annoyed, "Good to know that I had troubled myself over nothing."

Sasuke didn't reply, just thankful that it was over now.

"I won't pry into that particular subject anymore," Itachi promised, "It is something private and I understand your desire to not share with anyone, especially me."

'That easy to notice?' Sasuke thought internally, not voicing it out loud to not be antagonistic.

"What will be the excuse for us speaking on our own if Rin asks?" Sasuke asked Itachi, still visibly annoyed with said girl's brother.

Itachi paused and thought for a moment, his eyes flicking to his a moment later.

"I will think of something more than just 'clan related' ." He sighed, "Just go on back and act in a more reserved fashion until I return."

Sasuke looked at Itachi blankly, suspicious of why Itachi wanted time to himself.

Shrugging, the younger of the two left his brother to himself, wanting to put an end to this Kami forsaken discussion.

//////////////////////

End chapter:

New chapter is out and it's not really a massive progression of the plot. It's more to set up the next arc of Naruto doing missions with the ANBU and a brief look into what Rin, Sasuke, and Itachi are getting up to.

Poor Sasuke and Itachi, not being able to escape the chaos that is Naruto.

The Omake was initially going to be an actual part of the chapter, but some of the people who assist me in plot ideas on my fics recommended it be an Omake.

The next chapter will have some chaotic shenanigans that only ever afflict Naruto, so I'm going to enjoy writing it.

I hope you all enjoy. Comments are welcome and appreciated, and I hope you have a wonderful day.

Raging.