The Hokage's office scared Ino at the best of times. It was a rare occasion for her to see the inside of it. Every time she stood here, it left her feeling small.
The back wall was a row of parallel windows looking over Konoha. Between them and her was a thick desk emblazoned with Konoha's logo. And, of course, the Hokage himself sat there, the trademark wide-brimmed hat sitting on top of his spiky hair. His fingers were steepled in front of his mouth as he watched the shinobi reporting to him.
"Repeat that," Jiraiya said, the Godaime Hokage.
Sasuke was standing in the middle of Ino and Sai with his arms behind his back. One of Sai's eyes was bruised and swollen shut where Naruto had kicked him. Serves him right, Ino thought. Maybe now he'll finally shut up.
"Our group split into two pairs," Sasuke said. "The captain and I searched the village, while the others scouted the perimeter. It was Ino's group who encountered the target. I noticed that the captain had abandoned our task without explanation, and when I pursued him, he revealed himself to be Naruto Uzumaki in disguise."
"And the real captain?"
Sai answered. "Alive. We discovered him in the vicinity, knocked unconscious and stripped of his clothes. No permanent harm was done, but he is recovering from his injuries at the Konoha hospital."
Ino was relieved that his rotten personality had limits. At least in front of the Hokage he knew how to be respectful.
"Understood. Continue."
"I attempted to engage Naruto in combat, but he showed signs of wishing to flee the scene," Sasuke said.
"What kind of signs?"
"He told me he wanted to, Sir."
"Ah. Quite the easy sign to interpret."
"Yes, exactly," Sasuke said. "Despite my best efforts to continue the battle, Naruto remained evasive. That was when Onoki arrived."
"...The Tshuchikage?"
"That's right, Sir."
Ino wished she could slip inside the Hokage's head without being punished, just to read his thoughts for a second. How could the man hear that the leader of Iwa appeared deep within Ame's borders, pursuing a Konoha missing-nin, and not let his expression change an inch? Her father always said that Jiraiya was a boisterous man, but the last few years as Hokage had forged him into someone with ironclad composure.
"What happened?"
"We're unsure, Hokage-sama," Sasuke said. "Ino and I were the only ones fit to continue the mission. We followed the path of destruction, but could not find Naruto, the Tsuchikage, or our target. Based on the devastation left behind, it seems likely that they escaped into Wind Country."
"So they're together," Jiraiya said. "Naruto has taken Hinata under his wing."
"He could be attempting to sell the Byakugan," Sai suggested. "By keeping possession of an important bloodline, perhaps he plans to blackmail Konoha."
"He took a girl, not a pair of eyes," Ino said. She'd planned to let Sasuke do all the talking, but Sai never failed to get under her skin.
She still remembered how he acted on the mission, blocking inside the building and engaging Hinata on his own. What was that? Did he believe that she was compromised, since she tried to protect Hinata?
Sai continued looking at the Hokage with the eye he could see out of, but Ino knew he was addressing her. "The Byakugan is valuable," he said. Unsaid: And Hinata Hyuuga isn't. "We cannot underestimate its desirability. Given that Naruto Uzumaki has been noted to covet money, it's likely he will be looking for the highest bidder—"
"I'll keep that in mind," Jiraiya asked. "Is there anything else?"
"I'd like to spar with you," Sasuke said.
"...At a later date." Jiraiya's tone was aggrieved. "Anything else about the mission?"
"No. That would be all, Hokage-Sama."
"Dismissed."
Ino couldn't wait to leave the room. Something about the Hokage's expression felt like a volcano waiting to go off. She wanted to get out, away from his heavy gaze.
Outside the door, Sai turned to Ino. "In my written report I'll be making note of your insubordination, Blond."
"Make sure you note down your black eye too," Ino said. "And the way your beloved captain got his ass kicked and slept naked in a puddle."
She walked past him. It wasn't worth spending a single extra second on this ghost-like asshole.
Sasuke followed her, although it was likely he was just going the same direction. Ino had been disabused of any fantasies about him years ago. He was a friend, but expecting more wasn't something she had any hope — or interest — in anymore.
"Insubordination?" Sasuke asked.
"He thinks I found Hinata and pretended I didn't. Kami forbid I miss someone hiding in thick grass!"
"So you didn't see her?"
Ino took a second to answer.
"Why would I cover for her?" Ino said. "We were never even that close."
