Anko, "We think someone wanted to get rid of Tanna's family and gave her the slow acting one. Probably thought it was enough to kill her."
Kakashi, "Fucking politics!"
Tanna, "Hey, hey, calm down you two. I already had to stop Ino - chan from marching off to hunt down whoever gave it to me years ago. Don't you two start now."
Kakashi, "You cannot blame us for being protective Tanna - chan. You have no idea how rare it is for us shinobi to have a friend who is not scared of us."
Tanna, "You are exaggerating now."
Anko, "No, he is right. Most people, even other shinobi and kunoichi are terrified of us because of our reputations or chakra."
Kakashi, "You on the other hand are not terrified at all. We have sharp senses Tanna - chan, we can smell when someone is wary or scared."
Anko, "Yes, it is really disheartening when even old friends become terrified of you."
Tanna, "Don't tell me. Oh Anko - chan, Kashi - kun, I am so sorry. You do not deserve to be treated like that."
Anko smiled softly, "Do not worry about it Tanna - chan."
Kakashi, "We knew what would happen when we took those missions."
Tanna huffed, "You know what? It is their loss. You two are some of the most amazing and trustworthy friends, I ever made. If people are too dumb and superficial to see that, then do not waste your time on them."
Anko laughed at that, "Thank you, Tanna - chan."
Kakashi eyes were full of mirth, "Yes, never change, Tanna - chan."
Tanna laughed as she headed inside to get ready for class, "Seriously though, you two, do not worry about what happened in the past. Jiraiya told me he will deal with it."
Anko muttered, "Do not worry she says. I am going to have my hands full, aren't I?"
Kakashi nodded looking serious, "Looks like it. You should know Danzo has been snooping around to find out more about her. He most likely does not like the fact she is in charge of Naruto, but let's him do whatever he wants with his career."
Anko crossed her arms thinking about a few things, "Most villages train their Jinchurikis to become weapons. Tanna is not letting that happen as far as I know."
Kakashi, "As far as I recall, she always reminded and encouraged Naruto to spend time relaxing either with her or his friends. To not spend all his time thinking about jutsus and training as he was still human and his body needs time to adjust to moving certain ways.'
Anko looked at him, "That sounds like something she learned from experience."
Kakashi, "She did talk about something called ballet for which she had to train her feet so perhaps."
Anko, "Remind me to ask her about that."
Kakashi left with the parting words, "Ask her tonight."
Anko made a face as he disappeared, "Really?"
Tanna appeared after a few minutes, "Ready to go?"
Anko, "Yes, I heard Ino - chan and her team are heading to Suna today."
Tanna, "I heard about that too. I believe Hinata - chan and Sakura - chan are joining her as teammates, with Kurenai as their Sensei this time."
Anko, "Yes, other Senseis including myself have at least one shinobi who became a Chunin, so Kurenai is the only one left."
Tanna, "Bet she is excited to have an all girls team under her though."
Anko laughed, "No kidding!"
Tanna smiled watching her laugh as she started to tell her about her newest fantasy book called Orville. Anko listened fascinated as the shorter brunette explained the premise of the newest addition to futuristic novels. Sometimes, Anko just wanted to enter her dear girlfriend's brain and see how it ticked and figure out the thought process that leads to the creation of such stories. Hell Jiraiya had even admitted that the smut book the brunette had written with all the kinky magic, different sexual references and monster stuff was a great source of inspiration for him too. Tanna had been pretty smug about it as she had shown Anko the letter which turned out to be a drunken confession apparently. It had reached Konoha with Naruto's letter, which went through Shikaku first then, Kakashi followed by Anko. The two men had been very amused to read the confession and had been in a jolly mood since then.
