Chapter 5

I sat lazily in my cage, head resting on my haunches as I listened to Naruto talk about his school day. Our ninshū link made this redundant, I could easily see through his eyes if I wanted, but he seemed to enjoy our evening chats, and I wasn't going to deny him this little joy.

"–And we finally managed to get that lazy guy, Shikamaru, to hang out with us, even if it was just watching clouds."

"If you're planning to watch clouds again, you could make it a game with everyone else to do the leaf exercise at the same time."

Naruto blinked, staring up at me with wide, blue eyes. "That's a great idea, Kurama!"

A smirk stretched my lips. "Training together with other people is a lot more fun than doing it alone. You can even turn it into a friendly competition. A great ninja should help his friends become strong like him, so they can help him in turn become even stronger."

The brat nodded like he'd just received a great piece of wisdom, a smile brightening his face. "We'll become the strongest ninjas in the village, believe it!"

A quiet chuckle escaped me. "You have plenty of time until graduation to show me how strong you can become."

Those Chūnin Exams were going to be a riot. It'll be glorious.

A beat of silence passed between us as Naruto seemed ready to bounce in place from excitement. It was enough to bring a tiny smile to my face. For all he could be annoying at times, whenever he was happy like this, his chakra really did feel warm like the sun. Karin was right.

My mood took a sudden dip, and I held back a frown at the reminder.

That shriveled mushroom had better be doing something about that poor girl and her mother, or we'd be having words. I'd give him another week or two.

The water rippled as I shifted in my spot, propping my head lazily with a hand. "You know, Naruto, I think you should try saving some money from that monthly stipend."

The brat followed me with his gaze, face scrunching up in confusion. "Why?"

"We'll have to buy a bamboo flute and a shamisen at some point."

Maybe an erhu, too, once we learned to play those two. It wouldn't be Naruto without a banger theme song. Sadly, this was real life, so we had to do it ourselves.

"Shamisen?" He scratched his head, looking even more confused.

"You probably saw one. It's a thing with metal strings that makes noise when you pull them."

I mimed playing a lute, drawing a smile from Naruto with how silly I must've looked. Good thing that nobody else could see me in here, or my street cred would just vanish.

"But why?"

"You need a hobby, Naruto."

"What's a hobby?"

It took a great deal of self control to hold back an exasperated sigh. I couldn't wait for this brat to grow up some more and stop playing twenty questions with me.

"It's an activity you do for pleasure."

His eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, like eating ramen!"

My free hand inched closer to my face, only to stop abruptly in an aborted face-palm. "Eating ramen is not a hobby."

Naruto pointed an accusing finger in my direction. "But you just said it is."

I took a slow, deep breath. Sage help me, 'cause I needed strength.

"Alright, fine, you need a hobby unrelated to food."

"But why that noisy thing?"

"Because music is nice, and you can impress people with it." I lazily pointed a clawed finger through the cage. "You don't want to show people how cool you are?"

As usual, that easily did the trick, the brat puffing up like a little peacock. "Of course I do, ya know!" His loud, squeaky voice echoed through chamber with that silly verbal tic.

I still had no idea why it was a thing.

"Then you should learn to play the flute, at least. You can do really cool stuff with it."

Like the Naruto Main Theme. Or the Rising Fighting Spirit. We could use shadow clones to play that during the chūnin exams like a motherfucking orchestra. It would be so epic.

Hell, I could probably rizz up Tayuya with just a bamboo flute. And even if it didn't work, just seeing her reaction to sudden background music would be a peak moment.

"How much money do I need?"

Naruto dug a hand in his pocket, only to frown when he found nothing. Did he forget that physical items didn't carry over in here?

"No idea. We can check tomorrow."

It shouldn't be that hard to learn playing an instrument with three strings. If all else failed, Naruto could just convince the old monkey to find us a music teacher.

__________________________________________

I stared down at the smirking man as he slowly approached my cage, his mane of long, white hair looking like a dead animal atop his head.

"I expected to see you a little sooner." My voice rumbled through the chamber as I lifted my head from its perch atop my forelimbs, all nine tails fanning out lazily at my back.

Whether he found my act even the slightest intimidating or not, Jiraiya merely cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? I know I'm popular with the ladies, but I didn't expect that to extend so far."