Sasuke looked at her before summarizing his thoughts. "Hn."
In other words, he just didn't care.
Suddenly, they heard a bellow behind them. Both Ino and Sasuke flipped around. Sasuke drew his sword while Ino dropped low, into a crouch ready to run.
When nothing happened, Sasuke slid his sword into its sheathe and Ino stood up.
"That sounded like the Hokage," Ino said.
"It was," Sasuke said.
Ino winced. "We lost Hinata and failed to capture Naruto when he showed up. It makes sense that he's livid. Come on, let's get out of here, before he decides to dock our pay."
O-O-O
Inside the Hokage's office, the concealed ANBU bodyguards were anxious. Their superior screamed, and now wasn't saying anything. He was sitting at his desk resting his forehead on his hands, staring into his lap. They could feel the frustrated energy radiating off of him.
"Leave me," Jiraiya said.
Five shadows blurred away, disappearing from the room. He was left alone. When he was sure he had privacy, Jiraiya slammed his head onto the desk.
"Narutooooooo, why'd you have to grab the Hyuuga? I don't know how I'm going to cover for this one. The Elder Council was already a huge pain in my ass! Now I just know they won't shut up for ages…"
Jiraiya sniffled. He lifted his head with forlorn eyes.
"Do you think I wanted this job? No! It's so boring! I should be out touring the world, gathering intel about foreign villages and women's bodies! I don't have time to write anything but paperwork anymore. How did Sensei do this for decades? Why did Minato want the job in the first place? Orochi is a moron for running away because he didn't get this job! It's terrible!"
He couldn't be sure how long his guards would stay away, so Jiraiya forced himself not to moan out loud. It was hard. There was something about whining that made it work better when it wasn't in your head.
At one point in his life, Jiraiya had been certain that he would never sit here, trapped under this goofy hat. He turned the job down when it went to Minato, and again when Minato lost his life. He thought nothing could ever convince him to change his mind. Then his godson decided to go rogue.
Jiraiya still remembered when his Sensei sent word of it. The hole that had opened in his chest…
He'd gone to look for Naruto immediately. The kid was only nine. He had to be returned before something happened to him.
Not only did Jiraiya fail to find him, Naruto thrived. Roaming the world, he got stronger and kept getting more famous. When the villagers realized that he'd run, they declared that the demon was back. People were out for his blood. Naruto skyrocketed up to being Konoha's second-most-wanted rogue, or even first place depending on who you asked (and how the Kyuubi attack affected them).
"Idiotic fools," Jiraiya muttered.
When he came back to the village, it hadn't taken him long to find out roughly what happened. Despite his Sensei's order, people were determined to treat Naruto like a monster. When he ran off, they insisted they'd been proven right.
Sensei had failed. Jiraiya could see that he loved Naruto… but frankly, as much as Jiraiya cared for the man, even he knew Hiruzen was crap when it came to kids. There were good reasons he and Asuma got along the way they did.
Not that Jiraiya had any ground to criticize him from. Jiraiya was Naruto's damn godfather, but he hadn't been there for him. He'd never even had a conversation with the kid. And that whole time, while he thought Naruto was growing up in a better place, Naruto had been driven to the point of leaving.
Jiraiya already had enough guilt on his shoulders. He couldn't allow himself to regret this, too. He had to find a way to make up for what he'd done. The answer was surprisingly simple when it came to him. The crime for going rogue was death. If you were as prominent as Naruto, the chance for leniency was negligible.
But not zero. Not if the Hokage was fighting tooth and nail for you.
Hiruzen couldn't be trusted to do what had to be done, and he was too old anyway. He needed to retire. So Jiraiya saw his chance… and took it.
It seemed like a solid plan at the time. Until Naruto ran around doing the most outrageous things Jiraiya had ever heard of.
At this point, if Konoha reintegrated him, it was going to cause an international incident! Not that Jiraiya wouldn't still try. He owed Minato — and above all, Naruto — at least that much.
Jiraiya schooled his features as the door to his office opened. He didn't have any appointments, and the visitor hadn't bothered to knock. Danzo Shimura entered. The way he bowed before speaking made Jiraiya queasy. If you were going to be disrespectful, take it all the way. Don't try to cover it up at the last second.
"Danzo," Jiraiya said. "I didn't know you would be visiting. Somehow, it wasn't on my schedule."
"Hokage. The village is in grave danger."
