Chapter 25 - Got a jar?

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{Hiruzen pov}

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...

'Does he have to do that every time he steps inside this building...' hiruzen sighed as he picked up the papers from the ground.

"Need some help old man?" Hearing the voice of the few individuals he wished to speak to the less he looked to see Jiraiya sitting on one of the foor windowsills behind his desk.

Letting out a sigh he gave the pervert a curt nod to which the man landed inside the room with an audible clack from his geta footwear. Hiruzen never understood why his former pupil wore such things.

After retrieving all of his discarded sheets he sat back down as Jiraiya stood back against the wall to witness the meeting.

"Houzu...you may enter." The moment he uttered those few words the door opened to reveal his youngest student. A boy who escaped the clutches of death. He had been more than aware of his students regeneration for some time. But he never knew it was so potent.

Deep down he hoped his healing was a sign of him being a wood style user like his own teacher hashirama senju. To his satisfaction he was indeed correct.

Hiruzen was satisfied to know his mentors kekkei genkai would lived on. Sure there was the young man Yamato who possessed the ability. But it was a far cry from hashirama's most basic capabilities.

"You are aware of why I summoned you here?" He asked, in response the boy's gaze fell on the toad sage before returning to his own. "Yeah gramps, I know why." Houzu replied lazily causing hiruzen's eye to twitch in annoyance. 'This brat...never one for rules or regulations.' But on the inside he smiled seeing houzu returning to his old behavior.

Even his chakra had soured leaps and bounds compared to his former reserves he had the day they all left for their assignment. For the next hour the young lad retold his experience throughout the mission. To the arrival in the capital, attending the daimyo's banquet and lastly fighting and his eventual capture by a masked man bearing a single hole for one eye that bore a sharingan.

The stranger ambushed the daimyo's escort as though he already knew where they were. Then explained in great detail of the man's abilities.

Phasing...teleportation...

Then came the final crescendo of his report. The location and his captors. One had violet hair and yellow eyes equipped with a peculiar paper technique allowing her to manifested angel like wings and trap her victims in a paper cocoon.

Lastly their leader...

Red hair...gaunt physique...strapped to a device that more than likely kept the man alive. The most astonishing feature was the emaciated man's eyes. Purple in color with noticeable rings within.

"A possessor of the rinnegan...a leader of a criminal group." Hiruzen spoke horrified by the new threat. But as his gaze fell upon Jiraiya he was taken off gaurd by the old pervs shell shocked features. As though he had been touched by the shinigami himself.

"They're alive...they're actually alive..." the white haired sanin uttered.

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{Houzu pov}

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Seeing the perverted sanin look as if he was having a mid life crisis was entertaining to watch. This definitely made trekking all the way here worth it!

But on the outside I kept my composure steady and resumed my report.

"The next thing I know I was being restrained by the purple haired lady and levitate to a prison cell. Eventually after hours of waiting she came back with a tray of food. Honestly...she was rather kind. In a emotionless sort of way. I almost felt bad for her after I blew myself up. Used all I had in that explosion. Wouldn't be surprised if the whole city I saw outside was incinerated along with those three."

In a burst of speed only perceptible by the three of us, Jiraiya grabbed ahold of his yellow spotted cloak and lifted him up in the air as his feet dangled. However, houzu remained unfazed as the perv looked into his eyes with pure hatred and malice.

"I swear to any God that exist if you killed them I'll-" Before he could continue his threat the boy swiftly nailed him in the throat causing the sanin to choke out in pain and drop to the ground.

The moment houzu landed back onto the floor he dusted off his clothes and looked to the coughing idiot. "Do what? Kill me? For a bunch of terrorists who wanted to extract a tailed beast that I don't have from my body to use as a weapon of war? Don't make me laugh."

Turning his attention to the hokage he bowed in mock apology. "Forgive me lord hokage, this man just attacked me out of nowhere!" He spoke with a tone of false worry.

"It's alright houzu...your actions were warranted. Jiraiya...do not commit such baseless threats in my presence. Do not let your history with these individuals cloud your duty to this village!" Hiruzen berated as the white haired man stood back up while still letting our a fir coughs. His throat starting to show a gnarly bruise spreading across his beck.

"Yes...lord third..." Jiraiya struggled to say as he directed a hateful glare towards the boy by his side.

Seeing the old man let out a sigh he met his eyes once more. "I can see you still gave more to tell us?" Hiruzen asked as houzu nodded with a smile.

"Indeed, but first I require a jar. One suitable to preserve an eye." Watching one of Hiruzen's eyebrows raise in intrest he quickly summoned an anbu to retrieve the item. As the three waited for the item the door's suddenly opened to reveal Minato namikaze and the elders following behind.

"Ah...so the report is already over?" Minato asked as they all walked in and sat on seats to the side.

Hiruzen shook his head in response to their inquiry. "Not quite, there is a final tidbit houzu wishes to share. He merely requires an item to do so."

As though on que the anbu returned with a flask filled with chemicals used to preserve organs. Setting it on the hokages desk they left the room as quickly as they appeared. Waving subtly for houzu to come over he gladly did so while reaching into one of his pants pockets and summoned a small insect and the eye.

Quickly he commanded it to swallow the eye with care and held it in his closed palm. Pulling out his closed fist he opened it for all to see the small ember insect in all its bloated glory.

"What on earth is that!" Koharu shouted as the others winced in uncomfortable disgust at the creature.

"It is one of the many disposable summons houzu utilizes. But that isn't what you wanted to show us." Hiruzen spoke while bearing a uncaring visage. Houzu wasn't surprised the old man wasn't fazed by it. He'd seen these insect hundreds of times during his grueling days of training.

Without answering the man he held the creature over the flask and in mere moments it unceremoniously retched into it the container causing its payload to be dropped inside. All those in attendance immediately grew silent as they stared at the object floating within with shock. While a few looked at it with greed.

"It truly exists..." hiruzen awed as he admired the rinnegan and its ringed design.

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[Word count] - 1252