I knew he was a clown, but my eyes still narrowed at his playful jab. Slowly, I rose to my full height, tails swishing ominously as I leaned closer to the gate. "Don't confuse me for your toads, brat."

I expected to get a reaction from him, but the toad molester merely eyed me for a few moments before bursting in laughter.

"Who would've thought the Nine Tails had a sense of humor."

"Perhaps if you didn't keep us in cages like this, you would know more about us."

Mirth draining from his face, Jiraiya stared at the towering bars of the seal for a quiet moment, mouth twitching with the ghost of a frown. A beat of silence passed between us before he crossed his arms, looking up, a curious gleam in his eyes.

"What did you teach the kid to bring me in here? It felt quite similar to the Yamanaka jutsu."

"Ninshū."

"Ninshū?" He mused, gaze turning distant. "I haven't heard that word outside of ancient tales."

"I hope you didn't come here for history lessons. Go ask the old monkey if you're that curious." Talking about the past with one old man was enough. I didn't like repeating myself, either.

Jiraiya gave a thoughtful hum, fingers tapping idly against his arm. "That's fine. I'll leave the history to the old man, I'm more of an artist myself."

I barely held back a snort. Yeah, an artist like the average webnovel trash author. I could probably write better smut than him.

"Go on." I tapped a claw on the floor, sending large ripples across the water. "I know you want to ask me something."

"Straight to the point, eh?" A smirk tugged at his mouth. "I heard you've been talking to the kid for the past month. I never thought a tailed beast could be so chatty."

Jiraiya shook his head in amusement, and I let out a scoff. Did this clown truly expect me to tell him more than I told that shriveled mushroom?

"Being trapped inside a seal for nearly a century can get quite boring." My voice came out airy, almost flippant. "Especially when I'm not chained and impaled to a molten rock for every waking moment."

"Impaled?" The toad molester blinked, eyebrows inching up his forehead as his arms dropped at his side.

My lips peeled back, revealing a row of sharp, ivory fangs. "Oh? You didn't know?" A low, harsh chuckle escaped me. "My previous seals have not been as accommodating as this one.

Jiraiya's jaw worked silently for a moment, gaze sweeping briefly across the chamber, before his lips pursed. "Minato never told me about this."

A derisive sound escaped me. "Uzumaki women can be quite vicious. Or maybe that was just Mito. Can't say I've met many Uzumaki women to compare."

Jiraiya went quiet, his expression unreadable as he stared at me for a moment before crossing his arms. "Speaking of Uzumaki, I heard we might be soon welcoming a couple survivors."

The coward took the first chance to change the topic, but I instantly perked up at the news. Oh? Did that old monkey finally make a move? He'd better not fuck it up.

"If you're looking to learn how I knew, don't bother. You need not know the details."

Jiraiya waved that off with a lighthearted smile. "That's fine. I'm more curious about why you did it."

I smirked. "The brat could use a family."

I wasn't sure what sort of answer he'd expected, but it was definitely not this one. Too bad I couldn't take a picture of his face and frame it. I'd have to be satisfied with just the memory.

"That's surprisingly kind of you." His voice came out tentative, like he barely believed what he was saying.

"You sound like you expected a tailed beast to be capable of nothing but destruction."

Jiraiya took a moment to measure his words. "To be fair, your kind did not leave the best of impressions throughout the past."

I sat back on the floor, the atmosphere growing too heavy for posturing. Jiraiya eyed me curiously as I propped my cheek on my knuckles.

"I wonder whose fault that is."

The toad sage didn't take my jab too well, his gaze narrowing into a glare. "And what are we supposed to do? You are forces of nature, able to reshape the lands. There will always be people who fear you and those who wish to control you."

I met his frown with a wholly unimpressed look. For a man who supposedly pursued peace, he certainly liked to find excuses.

"We did not start any of this. We tried to live in harmony with you, humans, but you were too greedy. Your ancestors scorned us and ultimately enslaved us."

"I don't think I can apologize for my ancestors, but perhaps we've treated you a little too harshly."

I couldn't hold back a scoff. "Spare me the platitudes. I've heard enough of that from my previous jailers. If you wish to apologize, let your actions speak."

Jiraiya crossed his arms, eyes turning flinty. "I can't open this seal, if that's what you meant."

