Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The situation wasn't good. Jiraiya saw that Kaen was passed out. His skin around the right shoulder started to darken. Jiraiya was worried about his student, but in front of him stood Orochimaru. Before the battle began, he had to decide whether to prioritize his student's safety or apprehend Orochimaru.

„You were always soft, Jiraiya."

Orochimaru's words weren't wrong. And as Orochimaru expected, it didn't take long for Jiraiya to decide that his student's life was more important in this situation. The question was now, how? Orochimaru wasn't in the best shape. Jiraiya could see that Kaen fought well to defend himself, but it was Orochimaru. Jiraiya knew that even in the worst, Orochimaru was still very dangerous.

„I will bring you back to the village even if I have to break every bone in your body, Orochimaru."

It was a bluff. After chasing Orochimaru for so many years, Jiraiya knew that Orochimaru always had a plan to escape. In this confrontation, Jiraiya should think carefully about how to fight, but he wasn't too keen on overthinking. Behind him lay his student. In front of him stood his enemy. To defend his student, he had to fight his enemy.

„Fire dragon blast."

Jiraiya used big and flashy jutsu to test how Orochimaru would react. The flame blast was so hot that the water, even though it didn't come in contact with fire, started to boil and turn into steam. Orochimaru didn't dodge it but instead used his summoning jutsu, Rashomon, to block it. From this action, Jiraiya knew that Orochimaru still had a lot of chakra to spare, but his physical condition wasn't good.

The following action for Jiraiya was to attack from close. He couldn't let Orochimaru use his jutsu. He had to force him to a taijutsu battle. Yet even through all of this planning, Orochimaru knew what Jiraiya's weakness was at that moment too. Orochimaru didn't take Jiraiya lightly, either.

As Jiraiya got through the steam and was about to reach Orochimaru, a snake passed him. Jiraiya had to make a split-second decision to return and capture the snake before it got to his student. With the snake dealt with, Jiraiya was in the same position he was at the start of the battle. Even though Orochimaru was the one injured, Jiraiya had to fight defensively.

Once the steam subsided, Jiraiya prepared sealing papers and gathered his chakra to use immediately. Just as he was ready to face Orochimaru in a ninjutsu battle, he found he was gone. It took only a second for Jiraiya to understand that he was driven into a corner. If he chased Orochimaru, he would leave his student vulnerable.

Jiraiya believed in his strength enough to defeat Orochimaru, but he had to save his student first. He knew how vicious and dangerous Orochimaru's poison was. He had to find a medic before it was too late. Jiraiya didn't know enough about poison or medical ninjutsu to be confident in saving his student. There was only one person he knew who could, without a doubt, do that.

...

As time passed, Jiraiya was worried that he had made the wrong decision to let Orochimaru go. Kaen's condition wasn't too bad, but his student was getting weaker. The poison had entered his blood and skin. It was impossible to extract it. Jiraiya had to find an antidote, and he only knew one person that could help.

The problem was that it wasn't easy to find that person. Still, Jiraiya was a spymaster, and he had the means to gather information fast on anyone. She wasn't particularly hiding, and knowing her well, Jiraiya had predicted where she would be. Seeing the back alley casino being smashed, Jiraiya knew he had found his target.

„Jiraiya, what are you doing here?"

„Long time no see, Tsunade-chan."

„Shizune, let's go to eat."

Jiraiya followed Tsunade and her student to a nearby restaurant. Tsunade was surprised to see him, but she didn't say anything about it yet. As they ordered food and drinks, they sat in silence. Jiraiya had always had a problem talking with her, and knowing her well, it was hard for him to bring up his request.

„I need your help," In the end, it was better to be straightforward.

„I am not coming back."

„I met Orochimaru not long ago," Jiraiya said. „He attacked my student. I need you to take a look at him and help him."

„Orochimaru," Tsunade was surprised.

„Yes, I tracked him down to the Land of Rice. He is planning something."

„I don't care," Jiraiya expected such an answer. „I can't help your student. I have retired, if you have not forgotten."

