- Two days later -
Following the cleanup and logistics of the Invasions, the Leaf higher-ups got into contact with the Sand village and agreed on a deal of peace after much discussion.
The deal provided was rather one-sided in the Leafs' favor. Without the Kazekage, and with Konoha's Third Hokage alive, the Sand had to agree to terms like a station of troops at their border, and financial compensation for the damage caused to Konoha.
While this alone might have seemed like the bare minimum, the Sand weren't in a good state to even normally agree to something like this, and if they had their Kage, they'd likely have resisted more.
Despite their reluctance, Hiruzen threw them a 'bone', so to speak, allowing a percentage of the missions originally meant for the Sand to pass to them, Hiruzen using the troops at their border as a show of Konoha doing something, but their actual purpose was to hand off the missions to the Sand.
Hiruzen really wasn't losing anything with this deal. The missions? They were swamped with missions as is, and it's not like Hiruzen gave up all the missions meant for the Sand, no, he merely gave them the missions better suited for the Sand ninja. And really, it all paid for itself. The Sand would be given missions that originally should have gone to them, and small percentages of each mission would work towards satisfying the damage compensation.
A well-thought-out negotiation that appeared to the regular people and ninja of the Sand that Hiruzen was being lenient with them by handing them missions, and the higher-ups of the Sand had to sit there and bear it as Hiruzen tossed them crumbs with a benevolent grandfatherly smile.
After sorting everything out, Hiruzen thanked Tobirama for the advice on the negotiations and addressed the village about the near end of his 2nd tenure as Hokage.
Hiruzen didn't reveal who would be the next Hokage; he was, after all, not sure if Tsunade would even return, and if she didn't, Hiruzen would hand the hat to Kakashi when he least expected it and retire like he wished to.
- With Jiraiya and Naruto -
"Do you at least know her general location?"
Naruto asked, having just passed through a small town.
Jiraiya hummed.
"No clue, but any place with lots of bars and gambling dens is where she'd be."
"That's vague, but I assume the search is narrowed down to the land of Fire? Can't see her traveling unbothered in other nations."
Naruto replied with a neutral expression, but inside, he frowned.
'A bar or a gambling den? Is she even fit to be Hokage? I know that some ninja have their own ways of dealing with life, but that's two of the worst, even peeping is better.'
"You'd be surprised."
Jiraiya chuckled, knowing Tsunade stayed in the Land of Fire most of the time, but she wasn't afraid to travel elsewhere when she was bored or tired of the debt collectors on her heels.
"Don't fret too much, Kid. We'll find her in no time, and you can see more of the world; that's always exciting."
Jiraiya reached over and ruffled Naruto's blonde hair.
Naruto smiled softly, his thoughts pushed to the side for now as his Godfather made a good point.
"Yeah, it's nice to see more of the world."
"Attaboy! Now you're talking like a true, certain, dashing, and utterly irresistible chick magnet of a wandering sage."
Jiraiya started to do a dramatic dance, his long hair spinning like the blade of a fuma shiruken.
Naruto eyed his Godfather with a blank expression, not bothering to warn the man about what he was about to step into.
*Splat*
"Huh? Ahhh no! My geta sandal!"
Jiraiya screamed like he was just stabbed, running to the grass beside the roadway and desperately rubbing the dog shit off his sandal.
Naruto couldn't help but smile. He wasn't amused because Jiraiya stepped in dog poop, but he just liked Jiraiya's character; he kept it entertaining, to say the least.
- With ? -
"That was some interesting intel. Danzo and Orochimaru are dead, a good day for you."
The taller of the two spoke beneath a straw hat.
"That is of little importance; focus on the mission."
The shorter one replied with little emotion in his voice, but beneath his straw hat, a look that was hard to identify was etched on his youthful face.
"Cold as always, Itachi. But you're right. Should we pay your village a visit?"
Itachi didn't verbally reply to Kisame, running ahead as his mind strayed to only he would know.
Kisame smiled, his shark teeth giving him a vicious look.
"I'll take that as a yes. I can't wait."
Samehada wiggled on Kisame's back, feeling the fighting spirit of his wielder and getting excited as well.
"We're not there to fight a full-scale battle, Kisame."
