CHAPTER 25

Chapter 25

The following Day

The way to Kumo had not been all that fast paced. They were travelling at fair speeds not in much of a hurry. It was forced much by the fact that Yugito could not run at her full speed and neither Naruto nor Sasuke were willing to carry her all the way back to her home. But even so if one of them was willing to do that, she would not have accepted the help. She was a proud kunoichi and would not want to be seen as weak. It was already enough that Naruto had to bail her after being defeated by Hidan and Kakuzu. Her pride as a kunoichi still mattered and she would make sure that it was not defiled by anything.

She could never really forget that battle - the battle between her and the two Akatsuki members who attempted to capture her. It was a battle unlike any she had ever experienced before in her whole Jinchuriki life. Those two had been monsters, and she had the Intel given to them by Jiraiya, but still, it proved worthless as the two could not just die. She had hit them with all she could, but they took her out even in her Bijuu form. It was unexpected. And she had been happy thinking that she could take them on after she had seen them, but that was not to be. They had beaten her painfully and that hurt her pride as a hailed perfect Jinchuriki. An S-rank battle was nothing she had thought she would experience in such a manner. She could not count sparring with Bee because they never really went all out in fear of hurting the other. But when going against enemies, she had no such fears.

But Naruto was able to beat them. As far as she had been told. Sasuke did not fight at all. The blond was the only one to have fought both Akatsuki members. It raised much questions about his power. His heroics in Kirigakure were known worldwide. But some people did not actually believe in his power. She had also thought that some people were exaggerating about his strength. But all evidence pointed that he had done it all. And here she was, he had rescued her from the Akatsuki all by himself without the help of his fellow Uchiha.

Just how powerful is he?

Thinking of the blond; there was something he had said that was troubling her; ''...So it was a setup.'' he had spoken those words. She had been thinking about them for quite some time now. She was not the most loved in Kumogakure. It was possible that someone might have set it up so that she could be captured. But she was quite surprised that someone would even go that far. The Akatsuki were evil. Who could have the heart to sell her to them? She was positive that the Raikage had not been the one to assign her the mission to go to outside the village.

She was given the mission by one of the higher ups in Kumogakure. It was an important mission to retrieve some important documents in Shimo. She was not supposed to see what was inside once she got hold of the documents. But she never got to reach her destination because once she was out of the village; those monsters came into her view. And now she was returning home without completing her mission. That is if there was a mission to begin with. Still, it hurt her that someone would go as far as to sell her to the criminal organization, Akatsuki.

She had served Kumogakure in all her might and will. Even though she was not loved as Killer Bee, she was still loved to some degree. But it was not everyone who liked her guts. But even so, she continued to live within Kumo, serving it. She protected the people who hated her. She did not only shield those who liked he. She was a protector of the village, thus she could not choose who to protect. As long as one was a citizen of Kumo, her protection was guaranteed without question, even if someone spat on her.

The Raikage will surely kill someone if it was indeed a setup. She was like family to him. She knew that he cared for her. He was very emotional for a big man and would not hesitate to act rashly to the betrayal. It is indeed an act of betrayal that she was sent away from the village without support, he was going to kill someone without mercy. He would surely be infuriated and act without even investigating the matter thoroughly. The man was quite rash sometimes. Forget the consequences, he would say when angered.

''Naruto,'' Sasuke called breaking the silence. Yugito looked at the Uchiha. She looked at his eyes. They were different from Naruto's. She could guess that it was the Mangekyou Sharingan. But as far as Intel suggested, Sasuke did not have the Mangekyou. But that was by no means a normal Sharingan. She was knowledgeable enough to know that the Mangekyou manifested differently depending on the wielder. Each Uchiha had different eyes. Thier Mangekyou Sharingan's did not manifest the same, so it was no surprise to her to see that both Uchiha's had different eyes.

Sasuke had the expression like Naruto had. But his was a little different. It sometimes showed brief emotions of anger, while Naruto's expression was simply pure blank. She wondered how he could keep it up all the time. Even Anbu's sometimes smiled. It was uncomfortable staring at him.

''What is it?'' Naruto said not even bothering to look at his clansmen. His eyes were focused ahead on the road.

''Aren't you going to do something about your condition?''

''Hmm?''

''Your chakra,'' Sasuke specified. ''Although I can live with it. It is not making her comfortable. You could tone it down a bit,'' Naruto was in the middle. But both Sasuke and Yugito were not travelling close to him. Sasuke was far more close to him, but Yugito was a few feet away from him. It looked like she was trying to keep her distance away from the blond.

That would be because Naruto's power was just eminating through him. It was no good feeling given that his chakra was dense and not so much peaceful. It was somewhat sinister and suffocating to those who could not stand it. He was not just releasing it. It was must merely leaking out because it was too much inside his body, and it was fluctuating in a way misbehaving manner. Because of the evil feel it gave and its oppressing nature, Yugito was not close to him. It was not out of fear or anything. She was used to foul chakra. She was a Jinchuriki after all. But the blond just gave her a weird feeling.

''I told that the seals that usually restrain my chakra were breaking. Now all four of them have disappeared from my body. My chakra proved to be too much for them. It will take some control to get it to behave,'' Naruto explained in a calm tone. This feeling would be wonderful if he liked to enforce fear into everyone who got near him. But he was not like that. It was just at the moment he could not do anything. Well, he could, he just was going to do it when he has made time for that purpose only.

''You had four seals containing your chakra?'' Sasuke asked surprised by Naruto's words. Naruto had more chakra than him, and that was when he was thinking that the blond did not seal most of his chakra. Sealed chakra could not be sensed. So just how much chakra did Naruto have?

''Yes,'' Naruto answered.

Yugito looked at him for a moment before asking, ''Did you release them all when fighting in Kiri?''

Naruto looked at her, ''No,'' he answered with a small smile. He had lied when he said he was fighting at full power. He had only released a single seal that was on his back. But the seal was equivalent to the three that remained. So one could say that he had used 2/3 of his chakra in Kirigakure during the civil war.

He abnormal large amounts of chakra even at a young age. There was a fact that he had Uzumaki genes within him. That meant a Senju lineage. Added to that, he was a Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi from the day he was born. Even before he was born, the Kyuubi's chakra affected him while he was still within his mother's womb. He was carried for 10 months. When Madara infused his and Hashirama's cells into his body, it only gave him another wide door to grow. The Senju cells fitted perfectly because he already had a Senju lineage blood given by his Uzumaki heritage.