Of course, Shikaku being in good mood effected Yoshino who pestered her husband for the gossip that he was holding in. When Yoshino found out, she had been delighted and had decided to share the little tidbit with the rest of the ladies. Tanna had said she did not mind as long as there were no identifiers to the story. The Nara main wife had taken them as permission to brag about her friend who inspired even Jiraiya to write better smut without mentioning her name. Mikoto and Himeko had figured out who it was pretty fast which Tanna was not surprised about, they were Jounin kunoichi even though they rarely wore the uniform. What surprised her was Iruka - Sensei figuring it out and asking her about it quietly one afternoon. She sweat dropped wondering if shinobi being obssessed with gossip troupe was actually true. Tanna quietly confirmed it as well before asking if Iruka was dating Kakashi for real to which the man turned sheepish then nodded.
Tanna was happy for him and wished him happiness which made Iruka smile warmly at her as he then turned to his class. Unknown to them, Kakashi was watching from one of his perches with a goofy smile which only he would know about. Kakashi hummed as he turned a page in his book before he was summoned to the Godaime's office to complete a mission. The blond woman had divided her time between the office and the hospital, though Shizune had taken over most of the hospital authority and only requesting Tsunade's help during emergencies. The hospital had seen a massive change ever since a Jounin level medic had joined them, aside from Tsunade - sama that is. Most of the Jounins were not trained for medical practice and the young ones were just entering their Chunin phase. Despite their enthusiasm, the young shinobi and kunoichi still had to undergo strict training before being allowed to heal anyone else independently.
Naruto meanwhile was under disguise, this time he took inspiration from one of his nee - chan's books and his teammate. She, currently had log pink hair with blue eyes wearing a dress called 'Lolita' which was interestingly enough popular once it was thought of and brought to reality. Naruto thinks he is imagining it but once or twice he thought he saw a hint of protectiveness in Jiraiya's face whenever he went out to seduce some information from others. The black and yellow dress made her pink hair stand out more and the group of men and women infront of her were treating her like a pretty doll instead of a human. Naruto could hear the Kyuubi snarling inside his mind whenever one of the targets for his information gathering got a little bold and touched his disguise in some way or form. His disguise Aya - chan, would either giggle or playfully reprimand them to not ruin her aesthetic and fix herself.
Jiraiya meanwhile almost crushed the cup of sake he was holding, 'You are too good at this kid. Is this how father's feel towards their daughters? I am too old to be losing control just because I am feeling such emotions.'
Aya walked over giggling as she grabbed another sake bottle slipping a tiny sealed scroll to him, "Give me number seventy six please, bartender."
The bartender who was a middle aged man smiled, "Of course, young miss. Here you go!"
Jiraiya watched the disguised Naruto leave, "The gardens are lovely tonight."
Th bartender smiled, "Yes, the flowers were picked to show case our dear Mistress's talent at flower arranging."
Jiraiya, "What a clever woman. I would love to meet her."
The bartender looked at him curiously, "Do you know the young lady who just left?"
Jiraiya, "Her mother, yes. Bright young woman that one, beautiful hair and face."
The bartender nodded, "I can imagine that she would be very lovely too. By the way, there have been a few women going missing lately. Better keep an eye on your kid."
Jiraiya, "She is not mine."
The bartender snorted, "You looked ready to bury them alive. Sure you are not the father."
Jiraiya was indignant, "I am not!"
The bartender just shook his head muttering about idiots in denial about people they care about and poured him another drink. Jiraiya was being really adamant about not being the father and just looking out for her. Naruto was thankful for the disguise or his red cheeks would have been very prominent for everyone to see. Thanks to the intense training under Kyuubi no Yoko, his senses like hearing, smell, taste and sensitivity to heat had become sharper. The blond in disguise overheard everything that Jiraiya and the bartender said and he will not lie, he had also noticed Jiraiya's protective attitude and tendencies. His nee - chan had once said Jiraiya was family not only because the silver haired man was related to her, no that was not the only reason he was family. She had revealed that Jiraiya was his parent's chosen Godfather for him, a long time ago and showed him the novel Jiraiya had written. Tanna - nee had not said anything before as he was just a Genin but as a Chunin he deserved to know some of the truth at least if not all of it.