„He was hit with Orochimaru's poison. You know very well how deadly it is. You are the only one who can cure him."

„It is none of my business," She replied coldly.

„He is just a boy," I lowered my head. „I failed to protect him. Please do it for me. I beg you."

„Jiraiya," She punched the table, breaking it. „I feel like the bad one if you are acting like this. Bring me to him."

Jiraiya knew that Tsunade would eventually help, no matter how much she didn't want to. He led them to the inn he took his student to. After disabling the warding seals around the room, he let Tsunade enter. Kaen was in bed, his breathing was slow, and he looked like he was sleeping. Yet his right shoulder was engulfed in dark purple, and he sweated a lot.

„What is this?" Tsunade asked, taking the blanket away from Kaen, revealing his bare torso. „What with these seals? Did you do this?"

„No, it was his own doing," Jiraiya replied. „He sealed his organs and forced himself to hibernate, so the poison didn't spread further."

„It is genius," Shizune said. „I never heard of something like this."

„Because it isn't possible," Tsunade said. „Humans do not hibernate, and sealing his organs is way too dangerous if the seal is too strong, he will receive organ failure as it wouldn't receive enough blood to operate."

„That's why he forced himself to hibernate, so his organs wouldn't need to work as much as usual," Jiraiya stated. „The seal will break once the foreign substance is dealt with. If it is not dealt with, he will never wake up."

„He is a fool."

„No, he trusted me," Jiraiya replied. „And I trust you, Tsunade."

„Both of you are fools then," Tsunade said, „Leave. You will only distract me."

Jiraiya did as he was ordered. He waited outside the room for hours, worried, but he knew Kaen would be fine. Tsunade was the best medical shinobi. She saved countless lives from poison. In the second shinobi world war, Suna, the village hidden in the Sand, made her their primary target, as she found a cure to all their poison.

As Jiraiya was reminiscent of the past, the doors to the room opened. Shizune let him in. Jiraiya first noticed that the dark purple was gone from Kaen's skin. Tsunade looked tired and pale, probably because of the blood on Kaen's shoulder. Jiraiya could see that Tsunade's hands were shaking as she checked on Kaen.

„Who is this pervert touching me, Jiraiya?" Jiraiya could only facepalm himself hearing his student's first words in days. He almost forgot how insolent the brat was.

„Who are you calling a pervert, brat?" Tsunade's face flared.

„You, old lady, I would have cut down your dirty hands if I had any strength to move."

„Old lady? Dirty hands?" This was dangerous.

„Let's calm down, Tsunade," I had to put myself between them before a disaster happened. „He just woke up after fighting with Orochimaru. He doesn't know what he was talking about."

„Oh, you are Tsunade. One of the Sannin," Kaen said.

„That right, so show some respect, you damn brat."

„I see. It makes sense now. All of you, Sannin, are old perverts. Did the Third Hokage teach you all the weird stuff? He is an old pervert too, but at least he doesn't touch underage children. You all are dragging the village's reputation down."

„I am going to kill him. I saved his life, and this is how he thanked me," Jiraiya wanted to kill the brat too.

„The poison wasn't deathly," Kaen replied. „Orochimaru couldn't let me die."

„What?" Jiraiya asked.

„He wanted me alive. After a few weeks, my body would have gotten used to the poison and cured it by itself."

„Why he wanted you to live?" Jiraiya asked, trying to change the topic before Tsunade killed him.

„He wanted my eyes," Kaen replied, opening his sharingan. „I wasn't his first target. The first one was too strong for him, so he came after me."

„Itachi?" Jiraiya asked.

„Yes, that is the reason that Orochimaru left the Akatsuki."

„No matter what, my job is done. Let that fool of Hokage deal with it, and don't involve me."

„I agree. We should not involve a disgrace to the Senju clan."

„What did you say?" Damn the brat. Why did he have to speak? „I am going to kill you."

