A writer's guilt

"Hmm...that doesn't sound like a good thing Jiraya. You think that this disciple of yours is the child of prophecy?" Gamamaru asked.

"I am not sure about that. I hadn't seen her for nearly a decade now and today she came in front of me with her eyes full of hatred." Jiraya said in a sad tone. He remembered the innocent and caring eyes Konan had when Jiraya first met him.

"You sound like you see yourself responsible for her condition. Do not drown yourself in guilt or less you might lose your way."

"I do feel a little guilty. I met her and her friends during the 2nd Great Ninja War. After the war finished, I should have gone back and checked up on them. I should have brought them back to the hidden leaf village but I decided to roam around the shinobi world and that too for what? A book?" Jiraya questioned. He wasn't asking Gamamaru but himself. He was constantly thinking that if he had even checked up on them once in the last decade then maybe things wouldn't have turned out this bad.

"That was the fate they were given Jiraya. The only one who has the power to change her fate is herself. That is the difference between a savior and a destroyer. Both of them suffer through the worst of humanity but only those who decide to rise up from it and prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate are called saviours." Gamamaru said and smiled as he continued.

"And I want to tell you that you do not have to shoulder the burden of Prophecy anymore."

Jiraya quicky looked up at Gamamaru with an expression of confusion and asked "Huh? What do you mean by that? Are you saying that Konan is the child of prophecy now and there is nothing I can do to change it?"

The old Sage shook his head and said "No...I am saying that the Prophecy is not tied to you anymore. The fate of this world has changed and it has become even more uncertain. I do not know who he is but he is certainly not one of your disciples anymore. He has been chosen and he knows it. Now it is up to him if he decides to become the savior or destroyer. All you can do is find him."

"It's not one of my disciples?" Jiraya asked.

"It could be. I sense you have brought a Jinchuriki to Mount Myoboku today. He must be the new disciple Gamabunta told me about." Gamamaru said.

"Yes, he is Naruto...Minato's son. I should have brought him sooner."

"Hmm...you want him to learn Sage mode. Are you sure it is time?" Gamamaru asked to which Jiraya nodded.

"Alright...I think Fukasaku and Shima are more than capable of deciding whether he is ready or not. You were almost the same age as that kid when you learned Sage mode." Gamamaru said and closed his eyes.

"I will take my leave then." Jiraya said and left the temple. He started walking down the mountain toward Fukasaku's home. As he reached near it, he saw Naruto kneeling at the side of the house puking.

"Are you alright Naruto?" Jiraya asked to which Naruto looked at him with a sick face and said "You could have warned me pervy sage."

"Even if I did, I don't think Shima would let you skip her lunch. She can be pretty persuasive when she makes up her mind. Why don't you go find Gamakichi while I talk with Fukasaku-sama and Shima."

Naruto gave a betrayed look to Jiraya and walked toward the forest in search of Gamakichi.

"If things go according to plan then Naruto might have to eat this feast every day. It will work as a good motivation for the kid. Hehe...that's what you get for disturbing me during my research." Jiraya said as he remembered how many times Naruto had exposed him while peeking in baths.

Jiraya entered Fukasaku's home and saw the old sage licking his bowl like no tomorrow. "I see you finished your feast after all."

"Jiraya boy I can fill one for you." Shima offered but Jiraya quickly declined.

"How did the talks go Jiraya boy?" Fukasaku asked.

"It went well. I came here to ask if you two could teach Naruto Sage mode. I should have brought him here earlier when I had taken him away for training but I didn't expect things to become serious just as we came back." Jiraya said.

"Hmm...the kid does have a pure heart and his potential is good as well. I am worried that the Nine tails inside him will cause any unexpected problems. We never had a Jinchuriki who could use Sage mode before. What do you think Shima?" Fukasaku asked his wife.

Shima turned back and said "I love that kid. I think we should train him. He might show progress even faster than Jiraya here. He has tremendous potential and how can we forget that he is a descendant of the Uzumaki clan."

"Shima is right. Him being an Uzumaki means his chakra capacity must be tremendous." Fukasaku said to which Jiraya smirked and said "He can create and maintain more than 1000 clones without showing any sign of tiredness. If that isn't enough to prove his chakra capacity then nothing else is."

"Then it's decided. Leave Naruto boy here and we will train him. I am sure that Shima's food will also help is growth." Fukasaku said.

"Hehe..yes it will...it will." Jiraya giggled and left.

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Unknown Place (Same Night)

In a dimly lit tunnel, two people were walking while holding a stack of papers in their hands. "Why are we doing all this meaningless work instead of killing those who are chasing us?" One of them asked. He was a man with a burly build and was partially bald. His hair was orange in color.

"Shut up Jirobo....I don't know why I am stuck with a meathead trash like you when I could be killing those freaks at the surface. But I can't ask this question or my head will fly before I even finish asking." A girly but sharp voice said. She had red hairs falling over her face and a small stature as compared to the other one. 

"Tayuya we have been in these tunnels for the past few years now. The only missions assigned are to you or those creepy twins and that too only spying missions. I have become a servant who just changes bandaids and cleans the area." Jirobo said annoyingly.

"I see that you two have some issues." A voice came out of a nearby room where the two of them were headed. This voice instantly made the two freeze in their footsteps and look down.

"I-I d-didn't mean. Please forgive us." Jirobo said while his hands started shaking. It was pretty clear that it was the voice that was scary but the person to whom the voice belonged to.

Tayuya quietly took a step and asked "Can we enter? We have brought what you told us."

"Hmm..come in." said the voice to which Tayuya immediately took the stack of papers from Jirobo's hand and pushed the steel door in front of her open. The smell of blood immediately flooded her nose. The room was lit with 5 sources of light out of which 4 were near each corner of the room and one was in the center of the ceiling exactly above a stone table. A naked body was laid on the table and nearby a plate of bloody surgical instruments could be seen.

Tayuya quickly gulped as she saw all this. There were many test tubes and vials around the room and a slender man was standing in the middle of it with a bloody scalpel in hand.

"I hope the procedure went well." Tayuya said forcing a smile on her face. 

The slender man looked back and smiled at her as he said "It did go well but I feel like I might be getting short on experimenting subjects...Hisss" This man was none other than Orochimaru. It might not be easy to identify him when his back is turned but his face was not something anyone could ever forget.

"I can kidnap some from the other lands if you command my lord." Tayuya said firmly to which Orochimaru smiled and said "You are as eager as ever Tayuya. The risk of going to the surface is not worth it for now. He is responding well and the substance you 4 got is truly magical." Orochimaru said as he pointed toward the body lying on the table. He then walked toward the body and while looking at the body's face he said "Don't worry Kabuto...you won't miss the fun when the time is right. You will wake up stronger than before."

Tayuya took some steadfast steps and put the stacks of paper on a nearby empty table. She looked down and asked "Why are you so hung up on him? It has been years since he is dead."

The question was a casual one but the bloodlust Tayuya felt the next second was no joke.

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