Uzumaki lineage, that was what Madara, and Obito lacked within their bodies. Their chakra system was also not natured by the strongest Bijuu. The fact that he had Uzumaki, Senju and Uchiha blood made him an even perfect person and worthy to surpass the Sage of Six Paths. Obito could not even match to that power. He could not even handle the powers of the Rinnegan probably unlike Nagato. It was why he is allowing the latter to gather Bijuu's with the Rinnegan. Madara could achieve a piece of that power. But all logic dictates that he would be stronger than the man.

A further increase to his power was added when he extracted the Kyuubi out of his body. Having the beast's power leave his body tempered with his chakra system in a good way. And as told, the Bijuu left some of its chakra inside his body as a safety measure. The chakra the Bijuu had left had infused with his own. But when one was a sensor they could feel it within his system. That would give a view that it had not fully fused with his own. But because of his death, it had managed to fully fuse and now could no be differentiated from his. Perhaps his body had gone through some changes as well. It would explain why his chakra was misbehaving.

Perhaps the Raikage was right to brand him a threat, Yugito thought. If he had fought during the civil war in Kiri without releasing all of his power, that would mean that he was a lot more powerful than that. Then just how powerful was he? Well at least he did not seem to have any evil intentions towards her village. But she feared how the Raikage would react once he felt the power she was feeling from him right now. She just hoped that he did not do anything stupid like attacking him. That would put the relations with Konoha in an unfavorable position.

''Just how much chakra do you have Naruto?'' Sasuke asked in more of a thought than anything else. That feeling of jealousy was starting to creep into his mind. But it should not matter now since he has the Mangekyou Sharingan. He could now do some of the things that Naruto could do because of his eyes.

''Its not important to ask such a question, Sasuke,'' Naruto said having heard the answer. ''It is high possibility that you will never be able to know the answer,'' there were things inside his body that no one could know about. Trying to understand his power would be meaningless as one could never find where it comes from.

''Maybe to you,'' Sasuke responded. ''How long till we reach Kumo?'' he questioned looking at Yugito. He wanted to return to Konoha and start practicing the usage of his eyes. Keeping them activated for now was only making him feel good. But using them would thrill each muscle fiber inside his body.

''Within minutes at our current pace,'' Yugito responded.

''If that is so, let us walk from here on,'' Naruto said receiving a look from Sasuke. ''We will not be returning to Konoha after we see the Raikage. We will rest for the night before returning back to Konoha. I want to take a good look at the village that raised one of the strongest Kage the shinobi world has ever seen.''

Yugito looked at Naruto with curiosity. ''You mean the Sandaime Raikage?''

''Yes,'' Naruto answered. ''He had some good qualities. The man fought with Gyuuki and never got injured by attacks from the Bijuu. He only went down due to chakra exhaustion.''

''He must have been really strong to receive praise from you,'' Sasuke said flatly. It was just rare to hear Naruto praise someone.

'So he does not just praise anyone,' Yugito thought after hearing Sasuke's words. There was bitterness in Sasuke's words though. But she could not say that the Sandaime was not strong. The man had been far superior. His lightning defense made it impossible for normal jutsu to hurt him. You could throw jutsu of all natures and neither would scratch him.

Naruto decided not to comment on Sasuke's words. ''Anyone has potential to become a superior shinobi. But those with Kekkei Genkai's have far better chances. Jinchuriki's are also a special case. If they are smart, their ability to learn is not limited by anything,'' he paused for a moment. ''You have the Mangekyou Sharingan; those eyes put you above others. But when you become dependent on them your ability to grow becomes limited. It is the same with Yugito and any Jinchuriki who uses his/her Bijuu's power. Once they become dependent on it, they cannot grow further. Ultimately, they become normal.''

There was some silence as both Sasuke and Yugito absorbed Naruto's words. Sasuke had been told something like this by Kakashi while they were training together. In fact, it was not once that the jounin told him of that. He always reminded him until he fully understood. Yugito was the first to respond though, ''I am not fully dependent on my Bijuu's chakra. And I think that people have limits to their grouth potential.''

Naruto shook his head. ''The limit is the attitude. When the body can still function there are no limits. It is a matter of whether you see yourself breaking the barrier of not,'' he then looked at Yugito. ''If you ask Matatabi, she will tell you that a Jinchuriki's full power is when he/she combines their chakra with his/her bijuu. When that happens, you become a perfect Jinchuriki. Turning into Matatabi is nothing but imperfection. No matter how powerful you may appear, you are imperfect.

Turning into a Bijuu only makes you an oversized giant that can only do two things; smash and fire a tailed beast bomb.''

In other words; stop calling yourself a perfect Jinchuriki because you are not. All you can do is hit things with your paws and shoot large balls of chakra. That is how much it sounded like to Yugito. Those words did not do her pride any good. She felt like transforming into Matatabi and show him who was imperfect between them. But she could not do that since her access to the Bijuu's chakra was blocked.

''You are rather talkative,'' Sasuke noted. Naruto mostly never gave anyone advise. Especially given that Yugito was a stranger. But Naruto was talking to her like he was very much familiar with her. Perhaps it was because they were on the subject of power. Naruto could never miss that kind of subject. He was sort of an expert at the subject. You can even feel it when he speaks. The problem was that he never chooses his words carefully to accommodate the weak minded.

Naruto had not noticed that. 'Perhaps it was because of my ''sleep''', he thought. But did not matter anyway. It was not like he was exchanging pleasantries. And he was even willing to teach an enemy a few lessons. ''Don't you think that this woman needs to hear these words, Sasuke?'' he asked. Again, in his usual style, he did not wait for Sasuke to respond. ''She is a Jinchuriki I just saved. I had to come all the way from Konoha to save her from Akatsuki because she was weak. I am giving her a way to become strong so that she would not need to be saved next time. I do not wish for her to remain weak, but rather I want her to become strong,'' he explained his reasons for speaking much words.

''I am not weak!'' Yugito said through gritted teeth. ''Had it been someone else I would not have been defeated. Those two just could not die,'' now she refused to be called weak, especially by a person who did not even know her. Some people wished they had her strength, and some blond from Konoha has the audacity to call her weak. It is true that he saved her but that did not mean that he could say whatever he wanted about her. She would not stand for those kind of words.

Sadly though, Naruto felt no worth in commenting in her words.