"That's fine." A wry smile pulled at my lips. "The brat has been a decent host so far. I think I'll stick with him for a while."

Once again, my words seemed to take the man by surprise, his eyes widening ever so slightly, before a grin broke on his face. "Well, Naruto seems like a special kid. It makes sense that even a grumpy tailed beast wouldn't mind staying with him."

His playful voice brought a spark of irritation to my chest. Did he think he was being clever hinting at that shriveled toad's prophecy? My lips took a vicious edge. Time to give this clown a taste of his own medicine.

"And in time, you will have your own disciple. That disciple will become a ninja who will bring about great change. Either great stability or great destruction, the likes of which this world has never seen before."

That instantly wiped the smile off Jiraiya's face, and for a long, awkward moment, he just stared at me, his jaw slack. "You know the prophecy?"

"Of course I do." With my cheek propped on my fist and smirk showing off my fangs, I must've radiated an inordinate amount of smug. "The Sage told us about his little chat with the chief toad. The child of prophecy was not The Fourth, but his son."

A sharp intake of air reached my ears, and I saw that Jiraiya had stepped closer to my cage.

"How can you be so certain? Twice, I thought I found the child of prophecy, and both times it turned out I was mistaken."

A chuckle escaped me, the sheer smugness bringing a frown to Jiraiya's face. "That's because you only know the first part of that prophecy." Gamamaru must have dreamt the second half before the first, but who cared about that.

Despite being annoyed at my antics, the toad molester was still hanging off my every word. I was on a roll here, and I wasn't planning to stop any time soon.

"Here is what you're missing." I brought up my other hand, pointing a clawed finger between the bars of my cage. "Far in the future, there will appear a mischievous, blue eyed boy who can name all nine tailed beasts and who will fight along them."

I barely managed to hold in a laugh at the surprise on Jiraiya's face, though I couldn't keep the smirk off my lips, no matter how hard I tried. This shit was way too funny.

"It would've been nice to know this a few years ago." A muscle jumped in Jiraiya's jaw, his eyes narrowing. What was he even getting angry at? Gamamaru, for being an ancient fossil and forgetting his own prophecies?

"That toad has been alive for a thousand years. I'm surprised he still remembers his own name."

Jiraiya mulled on my words as we kept at the staring contest for a few tense moments, before a drawn out sigh escaped him, shoulders slumping. His lips pursed, a curious gleam entering his eyes.

"Is that why you're playing so nice with the kid?"

"It's part of the reason."

When he saw I wasn't going to add anything else, he quirked an eyebrow. "And the other?"

I met his inquisitive look with a smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know. Maybe I'll tell you another time."

Jiraiya frowned but didn't push the matter any further. "So, did you have a reason for telling me all of this? Aside from trying to get under my skin, of course."

I shifted to a sitting position, hands resting on my legs. "I want to get the brat started on training with my chakra. His control should be good enough by now."

Jiraiya's brow creased deeply as he shook his head. "No. Too soon."

"One month," I said, a frown curling my lips. "That's all I'm willing to wait."

The toad sage fixed me with a gimlet eye, crossing his arms. "Why the rush? The kid's not even six yet."

Because genocidal aliens were coming, and I doubted we had any plot armor.

"I assume the old monkey told you the truth about that night?"

A somber look took over Jiraiya's face, before he gave a slow nod. "He did."

"Then you should know there is a threat looming in the shadows."

"You know that too, huh?" Jiraiya's gaze turned distant, lips pursing in thought. "You think something is brewing behind the scenes. Something big."

Good thing he seemed to already know about the Akatsuki by this point. He'd take my words much more seriously than the old monkey.

"Too many pieces have been lining up lately. I'm too old to believe in coincidences."

Jiraiya nodded, mouth pressing in a grim line. "And you want to prepare Naruto for the future and whatever threats it may bring."

Knowing the kind of clusterfuck awaiting us in a few decades, I couldn't take any chances. We needed to be strong enough to kill gods.

"That masked man is beyond dangerous. With The Fourth gone, there is no one who can contest him."

"Is he really that strong?"

A flash of satisfaction almost had me smiling. It took me a while, but he was finally taking me seriously.