Jiraiya sighed. "Isn't it always? We have no shortage of enemies."
Danzo tilted up his bandaged head. "That is why we must never hesitate. Now is the time for action. Losing the Byakugan may start with just two eyes… but if that girl is captured, she could spawn a new clan for our enemies. If Kumo were to acquire her, or the remnants of Oto, the possible damage cannot be quantified."
"What do you propose we do about it?"
"We eliminate her," Danzo said. "Our enemies, no matter their great number, cannot hurt us with a headless corpse."
"How very like you," Jiraiya said.
Danzo's weight shifted to the side. His remaining eye was dead at the best of times, like a fish that had been pulled from its watery home. "Hiruzen would do what was best for Konoha. Do you think he hesitated when one of our forces abandoned their duty? He put them down. There is a reason he led for as long as he did."
"Funny. You were always complaining that he was too soft."
"He was," Danzo said. "His mistakes were many. But with a lesser man in his shoes, they would have been many more. You must take his example."
They eyed each other— or Jiraiya eyed Danzo while Danzo kept his unreadable eye fixed forward. Jiraiya's lips started to quiver. Despite efforts on his part, a chuckle escaped, followed by another.
Jiraiya stood up fast enough that a Jounin would have struggled to see him do it. His huge frame wasn't made for sitting behind a desk, but it was perfect for leaning over one and looking at a person like a bug.
"You seem to think I'm your friend," Jiraiya said. "I'm not. That was Sensei. I'm your boss. Your superior. And the guy who can throw you out on your ass faster than you could blink. I wouldn't need my guards to do it. If you cross the line, I'll bury you under the Hokage Tower head first."
"Such shows of power are wasted on me." Danzo didn't shift his pupil to make eye-contact, he stared exactly where he had been before, his eyes pointed toward Jiraiya's lower face as if he hadn't noticed the Hokage move. "I have stared death in the face too many times. I am simply an advisor in my old age. Those who refuse to learn from their elders are doomed to learn lessons they could have been taught to avoid."
"And anyone who blindly listens to codgers will end up being just like them," Jiraiya said. "Progress means knowing who you have to tell to shut up."
He regarded Danzo a few seconds longer, then settled back in his seat. His posture was relaxed, with his legs spread and his back slouched. It was one of the few ways he knew of to piss Danzo off.
"Shall I take this to mean you won't take action?" Danzo asked.
"I never said that. You're putting words in my mouth," Jiraiya said. "Since you've come here already, let's hear it. What would you have me do?"
Danzo bowed again. "Grant me the right to act. Before the week is up, I'll have the Hyuuga's head separated from her shoulders. I will handle her and the fox with her in one move. Konoha's bloodline will be safe, and the Kyuubi will be in our hands once more."
"That's funny," Jiraiya said. "You're pretty confident for a guy who already failed once."
"I do not understand, Hokage," Danzo said. "The last mission was undertaken by ninja from the general program—"
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Jiraiya laughed. "The squad captain came out of nowhere. I met him when I was giving the mission. If the Aburame clan had a ninja that strong, I would've known about them. But I'd never heard of him once. And that Sai kid? He has your eyes. I know Root bastards when I see them."
"Root was disbanded years ago," Danzo said.
"That's always been the official line, hasn't it? In case I wasn't clear, you won't be handling this mission. One of your best guys just got his clothes stolen in seconds by the fox you claim you can hunt. Personal feelings aside, you aren't capable of what you're promising. That's my verdict as your Hokage."
Danzo dipped his head. He left in silence, the same way that he lived.
Jiraiya drummed his fingers on the desk. That man was a problem. He still didn't know why Danzo got so involved in this last mission. Capturing Hinata Hyuuga and protecting the Byakugan was a plausible reason for him to be invested, but Jiraiya couldn't shake a gut feeling that there was more to it.
He released a labored sigh.
"Is it too late to go rogue?" he wondered. "Everytime I hear about him, it seems like Naruto's having ten times as much fun as I am…"
Sighing again, Jiraiya picked up a pen and returned to paperwork. This was the price he paid for running from adult responsibilities for so long. He'd do all this work so that Naruto could live the good life, because that was what it meant to look out for a kid.
Jiraiya failed him once but he wouldn't fail again. He straightened the Hokage hat, immersing himself in his boring tasks with a mellow breeze blowing in from the window at his back.
And the hours went back to slipping away.