Naruto had been very surprised but understood his parents were one of the most high profile shinobi and kunoichi. He already had some suspicion about who they were after reading the list of previous Hokage potentials and their significant others. He just had not said anything because if his suspicions were true he could not say who they were nilly willy, at least not without putting his friends and nee - chan in danger. Aside from that, Naruto had been shocked when the fox had given him his full title just one month after they left Konoha. He was frankly speaking not expecting to learn anything about him at all for a few years. He was not complaining about it though, as it was really nice to know things others did not know. Somehow though, he had a nagging feeling his nee - chan might know which made the fox huff. She barely had any chakra how would she know, although her mind was fascinating if they considered the fantasy stories she wrote.
A woman with dark green hair pat her cheek, "Aya - chan, you are not paying attention at all."
Aya smiled sweetly, "Sorry about that, Kasumi - sama. I was just wondering about the book I read before."
Kasumi's eyes twinkled, "A book, Aya - chan?"
Aya giggled coquettishly, "Yes Kasumi - san, it was about stars and space. I personally loved the part where the Princess wore nothing but gold bikini."
The dark haired man next to her laughed, "Yes, that was quiet the lovely and scandalous image. I believe the special printed ones had a card with that art in it."
Aya nodded pulling a card out from one of her pockets, "I received one of those books as a gift and I have one too. Look, look, isn't it just beautiful, Masanori - sama?"
Masanori looked at the card with a little envy, "You received that special book as a gift?"
A brunette man snorted, "Oh Aya - chan, you are certainly lucky, aren't you?"
Aya smiled impishly, "I certainly hope so, Nobara - san."
Nobara grinned, "Still I am impressed you have a card. There is only twenty seven of them, I believe only five are silver plated while two are gold plated."
Aya smiled holding her gold plated card, 'That's because my nee - chan created the gold plated card for me first only later she added the rest.'
Kasumi, "Look at the detail, it looks amazing. I am envious Aya - chan. Whoever gave it to you must be rich."
Aya giggled as she twirled cutely, "He was filthy rich and even brought me the jewels I am wearing."
Kasumi clapped, "How lovely indeed!"
Aya bowed elegantly, "Thank you! Thank you!"
The men cheered and whistled but before anyone could say anything else a servant came and whispered something in Masanori's ear making his smile stiff. The large man got up and pat Aya's head telling them to enjoy. Aya smiled cutely giving a yes and thanking him for the drinks as she poured more for her guests so to speak. Naruto had been buttering these people up for days now collecting information from drunken lips about the latest auctions and the people involved. He had gotten a few locations courtesy of a horny man who was too drunk to notice it was a clone not him. He could have done without the image in his head though, luckily they were meeting with an ANBU Yamanaka who would be taking that memory from him. Naruto could not wait to eliminate the memory of that poor sex, he was not even satisfied by the man as he fell asleep after two rounds.
Sasuke was more energetic and better at physical intimacy and at satisfying him too, Naruto thought turning a little pink. The ladies despite being drunk and red faced noticed it and teased her about who she was thinking about. Aya smiled shyly and said it was a secret and sashayed over to the bar to get more drinks. Tanna - chan always told him alcohol was the most common truth serum, it made people bold, loosened their lips and more open about secrets. Aya poured another round of drinks as she engaged the folks in a game called two truths and a lie. It was a fun game from the novels and the group was as he expected open to it and the information collection started with the men getting bolder to impress the ladies. Naruto knew he would have to comb through what was being told but he had a feeling he would get the clues to his mission soon.
Naruto met Jiraiya the next day, "Ero - Sannin, did you find anything?"
Jiraiya huffed, "Yes, I am pretty sure these clowns are some of Gato's old acquaintances and are trying to keep the old business alive."
Naruto's eyes hardened, "I see. Ero - Sannin, I am destroying them all, ok?"
Jiraiya, "That might be the best option actually. Some people will never change."