"No, but he has a tricky space-time technique from his mangekyō. Intangibility and long range travel." That shit was so broken, Kishi had to nerf it towards the end. "He can hold it for five minutes at a time, and the only weakness is that he must become tangible when transporting himself or something else."

"And Minato could surpass that through sheer speed with his Flying Thunder God."

Bringing that blond quickshot back with the Edo Tensei would definitely ruin Obito's day, especially if I also used Rin for some good old emotional damage.

The only problem was that Edo Tensei would have to be perfected first, like in canon, and that was just begging assholes like Kabuto to create even more problems with it.

It just wasn't worth it in the end. We'd have to use some other ways to stack our deck.

A quiet sigh escaped me as I fixed the toad sage with a stony look. "Even then, that masked man could sacrifice his other Sharingan to cast Izanagi. We'd have to kill him twice, perhaps even thrice, just to be sure."

Because those pink eyes weren't hax enough already, and they needed a get out of jail free card, too. Fucking Uchiha wank…

"Izanagi?" Jiraiya's brow furrowed, curiosity tinging his voice, but I've had enough of talking about those accursed eyes.

"Ask the old monkey about it."

With how much Tobirama disliked the Uchiha clan, he should've told Sarutobi plenty about the Sharingan's less known tricks.

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow, a smirk on his face. "What? Not feeling chatty anymore?"

And he was back to being annoying. My mouth curled with a frown. "Don't bother me with questions whose answers you could find elsewhere."

A chuckle escaped the toad molester. "That's more like the Nine Tails I remember."

I met the jab with a loud scoff, not deigning him with an answer. This guy wasn't that bad, I could certainly tolerate him, but there was a time for jokes and a time for being serious, and he seemed to have trouble with that part.

Or maybe I was just jealous that he could still lay down some pipe while I was stuck in horny jail.

A beat of silence passed between us before Jiraiya crossed his arms, a thoughtful look on his face. "Looks like the kid has a hard road ahead."

"He needs to be stronger than even the best genin by the time he graduates. Much stronger. Chūnin, at least."

Ideally, I wanted him to contend with jōnin on his own merits by then, but knowing the brat's temperament, I had to settle for something more realistic. I'd have a better time herding cats than trying to turn Naruto into a shinobi like Itachi or Kakashi.

"And you're planning to keep helping with that?" Jiraiya eyed me curiously, and part of me wondered if he was that worried about Naruto, or if Sarutobi had put him up to this.

"It's in my best interest." And I had plenty of reasons, too. "There's nothing else in this world that I hate more than those accursed eyes."

An image of vibrant red hair, violet eyes, and a delicate face surfaced to mind, leaving behind a sneer. Even my burning anger for her paled in comparison to the memories of those times I was turned into a puppet.

I couldn't wait to tear Obito to shreds. Madara, too, if I ever got the chance.

Jiraiya let out a thoughtful hum. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh?"

"We are enemies only because your village kept enslaving me."

That got him quiet, his eyes shifting once more to the tall gate of my prison as a frown crossed his face. The better part of a minute passed in silence, teetering on the awkward, before Jiraiya opened his mouth again.

"Two months."

"For?"

"I'll drop by again in two months, and we can get him started on traini–don't give me that look, I need to take care of a spy network here." Jiraiya crossed his arms, glaring at me like a petulant child.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Fine. Two months."

"Good." Jiraiya smirked, and I already wanted to wipe that smug look off his face. "In the meanwhile, keep him practicing his chakra control. Two more months should get him to a good level."

Obviously. I was going to introduce the brat to tree walking soon enough.

"I want you to teach him how to make shadow clones."

I doubted I could possess a clone without an open seal, but it wouldn't hurt to at least try.

The toad sage cocked an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be asking my teacher about this?"

I gave him an unimpressed look. He'd better not try to shirk this "Sarutobi wanted to wait until Naruto had good enough chakra control, but the brat had already reached that point for a while now. I'm tired of waiting."

"The old man must have a reason for waiting. And it's not like it would make much of a difference in the long run if the brat learned shadow clones today or the next week."

Oh, wow. He really was.

"Did all that talk about the prophecy enter one ear and leave through the other?"

Jiraiya's face wrinkled in displeasure, before a sigh escaped him. "I don't exactly have time for that. I'm a spymaster, not a jōnin instructor."