''How generous of you,'' Sasuke remarked. The remark sounded a bit sarcastic though. Perhaps the Uchiha was angry with Naruto about something. It might have been that he knew about the Uchiha massacre and yet did not tell him, or the fact that he had said that he did not care for people who were killed. And yet he seemed to care about some woman who was nothing to him.

Naruto raised a curious eye brow at Sasuke's eye brow. He shook his head, ''Would it not be a pain to keep saving the same person over and over again when you can show them how to become strong so that they can protect themselves?''

Sasuke looked at Naruto stoically, taking after his brother. He wanted to snort or do something else. But at the end he nodded at that. Even he would rather have someone become strong on their own so they could protect themselves. By now, Yugito was being ignored which did nothing to please her. But she settled for not saying anything.

''...And besides, it would be sad if she were to get killed because of her imperfection,'' Naruto said looking ahead. He could feel the gates of Kumo right ahead.

Sasuke actually stopped walking when Naruto said ''sad'', he did not think that those words would leave the blond's mouth. He did not think that he could be capable to feeling them towards a stranger. Even to Yugito, even though she was a Jinchuriki. So to have things cleared for him, he questioned, ''What do you mean sad?''

''Not in the sense of being actually sad,'' Naruto answered shortly without pause. Sasuke actually nodded at his answer as if he understood things perfectly. Of cause, this action confused Yugito greatly as she did not understand what was going on.

''Why would it be ''sad''? Is it because she is a Jinchuriki?'' Sasuke questioned curiously. His expression had changed from the one of stoic to curious one.

Somehow Yugito did not feel good about all that. But she refrained from voicing out her thoughts. She was going to part ways with them soon anyway. She would say thank you from the bottom of her heart and leave them. She would not be faking her thanks. They really did save her life. The least she could do was to be thankful. Going back to the scene currently playing; even if she were to voice her thoughts, there was a 90% chance that she would be ignored by Naruto since the question would be directed at him.

''Perhaps,'' Naruto responded. ''This woman is a proud kunoichi and Jinchuriki. How many are there in Konoha? Out of all the women you have come across, has there been anyone like her, Sasuke?''

Somehow Sasuke did not like what Naruto was getting at. ''What are you saying?''

''You seem to be incapable of finding a woman on your own. And I had thought since your sensei was somewhat of a pervert, you would have learned a few things from him,'' Naruto shook his head. Yugito glared him seeing where he was taking the conversation. ''This woman is quite fine to be the one to bear your children. A few moments ago, she was thinking of attacking me even though she could feel how superior I was to her. That leads me to conclude that she won't be like flames that you can bend anytime you want.''

Sasuke was thinking if he should be embarrassed or angry. The situation to Yugito was slightly amusing while at the same time infuriating.

''Are you suggesting that I become toy to produce children for him?'' Yugito questioned in a deadly calm tone.

Naruto looked at her and smiled slightly. ''Sasuke seems to be shy around women. Igniting things like this is my way of helping,'' he seemed to ignore her question. ''I don't see anything particularly wrong with him. Would it be hell to live with him at the Uchiha compound?'' guess not.

Yugito stared at Naruto blankly. How could he ask her such a thing with straight face? Was there something wrong with him? Generally there was nothing wrong with Sasuke. But people just did not say such things like he was. ''Are you even hearing yourself when you speak such things?'' she questioned.

Naruto ignored her question. ''You did not answer my question,'' he said.

''So now because you saved my life you think I should become his wife and cough out children for him? What do you think I am?''

''You still did not answer my question,'' Naruto seemed to sigh at this. ''But I was not saying that simply because you were saved. Like I said, you have the personality to be the right woman for Uchiha. And unlike some women Sasuke might bring, I won't be annoyed each time I see you,'' he said.

''So you are not thinking about me but you and what you like,'' Sasuke said.

''Forget it, Yugito is not interested in you,'' Naruto said with a shrug. ''Most importantly, you are annoying me. I might just kill you for that,'' Naruto said narrowing his eyes at his left side where Yugito was walking by. But he was not looking at her, but towards the trees.

''You sensed them,'' Sasuke said knowing that Naruto was referring to the Anbu that had been tailing them for quite some time now. ''I thought since you were busy talking you would not have noticed them.''

''I did. But since now I have lost interest in the conversation, their presence only annoys me. Anbu should be trained better than this. Even I who is like a walking light bulb can hide better than this,'' Naruto said flatly while Yugito chose to remain silent on the matter.

Sasuke sighed, ''I doubt that,'' he said referring to that Naruto could hide better. In the way he was now, it seems impossible for him to achieve that feat. He looked at Yugito. ''Tell them to go away before he really kills them,'' he said.

Yugito raised a curious eyes brow. ''He would do that even though this is Kumo territory? If he did that that would be provoking trouble and anger of the Raikage.''

Sasuke nodded, ''I doubt he would care about the consequences,'' he said. But they were not here to cause any trouble in the village. He would like it to be that way. Yugito nodded and signaled for the Anbu to return to the village. They were close to the village now, there was no need for them to be following them.

''You are different from him,'' Yugito said. These two Uchihas when they were talking seemed to be nice people, despite Naruto's blunt way of putting things. They were not trying to scare her each time they got the chance. They merely allowed her to walk and talk freely. But when they were silent, it was another story.

Sasuke shrugged in response. He was not going to say anything else to that matter. Naruto and him were different people, that much was obvious. He was not going to speculate anything further to that. Yugito was still a kunoichi from a village that was not in friendly terms with Konoha. He was not going to give her any more personal information than Naruto has. She was not an enemy but definitely not an ally either.

There was silence for a moment. Yugito recalled that Naruto had called her Bijuu by its name. No one other than her was supposed to know that. That was what she had been told. Matatabi had informed her that humans did not bother to learn of their names but simply chose to call them by the number of tails they had. That was because humans only saw Bijuus as nothing but mass source of chakra, weapons that needed to be control by them. They did not even think that they had names and a mind of their own. But Naruto had actually called her Bijuu by its name.

''How do you the name of the Bijuu I hold?'' Yugito asked curiously. Naruto just looked at her with nothing to read on his face. With that look, Yugito knew she was not going to get an answer. ''It is not like I can do something with that information,'' she said.

''I know,'' Naruto said. ''But the matter is simple; I just don't want to tell you.''