Tsunade was serious as she landed a punch to where Kaen had been a moment ago, destroying the bed. Kaen moved like a cat dodging the hits from Tsunade. Soon the room was almost completely destroyed, and Jiraiya knew it would be him who would have to pay up for it. Jiraiya could only stand in a corner and sigh in worry.

„Should we stop them, Jiraiya-sama?" Shizune asked next to Jiraiya.

„If only I knew how?" Jiraiya replied.

„I thought you were too weak to move?" Tsunade yelled as Kaen skilfully jumped over her.

„I was. Now, I am not," Kaen replied. „Are you done damaging the property of civilians of the Land of the Fire? How thoughtless of you. But what could I have expected from a Sannin?"

„Stay still, you damn brat," Tsunade yelled as she turned to face him.

Just as Jiraiya was about to intervene and take a hit for his student, Kaen fell face-first into Tsunade's breast. Lucky bastard. Well, he was dead now, Jiraiya concluded. It could be a worse death, now, at least he dies having a taste of heaven. As Jiraiya said his goodbyes to his student, Tsunade pushed the boy back, only to find him passed out.

„Suffocating in the breast, I could not have been more proud of my student," Jiraiya said before being sent flying by Tsunade's punch.

...

„Stop glaring at me," Kaen said to Tsunade as they walked through the forest. „It was your fault that we were kicked out of the town. And I thought the older one gets, the calmer they are."

Jiraiya could only cry in silence as Tsunade turned her eyes to him. Not only did he have to pay all the expenses of the damage done, but Tsunade also blamed him for what had happened. Kaen didn't care and continued leisurely walking as if nothing was his fault. He was giving snipes to Tsunade out of boredom.

„We far enough from the town, I could kill you and bury you here, brat. Nobody would even know."

Suddenly, Kaen stopped after Tsunade spoke. He looked straight at Tsunade's eyes and then around him. Before Jiraiya could react, chains wrapped around Tsunade, restricting her. A second later, a seal was put on Tsunade's forehead. Jiraiya closed his eyes for a moment and was about to kick his student's ass for being so disrespectful, but that was before Kaen cut his palm and moved his hand near Tsunade's eyes.

„Look at how you tremble. As an Uchiha, I would be happy dying in the hands of a Senju, but you can't even handle this little blood. A weakling like you would never defeat me. So, stop with your threats. I have more dangerous opponents to face."

„Orochimaru won't be back for you, especially with us walking together," Jiraiya said as Kaen released Tsunade. From his student's words, Jiraiya understood Kaen was still tense from fighting Orochimaru. „And before he gets another chance at you, I will teach you all I know."

„If he can't take my body, he will go for Sasuke," Kaen replied. „I am worried about those who gave our location away, too."

„What?" Jiraiya asked.

„Only two people knew where we were," Kaen replied. „The Third Hokage and Danzo. Now, which of these two would more likely tell our plans to Orochimaru?"

„He could have found us by himself," Jiraiya said.

„Maybe he established a spy network, but how could he know our location the same day we arrived at the Land of Rice?" Kaen asked. „And he said himself that the village had betrayed me. It all leads to one person."

„That's why I left the village. All of the Hogake were fools. The Third is no exception," Tsunade said as Shizune helped her.

„You are right, the Third is a fool, but at least he is no coward."

„What should that mean?" Tsunade asked.

„It means what you thought it meant," Kaen replied.

„Shizune, we are leaving," Tsunade walked past them.

„Tsunade, wait," Jiraiya tried to talk to her.

„It was said that my parents died from the poison," Jiraiya stopped, as did Tsunade, as Kaen spoke. „It was a deadly poison that could spread upon touch. Nobody dared to touch them. They died in agony, and in the end, it was decided that their bodies should be destroyed and left on the battlefield. I wondered at first what my life would be like if someone could have saved them. In the end, I should have thanked them, as I didn't have to watch them die when the rest of my clan was massacred. But again, maybe that wouldn't have happened if you, Tsunade Senju, the hero of the Konoha, had returned and taken the position of Hokage after the Fourth had died."