He said that as if it was supposed to be an excuse, but all I heard was whining. My mouth curled with a frown. "It would take you less than half an hour to teach him."

Jiraiya turned around, walking away from the cage at a sedate pace, and I had to clamp down on the urge to release a wave of killing intent. "I'll remind Hiruzen about it before I leave."

Stubborn old bastard. I didn't need ninshū to know he was doing this on purpose.

Well, two could play at this game.

I leaned closer to the gate, a vicious smile curling my lips. "I suggest you pick up the brat tomorrow from the Academy, or I might accidentally let it slip to the old monkey how that Rinnegan boy you trained went on to become a founder of the Akatsuki."

My voice rumbled through the chamber, and Jiraiya paused mid-step as if frozen. He woodenly turned around, and, for a long, silent moment, just stared at me, eyes wide, dumbfounded.

"What?"

I faked a yawn, shifting to a more comfortable position before resting my head on my haunches.

"Well, this was an interesting chat, but you looked ready to leave, so don't let me hold you. I'll be taking a nap."

There was a flare of chakra before Jiraiya angrily walked up right in front of the gate, but I ignored him and simply closed my eyes.

"No, no, you're not pulling this shit with me." His voice came out harsh and grated on my ears. I tried my best not to smirk. "What do you mean by Nagato being a founder of the Akatsuki?"

I cracked one eye open, taking in the scowling man, before scoffing in amusement.

"Bye."

My lips peeled back, exposing sharp, ivory fangs, and, before Jiraiya could even react, I released a burst of chakra in the ninshū equivalent of a spiritual bitchslap, booting the toad molester out of the seal.

Have fun on that guilt trip, bozo.

__________________________________________

"–and it's honestly a little unsettling how he has enough chakra to keep doing the leaf exercise so many times throughout the day. He's only five, and he already has more chakra than me."

Hiruzen listened patiently to the young man's concerns, unwarranted as they were. He couldn't begrudge Iruka for acting like this when he knew far too little of the truth surrounding his student.

"Naruto was born with an exceptional chakra, and those in his circumstances always grow far beyond the norm. One day, he will surpass even me in chakra capacity."

Iruka nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. He was proving himself to be a capable teacher, though he could use being a little more open-minded about certain things.

"Thank you for your time, Lord Hokage."

"My door is always open, should you have any other concerns in the future." Hiruzen folded his hands atop his desk. "Do keep me updated with young Naruto's progress."

Iruka bowed his head wordlessly before leaving the Hokage office. Hiruzen picked up a paper from the stack to his left, idly skimming through it as a frown made its way on his face.

The Nine Tails was taking a more active role in Naruto's training than he'd expected, but, with everything that had come to light, it did not surprise him anymore. Jiraiya's report had brought quite the troubling news.

Pieces were moving freely in the shadows, painting a vague yet ominous picture, with that masked man being a part of it.

Not even a minute after Iruka left his office, the door opened once more, the sound of a cane tapping at the floor telling Hiruzen all he needed to know about the newcomer before he even looked up from his paperwork.

Danzō made his way to his desk, a frown even deeper than usual lining his weathered and scarred face. He must have found out.

Hiruzen folded his hands, holding Danzō's glare in a brief contest that brought a faint quirk to his lips. "Old friend, what brings you here today?"

Danzō's sole eye narrowed a fraction. "You know well why I'm here, Hiruzen."

Hiruzen found himself smirking. Nothing better than a sudden visit from his former teammate to make the day a bit less dull. A shame that Danzō tended to come by only when something displeased him.

"I suppose I do. Is there something you'd like to know?"

"I did not expect to be among the last to learn that our village might soon welcome the remnants of an old clan."

He made it sound like a matter of pride, but Hiruzen knew better than to take his old friend at face value. Knowing him, this was more of an issue of missed opportunity.

"It was a matter that I wished to personally handle."

"I see." Danzō folded his hands atop his cane, mouth curling with a frown. "Anything else you'd like to share about these Uzumaki?"

"An ANBU team led by Kakashi should be extracting them sometime tonight."

With a squad tailored perfectly for this mission and led by a shinobi like Kakashi, the outcome was more than assured.

Hiruzen found himself smiling. "By next week, The Leaf should officially house a new clan."