Yugito responded by glaring at him. But Naruto was no longer looking at her. Even if he had been, he would not have been bothered by her glare. He would have probably just shrugged it off like it was nothing. She resigned in glaring at him, ''Once we get in the village, I will probably be separated from you. No doubt the Raikage's Anbu are waiting at the gates. If you need anything before you leave, go to training ground Zero, you will find me there.''

''You are returning to training in that condition?'' Sasuke questioned with a raised brow. He would not be surprised if she was going to kill herself in training because of what Naruto had said.

Yugito shrugged. ''Once the seal blocking my access to my Bijuu's chakra is removed, I will be fine,'' she said.

''Since we have arrived...'' Naruto turned to face Yugito. ''Come here so I can remove the seal,'' he said.

''Where is the seal placed?'' Yugito asked curiously.

''Where do you think?'' Naruto responded with a question.

''No,'' Yugito said. She was not going to be stripping in front of him. ''Someone I trust will remove it,'' it was good that it was placed while she was still out cold.

Naruto shrugged and looked ahead the large gates of Kumogakure. He could sense several chakra signatures from the gate. Well, to avoid unnecessary unscripted plays, he would have to play nice. But he was not going to be bowing down to anyone in the village. The Raikage and his searches had returned back to the village when they had not found Yugito anywhere. Surely the man would have much to say to him and Sasuke. But the man would definitely not say thank you. He did not expect him to say so though. In fact, he would be disappointed if the man thanked him for returning Yugito.

Kumo gates

Just as thought, the gates were swamped with shinobi from the village, mostly Anbu though. They seemed to have been waiting for them for quite some time. But given that since they neared Kumo territory, they cooled down their pace, it was obvious that they would have been informed. They could have come to get Yugito outside the village, staying inside was the safe choice. Who knew what could happen if they went outside and force Yugito to be handed to them? They were not looking for a fight even though they were in their home turf.

Sometimes it was just better to avoid conflicts. Meaningless conflicts only resulted in unwanted deaths and sorrow. It was best to allow people to live in their peace and keep them away from sorrow. Shinobi were protectors of the village they belonged to. They had to make the wise decisions so not to put the civilians in danger. Making stupid choices could only bring about damage. It would be either to them or their enemy. But often even when one was a winner, there was always a heavy price that was paid.

''I did not think there would be these many,'' Sasuke said looking at the people gate. There were about two squads of Anbu and more than 12 other shinobi standing at the gates. That was not including the gate guards and the other Anbu who were obviously watching from afar.

''Paranoid people act like this,'' Naruto replied. ''But it is quite lively,'' he looked outside the gates. That was someone he was familiar with that he was sensing. He wondered what the man was doing at this village. He seemed to have been waiting for them.

''The Raikage is surely going to be pissed if you keep talking like that,'' Sasuke stated shaking his head. Naruto merely shrugged carelessly in response. It was of no consequence to him if the man became infuriated. If he could not handle mere words then he was weak minded, not worthy of being a Kage. Words had power in them but someone of a Kage is not supposed to be riled up by anything that was said.

Two people came running towards the three. The others seemed to just watch as they ran happily. Another woman, with blond hair seemed to just walk behind them without hurry. ''Yugito!'' one of them two yelled. She was certainly a woman and the other was a man. Both wore standards Kumo jounin vests. The woman rushed over to Yugito and hugged her with bliss all over her face. The male merely watched with a lollipop on his mouth. But neither Sasuke nor Naruto stopped for the show of affection.

''Karui, you are hugging me a little bit tight,'' Yugito said wincing because she had yet to fully heal and the woman was squashing her in her hug.

''Sorry,'' Karui responded letting go of Yugito. ''We hurried off to find you when we heard you had gone alone on a mission. When he came to search for you, we did not find you...'' she said still holding Yugito's hands.

''I will explain everything later,'' Yugito responded as she began to walk forward to look at catch up to Naruto and Sasuke. Omoi and Karui followed her from behind.

Naruto stopped for a moment when he laid his eyes on the woman that was standing in front of him. She had blond hair and a large bust. The most thing that stood out though to Naruto was her cold eyes and impassive expression. He found himself fascinated by her stare. It was almost like his. The woman stared at him with her expression never changing. But something seemed to flash across her face for a second. She had felt his oppressing chakra. But chose not to comment on it. The Raikage did not ooze off such power. No one she had seen had been able to reflect this much power she was feeling from him.

Sasuke looked between the two, and smile. 'A perfect match,' he thought. Both had the same expressions, perhaps they had more things alike. Naruto should not have gotten himself involved with Yugao. To Sasuke, this woman in front of him was the one who was supposed to be in that position. But then again they had a minimum of four wives to marry. Naruto only had two. He could add to that. But something like that seemed impossible.

''Follow me,'' Samui said in a flat tone as she turned around towards the gate.

''A perfect match indeed,'' Sasuke thought aloud. Even her voice sounded like the blond's. Perhaps Naruto himself had noticed this.

''A perfect match for what?'' Sasuke heard a voice asking him from behind. He looked back to see Yugito staring into his eyes.

''Nothing,'' he answered going back to the way ahead.

''I saw that you were looking between Naruto and Samui. Could be perhaps thinking that they could be a perfect match for each other?'' Yugito questioned calmly. This time, everyone heard her, including Naruto and Samui. But neither commented on it.

Sasuke shrugged. ''I might have,'' he admitted without fear. He was not going to say otherwise. He was much in a ''good'' mood to be threatened by anyone at the moment. No threat to him would be fazing. He could handle them all. Especially given now that he has awakened the prized Mangekyou Sharingan.

''Jiraiya, for how long will you keep playing hide and seek alone?'' Naruto spoke suddenly surprising the group. Just then Jiraiya made his presence known. He was holding a note pad and a pen in his hands. For some reason he had a disappointed look on his face.

''What a way to ruin the moment,'' the perverted Toad sage grumbled. If Naruto had not spoken, he could have gotten something for his research. The conversation being carried out by Yugito and Sasuke was a good one. It was befitting to be added to his books. But the blond just had to open his mouth before things could get to the good part. Samui was indeed desirable. Her bust rivaled Tsunade's and her cold look only made her desirable to him.

''Have you lost children in some parts of this village?'' Naruto questioned ignoring Jiraiya's words.