The blond nodded as they made their move that night. Jiraiya had sent a message to the Daimyo's court saying they found his youngest granddaughter. The Daimyo had agreed to send soldiers discreetly to help them arrest the bastards but also a secret order to kill the criminals. Jiraiya thought completing this mission would be no problem just like others though his main goal was finding out what Orochimaru was up to and where. It was almost two years now and Kyuubi had more than once pulled Naruto in to train him on chakra control. Jiraiya was calling it chakra control because that was basically what Naruto was doing with the fox. He was still wary of the nine tails but after learning what he did during the exams, he decided to not piss off the nine tails and turn the other way when the training happened.
Naruto signaled, {My clones are in position.}
Jiraiya, {Good! When I give the signal you will move in to blow this place up.}
Naruto nodded as he moved in with his clones and started to release the locks on the cages where they kept the women as animals. His clones were disguised as teen girls as he realized during his many missions, most women were less wary around them and more willing to listen. The clones quietly guided them away from the place and finally came across the young Princess who looked like she had been starving. Naruto knew politics could get very dirty and dark but he was more determined to become Hokage in order to help people. He saw or rather felt the signal, a chakra flare that made him grin in a fox like manner. Naruto kneeled down as he heard the fox murmur about cleansing the world using bright flames and lit the match. Naruto jumped away back to where Jiraiya was talking to the soldiers sent by the Daimyo to retrieve the missing Princess and then a large blast shocked them.
The leader stared at the fire, "I heard rumors Konoha nins were pyromaniacs.... "
Jiraiya looked tired, "The older generation, not at all. The younger generation though seems to live by the rule, if something troubles you burn it to ashes."
The leader opened his mouth to speak but though better of it, "I need to return Hime - sama and report to the Daimyo. Till next time Frog Hermit and Flame Spark."
Jiraiya laughed as the soldiers left, "You have a title now, gaki."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes, laugh it up Ero - Sannin. Oh, I grabbed these papers while I was in there. They looked pretty interesting."
Jiraiya sobered, "What about it?"
Naruto, "They were supposed to be sent to Sound as test subjects. So, aside from using them as toys they would be used as lab rats too."
Jiraiya, "They have their hands on many pies as the saying goes. Are you alright kid?"
Naruto, "I will be fine. I knew I would not like what I find when I agreed to the mission but I do not regret it. I rather know than not know at all."
Jiraiya, "Alright then, let's get some rest and then we will investigate this tomorrow."
Naruto nodded, "Okay, I will cook."
Jiraiya, "Vegetable dishes again? Not like I am complaining."
Naruto, "You want to eat meat after the smell of burning flesh back there.'
Jiraiya, "Vegetable is good. Make me some of those crispy fried ones. The ones that crunch when you bite into them."
Naruto, "You mean pakoras? Sure I can make those, no problem."
Jiraiya nodded as he got to work on the report he would be sending to Konoha at the end of the month. Jiraiya would not admit it but Naruto had taken to information gathering and advanced seduction really well. At some point, the man had to wonder if Naruto was actually a girl with a seal to make her a boy. The blond seduced men and women like a pro born for it which made Naruto a dangerous enemy if you were on opposite ends with him. He was glad Naruto was not enemies with Konoha or he would have seduced many and gotten away with it. This was not the first information gathering case they had taken up and Jiraiya had a feeling it would not be the last either, if Naruto's reaction was anything to go by. The lad really seems to like the challenge to get information and solve kidnapping mysteries no matter how dark things got.
Naruto, "Dinner is ready.. Come eat!"
Jiraiya, "Thanks kiddo!"
Naruto, "I miss nee - chan's cooking though. I know I am good at it but you know."
Jiraiya, "Yeah, I get it."
Naruto, "Oi, pervy - sage."
Jiraiya sighed, "What gaki?"
Naruto, "Anko - nee mentioned nee - chan is being called to the Daimyo's court to get a gift or rather an award for her book."
Jiraiya, "I am not surprised. It is a whole new genre she introduced after all."
Naruto, "I was thinking, we could go have a look and maybe... "
Jiraiya, "You really miss her a lot, huh kid?"
Naruto, "Wouldn't you?"
Jiraiya, "I would."