A brief silence filled the room as the two of them had another staring contest, before Danzō exhaled harshly, the corner of his lips tightening with the ghost of a half-smile. "I didn't expect this sort of play from you, Hiruzen."

"You sound almost impressed."

It was extremely rare of his former teammate to ever give a straight compliment, but he knew the man well enough to catch the subtlest changes in his voice.

Danzō's expression returned to its usual stony mask as he slowly walked towards the tall windows overlooking the village. "It makes me wonder how many more of them are out there, scattered across the Nations."

Hiruzen stood up from his seat, joining his old friend in looking at the horizon, hands clasped behind his back. "We might be too late now. We should have looked for them decades ago."

"They should have come to us for refuge in the first place." Danzō tightened his grip on his cane. "We've been close allies of the Whirlpool. The survivors had been foolish not to seek us."

His friend would have certainly loved to have some of them as part of his Root. It was the reason why he'd kept him in the dark about this in the first place.

Hiruzen gave a thoughtful hum. "Perhaps they tried, yet hostile elements denied them."

Danzō scoffed, though remained quiet.

They spent the better part of a minute standing there in silence, simply watching the village, before Danzō turned around, glancing from the corner of his eye.

"It's good to see that you're taking a more active approach to the jinchūriki's development."

The word had reached Danzō's ear as fast as he'd expected, though he seemed to have made his own assumptions on that matter.

Hiruzen gave his old friend a thin smile. "Young Naruto is showing a similar talent to his father. It would be a shame to let that go to waste."

The Nine Tails being the one responsible did make it oddly amusing, though.

Danzō's mouth twitched with the facsimile of a smile. "It's good to hear that."

Hiruzen watched as Danzō slowly walked to the door, his cane making a soft clacking sound as it tapped against the floor. Whatever his old friend had assumed, he wasn't going to disabuse him of that notion.

As the door closed behind the man, Hiruzen made his way back to his chair, reaching in his pocket and fishing out his pipe, along with a small, metal casing. Taking a seat, he flipped open the case, revealing his favorite blend of hidden leaf.

Smiling, he stuffed a pinch of dried leaves in his pipe, lighting it up with a finger and taking a puff. For a moment, he just savored the bittersweet aroma, before exhaling a thick plume of smoke as he sank deeper in his chair.

The Leaf had lost the Senju, but the mighty tree would grow stronger with the help of the Uzumaki.

He took another puff from his pipe, gaze drifting to the ceiling as he briefly closed his eyes. If only he could convince Tsunade to return…

__________________________________________

Her jaw cracked with a yawn as her house came into view, her hands absentmindedly rummaging through her pockets for the key.

She managed to survive another day healing at the hospital. She was gambling with her life, she knew it all too well, but she had no other choice.

Lately, she'd noticed herself starting to weaken. She wasn't sure how much more she would hold on, but if it meant protecting Karin… she'd do anything she had to. Give everything she had to.

Unlocking the door, she stepped inside her small house, reaching for the light switch in the kitchen and flipping it. A frown pulled at her lips when nothing happened.

Great. The light broke again. Hopefully, it was just this one.

On the table to her left, a plate with clumsily arranged food caught her eye, and she found herself smiling. Little Karin was doing her best, too. She had such a wonderful daughter.

The sound of footsteps reached her ears, and she looked behind at the door, only to freeze. The dark made it harder to see, but, right there, in the doorframe, stood a tall man with ashen hair, dressed in black and grey, a white mask with red markings like whiskers covering his face.

A shinobi.

Cold gripped at her chest as she stood rooted on the spot, her heart thundering like a drum.

He didn't look like someone from Grass, she'd healed enough of them to know. Who–

Her blood froze. Karin! Was she–

"I'm here to bring you and your daughter to the Leaf Village, unharmed," the shinobi broke the silence, his voice younger than she expected. "Please cooperate."

A relieved breath escaped her at his words, but she still couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

The Leaf? Were they after her chakra, too?

They used to be allies of the Whirlpool... Maybe they would treat her better? Karin should be safer, too, and–

"Get your child and pack what you can. We leave in five minutes."

The shinobi turned around, heading to the door, and she wasted no time, rushing to the room next to the kitchen.

The Leaf couldn't be worse than Grass. Karin could live a better life there.