The Sannin then walked closer to the group. He raised a brow when he got the feeling from Naruto, but did not say anything. It was new. For now, he would leave it as it was. There was also Sasuke's eyes; they were also new. He would not question that now but when it was just the three of them. For now he was going to pretend like he already knew about those eyes. It seemed that Sasuke was not even attempting to hide them. In fact, he seemed to be showing them off. It was no doubt the Mangekyou Sharingan. An interesting development. No doubt it had something to do with Itachi.

Back to Naruto's question; the blond knew that he had no children. What he was saying that he and Sasuke were not children that needed him for babysitting. ''I figured if I did not come here, you would leave this village having not minded you words towards the Raikage. It is my duty to ensure that no such thing happens,'' the toad Sage said.

''So you came to stop me from saying anything the Raikage would find ''insulting,''' Naruto said earning a firm nod from Jiraiya. ''Laughable,'' yep he said it.

''What is it that is laughable?'' Jiraiya questioned with narrowed eyes.

''How you will succeed in what you came for,'' Naruto responded earning looks from the Kumo group. Sasuke said nothing. It seemed that it was nothing new to him. This of course, surprised them because Jiraiya was supposed to be a Legendary Shinobi. Who spoke to him like that? Most people referred to him as Jiraiya-sama even with his perverted antics, but yet Naruto simply call him Jiraiya.

Samui narrowed her eyes at the blond. 'Interesting fellow,' she thought silently.

The group that had been standing at the gate was now looking at the Konoha shinobi with impassive expressions. Naruto disappeared in a blur and appeared behind the group. The speed was so fast that only a few had seen him move. The Anbu arrived at him when he was already walking forwards after passing the group of shinobi. Things became tense when the Anbu pulled out their swords and pointed them at Naruto. What one would expect Naruto to say in this situation would be, ''How annoying,'' and he indeed said that.

It was a surprise to the Anbu that he could only call the situation he was in annoying. who did something like that? They could cut him if they wanted, but all he could say was ''how annoying?'' But the Anbu did not let that get to them. No, they stayed strong and stared at the blond behind their masks. The aura of his oppressive power could be felt quite clearly. It did not make it comfortable for them to stay that close to him. But they were Anbu, if they were to run away, who would stay behind?

''Who told you to step inside the village?'' the leader of the group asked in a monotone voice. He was staying strong his fellow Anbu to follow in his example.

Naruto seemed to sigh before responding in an even tone, ''Is that rhetorical?''

''Step back so that we can take a look at your pass. If everything checks out okay, we will let you pass,'' the Anbu leader spoke again without fear or wavering in his stance.

''And If I refuse?''

''We will take approriate measures like cutting your head off your neck.''

The words seemed to amuse Naruto. ''I refuse,'' he wanted to see if they could actually cut off his head before he did that to them. It was a question of who was faster between him and the Anbu pressing their swords at him. The situation looked not to favor him, but he was not concerned for that all.

Before anything could happen, Jiraiya intervened, ''Come on Naruto. Don't do anything stupid. This is Kumogakure not Konoha. We have to abide by their rules and the will be consequeses should we not do that,'' the Toad Sage said. He then looked at Samui, ''Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you the one who invited them to follow you?'' It was not completely Naruto's fault. The Anbu were just being difficult. The blond had come into the village to return their Jinchuriki who could have been captured by Akatsuki had it not been for him. But they were still trying to asset their authority over their blond. Naruto did not bend to that kind of thing.

Samui shrugged. She was simply enjoying the show. ''Shadow, let him pass. Raikage-sama has allowed him entrance to the village,'' she spoke in a still flat tone. The Anbu knew that already. Perhaps they just wanted to provoke the blond and see how he would react. Given his ''fame'', it would not be a surprise if they just wanted to see if really he was strong as people say he was. Slowly the Anbu sheathed their weapons and walked away from Naruto. They disappeared into the shadows.

''Follow me,'' Samui said again walking towards the direction of the Raikage's tower. The group then followed her from behind.

Jiraiya walked towards Sasuke and whispered into his ear, ''So have you chosen which one you will take out of the two blondes? Personally I don't care who you pick. Any of the two is fine.''

''I don't have such thoughts in my head right now,'' Sasuke responded.

Jiraiya sighed sadly. ''No wonder you are still a virgin. Naruto has even bettered you. In this area you should be better than him given his attitude. I gave you a copy of my book and Kakashi gave you a few tips, and yet the wells are still dry.''

''I am not having this conversation with you, Jiraiya,'' Sasuke stated in a cold tone. It was annoying when the man started to speak about his personal life. His life was just the way he wanted it to be. He would not be pressured to do anything he did not want.

''Ungrateful brat,'' Jiraiya mumbled. ''I was just trying to help.'' The Sannin looked between Samui and Yugito who seemed to be conversing.

''How long have you been with them?'' Samui asked. ''Them'' was referred to Sasuke and Naruto.

''About two or three days,'' Yugito answered. She had spent most of the time sleeping. And she did not know long she had been at the place she had been kept before she came to.

''They did not do anything bad to you, did they?'' Karui questioned.

Before Yugito could respond Omoi opened his mouth. ''It will be the end of the world if they did because Raikage-sama would be angry and would try to make them pay. Then Kumo and Konoha would become locked in a war. Soon other vill-'' he was cut off by Karui.

''Shut up, Omoi!'' she yelled loudly hitting him on the forehead.

''Ouch. That hurt you fl...'' he held his words back when he saw the murderous look on Karui's face. ''Ah, we are now close to the Raikage's tower,'' he said trying to change the subject quickly so not to be the receiving end of Karui's righteous fury.

Raikage's tower

Jiraiya looked at Naruto. It would not matter if he showed a stern face. The blond would do what he pleased. But it did not hurt trying. He had been right when he said he could not stop him from saying what he wanted to say to the Raikage. But at least he was here to do damage control should there be a need for that. ''Naruto,'' he called in a defeated tone as they were about to enter the Raikage's office. ''Just don't provoke the Raikage intentionally. The man is quite emotional and easily angered.''

That was quite true. A was known for his quick busts of anger. It did not take much for the man's fuse to light up. A few things said or done and the man would be breaking walls. He was not about to have the man do any that under his watch. He would be like a mediator between the two. The Raikage also had his way of saying things. He was proud and never did quite admit to anything. Naruto was also proud and refused to bow to anyone. If the Naruto lights up a fire, he would be sure to be there to put it out. If the Raikage does start the fire, it would be no problem because Naruto is not the one to suddenly attack someone because of some words.

He did not know what it would take for Naruto to actually lose his calm. So far, he had never seen the blond ''uncool''. He was always calm and collected. Regardless of what one said to him, he would always remain calm. He was not the one to suddenly rush into a fight rashly without thinking. In this coming meeting, he knew that regardless of what the Raikage would say to Naruto, the blond would not lose his cool and suddenly attack the man. If he was to attack, Jiraiya knew that Naruto would request and nice place for them to do battle.

But a fight between the two was something he was not about to have. If those two fought and the Raikage ends up losing, he would definitely dislike Naruto even more. Who knew what would creep into his mind should he lose. And Naruto was not the one to give up a fight just to make someone happy. Perhaps he would let you win for a moment just to build your confidence so that he could crush you with your full confidence. Cruel. Jiraiya was aware of that. Naruto was ruthless in a fight. It seemed like it was his pride and joy. Fighting the Raikage would certainly excite him.

''This talk is becoming annoying, Jiraiya,'' Naruto said clearly not pleased with the fact that the Sannin was repeating his words. He had heard him the first time he spoke. He was not that stupid to do things that would provoke trouble between Kumogakure and Konoha. The same could not be said between him and the Raikage. He could care less if the man hated him. In fact, it was pleasing that the man hated his guts. His enemies would be thinning out soon. He had to find someone to amuse him after he had dealt with Nagato and Obito.

''I am just thinking of what is best for Konoha,'' Jiraiya said not fazed by the look Naruto had. ''Sometimes you put your own amusement before anything. If anything less favorable between Kumo and Konoha were to occur, civilians are going to be in danger. I would like to avoid that. We have already suffered enough,'' the Sannin said in a firm tone.

Aside from the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had been unfortunate to lose many of their shinobi and civilians during the Kyuubi's rampage. It was one of the most tragetic nights in Konoha - one that will never be forgotten in the village. Many lost their precious that day. Most of all, Konoha lost its Hokage. If that was not enough, their former shinobi, Orochimaru - now dead - orchestrated an invasion to the village by the Sound and Sand. Although the invasion was dealt with quickly, there were still two or three who lost some of their precious people. Even at that time, Konoha lost a Hokage.

Another event with similarities to the previous ones would surely cause panic to the villagers. Over the previous two events, none of the Hokages had been able to make it out alive. They all ended up dying for the sake of the village. It was true that they were happy to have heroes such as them, but it was at the same time sad that they had to lose them. Finding someone to replace them was not easy. The village also weakens considerably when the Kage is down. Potential customers also leave the village when its leader passes away.

The good thing is that each time Konoha has been able to recover and still stand as the strongest. Some may have thought that they would be weakened considerably when the Kyuubi ran rampad within the village and killed many. And then their precious yellow Hokage died sacrificing himself for the sake of the village. One would think Konoha no longer had one worthy to be Kage. But that was not to be. Hiruzen stepped up and took the mantle of Hokage again. He saw the village return to its former glory without even looking weak. Orochimaru came and Hiruzen died, but the remaining Sannin gathered and made the village stronger.

Naruto shrugged as they entered the office of the man now hailed as the fastest man in the Elemental Nations. Minato was dead, so there was no one who could match his lightning cloak...well that is what people think.

The Raikage was sitting comfortably behind his chair with his brother standing on his right hand. And another man standing on his left. The man on his left had a bored look on his face. He was Darui, a black lightning user - a rare ability to make black lightning. The eyes of A looked at the Konoha shinobi for a moment before going to Yugito. He smiled seeing her well. He eyes then returned to the Konoha shinobi, to be precise, Jiraiya. ''How nice of you to come again, Jiraiya,'' he said leaving the formalities.

''With the Akatsuki still running loose, it is bound that I come here often,'' Jiraiya responded in a mature tone. And he could not allow Naruto to be alone with the Raikage.

A nodded and looked at Karui and Omoi. He gave them a look that clearly said, ''Leave, this is above your pay grade.'' The two did not waste time, they hurriedly left the room without saying another word.

''Would you explain to me what happened?'' the Raikage was still looking at Jiraiya. But the Sannin also had not details as to what really happened.

''I am also in the dark as you,'' Jiraiya said shaking his head. ''I just met them at the gate. Only those three can explain to you what happened.''

''Yugito?''

Yugito only said what had happened before she was beat by the Akatsuki members, Hidan and Kakuzu. She did not give out a detailed report knowing that she would give out one after she had gotten the right medication from the hospital. The Raikage was surely going to question her more once the group on Konoha left his office. By then, she would give a full report of the events that transpired leading to her capture.

''How interesting,'' Naruto said when the Raikage seemed to have been in thought after Yugito spoke. ''Gyuuki's Jinchuriki, a top jounin and the ''fastest'' man in the Elemental Nations. This seems to me like those two were brought just to show off Kumo's prized assets,'' the blond said.

The Raikage narrowed his eyes at Naruto. ''Can't the same be said for you; two Uchihas and a Sannin.''

''Perhaps,'' Naruto said. He seemed to release a yawn. ''I thought this scene would keep me interested for some time, but it has not. It has started off rather boring,'' he then turned around. ''I will be around the village, Sasuke, when you are done with this little play look for me.''

''Where are you going? You have not told me of you side of the story. And why you happen to know when the Akatsuki would attack Yugito!''

Naruto did not turn around as he responded. ''Sasuke can answer those questions,'' he said.

Before Naruto could leave and A could respond, Killer Bee spoke, ''No so fast, 9-yo. Or should I say former number 9-yo Jinchuriki.''

This caught Naruto's attention. He turned around to face the Jinchuriki. ''Bijuus can speak to each other telepathically when at a certain ranger. They can also sense each other within a container. Gyuuki must not have sensed Kyuubi within me to know that I am no longer a Jinchuriki. I should have expected the octopus to tell you that,'' the blond said. He did not appear to be alarmed by this in any way. His face remained as it was.

Killer Bee raised a curious brow. Naruto seemed to be knowledgeable about Bijuus with those few words he said. And the fact that the blond did not deny anything was surprising. He was not afraid that something like that had been brought out. By the looks of Sasuke and Jiraiya's face, it seems that they were not aware of it. But that would beg that question; why was Naruto calm about it?

''So it is true after all. You are no longer a Jinchuriki,'' Jiraiya said, not even surprised by the revelation. ''I suspected that much when you summoned the Kyuubi in Kirigakure. When a Bijuu is sealed, it is impossible to do that. You can only transform into the Bijuu. But yet you summoned it. What made me think otherwise was the fact that once a Bijuu was extracted from you, death was automatic. You would have died if you extracted it. There was also the fact the no one had seen the Kyuubi anywhere. If you had released it, it would have been noticed already. A hateful beast such as the Kyuubi cannot stay still at a single place.''

''That would explain why he never uses the Bijuus chakra. I mean, ever since we where genin, he never used the Kyuubi's power. It was all his own power,'' Sasuke stated.

''I thought when you were talking about a perfect Jinchuriki, you were talking about something you have actually experienced yourself,'' Yugito said quite surprised that he was no longer a Jinchuriki as people believed him to be.

''I was only telling you that so that you can escape your weakness,'' Naruto said.

''Naruto, do you know what will happen if Konoha's villagers find out about this?'' Jiraiya asked seriously. He just hoped that the Raikage did not use this for his own benefit. If news like this spread out, there would be great panic in the village.

''I can only imagine myself standing at the Hokage Monument watching them tremble with an amused expression on my face. It would be amusing knowing that the Kyuubi can never reach Konoha, but yet they will continue to think ''It's coming.'''

Naruto's obvious disregard to the health and safety of Konoha's villagers was surprising to the Kumo shinobi. ''What do you mean ''it cannot reach Konoha''?'

''Figure that out yourself,'' Naruto shrugged. ''Ah, my clone as found a perfect place,'' he said looking thoughtful. He said nothing more as he disappeared in a quick bust of flames.

'When did he make a clone?' Sasuke thought. He had been with the blond all the way to the village. He could not have made a clone without him knowing about it. Especially when his Mangekyou had been activated the whole time.

''This does not do any good to us,'' the Raikage said seeing the look on Jiraiya's face. ''He is already powerful on his own. As Sasuke has said, he has never used the Kyuubi's power. So since then all he has been doing was with his own power. On top of that, he has the Kyuubi with him as a summon. This means he can fight another battle while the Kyuubi also fights another battle. But with our Jinchuriki, they cannot fight like a summoner and a summons.''

Jiraiya nodded understanding the Raikage's words. ''This in fact does Konoha more good than bad. If Naruto uses the Kyuubi as a summon, it offers more chance of destruction without being limited a seal.''

The Raikage sighed, and asked Sasuke to tell his story. Sasuke explained everything, but left out parts of Naruto's death and where exactly they took Yugito too. But he did make mention that after Naruto had killed off the two Akatsuki members, they returned to the Fire country. He also did not say anything about Zetsu nor Itachi. Kumo did not need to know about those parts.

''Does Naruto have a contact within the Akatsuki? I find it hard to believe that he would have known about the danger without having someone from the inside tell him of it,'' A asked curiously.

Jiraiya shook his head. ''I don't know,'' he said.

''I want you and him out of my village by tomorrow. I would have told you to leave now, but Yugito would not have allowed that to happen with what you did for her,'' the Raikage said doing a 360 spin.

''That's fine,'' Sasuke said, turning around to leave as he shrugged. ''I don't know about Jiraiya, but Naruto and I were not planning on staying longer anyway. If it had been my choice, I would not have even set foot in this village.''

When those words left Sasuke's mouth, the Raikage called his Anbu to find Naruto and discover what he wanted inside his village. He also sent Samui to look for the blond. She would make a good one to gather Intel on the blond as she was hard to read and was quite perceptive. Her personality fitted the mission very well.

Two hours later

Away from the village and everyone else, Naruto was sitting at the far end of the village of Kumo at the rocks. It was just a place that was full of rocks, nothing special. He had been conversing with Zetsu when he had sensed someone come nearby. He had not thought that Anbu would come to him at this place, especially since he was not mingling with Kumo business and its villagers. They would be annoying him with their presence should they have been following him inside the village. To avoid being annoyed by the flies, he had chosen to rest at this place.

It was a nice place. He could relax without any noise invading his ears. Sometimes being close to other people only brought about noise that was nothing but nonsense and things he did not care about. Having sometime alone would allow him to gather his thoughts. And it was also a good spot to speak with Zetsu without eyes watching him. This sport provided a good place for some fresh air to hit about his cold skin and drip its fangs within his flesh. He did not care about the scenery though.

When he had sensed the person, he had realized that the person was not even attempting to hide his/her presence. This person was coming to him, telling him that he/she was not hiding to be here. He was also quick to notice that because of the fact that his chakra had been misbehaving recently, it had affected his senses and control over it. It was not anything good. He enjoyed perfect control over his chakra and anything less than that was not satisfactory especially when he could do something to change it. He would have to get back to extensive chakra control excises again to regain his perfect control.

Samui walked towards the rocks - the place the Anbu had informed her they had sensed Naruto. They did not go to see the blond though. After sensing him, they had immediately come to her to tell her of it. It was her mission to find out what he wanted from her village. The Raikage had assigned her to do it. But she was rather bored, and hated this kind of mission. Well at least her target was someone who seemed interesting enough. He did not look the kind of person to bore the life out of her. If that was so, she could contend with it.

She finally saw his figure, sited down. His Gunbai was just beside him leaning against the rock he was sited on. Although he was not looking at her, she knew he had already sensed her. She had not even attempted to hide her presence to begin with. She also not reading anything much into the fact that he had not been looking her way. Someone like him would not even pretend not to have noticed her presence. He must have had his reasons; she was not interested in them though.

She was curious about him though. He was an interesting man after all. She doubted that anyone would not find him an interesting fellow if they had a curious personality about them.

She walked calmly towards him, still he did not look her way. But then He looked into her eyes after she had sited down on a rock. Looking into hers; just like the last time - his eyes did not travel anywhere on her body, but her eyes. She was sure he was not gay. But yet he did not even steal a glance at any of her assets. That Jiraiya had stolen a few peeks a number of times while she had been in his presence. That man was a pervert that was for sure.

''A sent you to see what I am doing in his village, I presume,'' Naruto started the conversation while he was still looking at the woman in front of him.

Samui made no attempt to deny it. She merely nodded. ''He wants to know what you are doing in his village,'' she said, again not even attempting to hide anything. He had to have known what she was doing here. But saying it did not mean that she actually expected him to tell her what he was doing at the village other than having to return Yugito. She had an idea that he would not give her any answer, if what she has seen so far is anything to go by.

''Ah, the cautious type,'' Naruto said.

And then there was silence, comfortable silence. Neither Naruto or Samui minded of it. The former had come here looking for the silence to begin with.

''That is an interesting weapon you have there,'' Samui said after a few minutes of silence. Well, it felt like a few minutes.

Naruto looked at his Gunbai before picking it up. He threw it at Samui, ''It is quite effective in both defense and offense,'' he stated.

Samui caught the Gunbai with little effort and held it by its handle. She examined it for a few moments before speaking, ''It seems that way. Its quite rare to find a weapon like this,'' she said.

''Shinobi of today look for something sharper. If they have a weapon it has to be a blade. A blade can kill, but a Gunbai cannot cut like a sword, it is also not usable like the fans Suna wind users use,'' Naruto explained briefly. ''You also favor swords as they are more effective in channeling lightning chakra.''

''A weapon like this cannot work the way I want for a weapon. But it feels cool,'' Samui replied throwing the weapon back to Naruto who caught it before placing down.

Nothing much was said after that. Naruto decided to just meditate while the woman chose to sit and enjoy the quietness.

Later that day

Naruto went on looking for Sasuke when the Uchiha had not come his way. He did not look for long though - he found his clansmen at a hotel with Jiraiya. They had seemed to be talking about some things. Neither of them had smiles. Naruto did not even try to figure out what the Uchiha had been discussing with Jiraiya. The Sannin probably had already noticed the difference in Sasuke's expression. It was no longer the happy face that it had come to return after his training trip with Kakashi. The news of his brothers missions had done quite a number of his mentality. But eventually he would cool down.

''I thought you would have returned to Konoha by now,'' Naruto said looking straight at Jiraiya. He had done what he had come for, what more reasons did he have to stay around the village?

Jiraiya's expression turned serious. He had not spoken about anything with Sasuke as he wanted Naruto to be around when he spoke. ''How could I have gone back after making a few discoveries?''

''What is so important to be regarded is discoveries?''

Jiraiya looked at Sasuke's eyes, before looking back at Naruto. ''Sasuke's Sharingan and the fact that you are no longer a Jinchuriki. I had suspected that you no longer were a Jinchuriki, but I just did not think that it was possible,'' the Toad Sage paused for a moment. ''Do Sasuke's eyes have something to do with Itachi?''

''You ask me that question? If you want answers, question Sasuke. If he does not answer you, don't come back to me. It is his decision whether to say it or not,'' Naruto replied. He was certainly not going to say anything in that regard. That was Sasuke's problem. If Jiraiya wanted answers about the matter, he would have to speak with Sasuke. He also did not think that Sasuke would be answering any question given the state of his mind. Perhaps at a later date, he would answer, but at the moment, Jiraiya was not going to get an answer.

''Sasuke?'' Jiraiya said, not bothering to repeat his question. The Uchiha had heard him question. It was no longer important for him to repeat it. That would be unless Sasuke acted like he did not hear it, but it was certain that he heard the question.

Sasuke stared into Jiraiya's serious expression with a blank one, ''I do not have to answer that question. Whether this involves Itachi or not, I do not think I am at liberty to share it with you,'' he gave a response like one Naruto would give. If Naruto had been training him, he would have definitely be pleased.

Jiraiya continued staring at Sasuke for a moment. He then around to look into Naruto, but the blond still had his impassive expression on his face. The Sannin shook his head. This was something he was not going to win. Perhaps he was just getting too old for this, ''Uncontrollable brats,'' he mumbled.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, ''You will leave alone or with Jiraiya. Something came up that I have to attend to. And I have to leave about now,'' he said.

''Great,'' Sasuke said, that definitely sounded sarcastic. ''I will also leave now,'' he said getting up. There was nothing keeping him inside this village. He wanted to get home and think things over instead of staying in a village where the leader had already made it clear that he does not want him. The Raikage had made it clear that they were to leave tomorrow.

He was also not going to ask where Naruto was going and what business he had to attend to. There was a 100% chance that Naruto would not tell him. Given those odds, it was best to keep his mouth shut. He also had his own problems to deal with, and getting into the blond's business was not in his to do list. He was a bit more concerned about what was going on in his mind. Jiraiya could leave on his own, he was not taking the way home with the Sannin. Some time alone to organize his thoughts was need. If he were to leave with the Toad Sage, he would never get the chance to think.

''Wait!'' Jiraiya said, in a slight loud tone. ''Where are you going? You can't leave just yet. We have yet to discuss about your case.''

Sasuke ignored those words. They were not directed to him anyway. ''Finish up your business quickly. We have things to discuss when you return,'' he said looking at Naruto. It was not a request, more like a demand. The blond merely raised a brow at the tone Sasuke had used. He seemed really serious about wanting to talk. The raven head did not wait for Naruto to respond since he was not making a request. He left the room with his things.

Jiraiya stared at Naruto sternly. ''You really should have told me, Naruto. What if the Kyuubi somehow find its way to Konoha? What if someone had found the news and used it to bring panic to Konoha?''

''It was not important to tell. And if it was important, I would not have told you about it,'' Naruto answered.

Jiraiya seemed not to have clearly understood the response as he questioned again. ''Why did you keep it a secret?''

''It was not a secret,'' Naruto replied. ''I just did not make anyone aware of it. And you just did not bother to verify your suspicions with me.''

''Like you would have given me the answers,'' Jiraiya said sarcastically. He sighed. ''This is really troublesome though. Sasuke has the Mangekyou Sharingan, and he was not even hiding it. You are no longer a Jinchuriki,'' something clicked inside his head as spoke those words. ''Is the Akatsuki aware of this?''

''Yes,'' Naruto responded.

''Well that is at least some good news. They won't be attacking Konoha to get the Kyuubi,'' Jiraiya said sounding actually relieved about it.

The Akatsuki would not attack Konoha to get their hands on the Kyuubi since Naruto no longer contained it. Even if they were to come and attack the village to get it, there was 99.9% chance that Naruto would not tell them even though villagers were to get killed because of that. Everybody was aware of Naruto's non-caring attitude. Most of Konoha's confused civilians remained oblivious to this. But some were aware of that fact. Jiraiya knew these when saying his words, but he was not willing to say it out loud. Naruto was not dense, he knew that too.

''Well then,'' Naruto said turning away from the Sannin. ''I will take my leave.''

''Where are you going anyway?'' Jiraiya asked curiously. He might have been going to Oto, but he doubted that. Perhaps to some other village. But if he was going to other villages he would be aware of it.