"I know, find the target."
Kisame didn't groan, but he did his version of a pout, the fighting spirit lessening as he followed his parter silently.
"But if they attack me first?"
Kisame asked innocently
Itachi sighed, the most emotion that he'd allow himself to show, nodding while keeping his eyes on the path ahead.
Kisame smiled like Kakazu when he's counting money, hoping to find a bunch of hotheads that he could provoke into attacking him.
"Heh~"
Itachi glanced out of the corner of his eye at his partner.
'He's going to make this difficult.'
Itachi recognized the signs and accepted it as one would accept their death, running for about 4 more hours until the large gates of Konoha were in the distance.
"Feeling nostalgic?"
Kisame ran up to match Itachi's speed, looking over with genuine curiosity.
Itachi spared him a brief glance.
"No."
Kisame dropped it as they continued to rapidly close the distance to the village, taking to the trees and scaling a part of the wall where they wouldn't be noticed by the gate guards or any patrolling ninja.
Standing at the top of the wall, Kisame gazed at the village below before looking over at his teammate, who was looking to the right, following the line of sight. Kisame looked and smirked as a figure stood there, seemingly waiting for them.
"Do you know this man, Itachi?"
Itachi removed his straw hat.
"Been a while, Kakashi."
"Ahh, The Copy Ninja, Kakashi. I heard you scared poor Zabuza to death not too long ago."
Kisame reached back with his right and grasped the handle of Samehada, left, taking off his hat.
"Your information is quite good."
Kakashi replied, hands still in his pockets as he observed the two.
"But I'd expect nothing less of your little group."
"He comes with us, Kisame."
Itachi spoke calmly.
Kisame grinned and leaped forward, Samehada cutting a wide arc towards Kakashi.
Kakashi's left hand snapped out at the last second and grasped Samehada by the scales, hand black with haki.
Itachi narrowed his eyes.
"Earth Release Sharp Spear? No, this is different."
"Well, isn't that special. You're the first one to grab Samehada like that."
Kisame tugged his blade free, needing two hands to do so.
"What is your goal here?"
Kakashi asked, looking over Kisame's shoulder to Itachi, ignoring the eye twitch of the shark-man.
"We're not here to start a conflict. Only to look for someone."
Itachi replied.
"Well, I know it's not to finish off your brother, he's not strong enough to interest you yet."
Kakashi drawled.
"So, it's Naruto, or more specifically, what's inside him."
Itachi's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"Kisame."
"Right."
Kisame swung Samehada with all his strength, the sentient blade growing bigger and glowing with a hum as the immense chakra enveloped it.
Kakashi ducked under the slash and slid Kunai into his hands, parrying and dancing around the dangerous blade with a hair's breadth.
With every dodge, Kisame grew more and more excited.
"Hahah, that's it!"
Itachi observed the exchange silently, seeing no pattern in Kakashi's moves; each dodge was at the very last moment, with minimal movement.
During the continued exchange of attacks, blocks, parries, and dodges, Kakashi began emitting haki beyond his kunai, each hit causing the sentient blade to squirm unaturally.
"Kisame, leave it to me."
Itachi closed his eyes and opened them, Mangekyo swirling to life.
Kisame leaped back to Itachi's side.
"Are you sure, those eyes of yours—"
"I can handle it."
Itachi interjected and gazed into the lone eye of Kakashi, noticing how unconcerned he seemed to be.
"Tsukuyomi."
Kakashi felt the genjutsu take hold, finding himself trapped in the genjutsu world, looking around at the red sky and Itachi in front of him as he was bound.
"I know everything."
The blade that had been about to pierce Kakashi's stomach paused.
"Did you tell Sasuke?"
"No, but don't think that he'd be better off not knowing. Secrets like this tend to backfire when left for someone to find them."
Itachi's blade lowered fully.
"He would become a hero once he kills me; no one has to know."
"That's just wishful thinking, Itachi, and you know it. You really think Sasuke won't figure it out eventually? Let's say he does kill you and accomplish his goal of avenging his clan, what then? How do you think he'd react to learning that the brother he killed wasn't what he thought? The very life he'd have lived would be a lie, the blood of the brother who had saved him would be on his hands, and Konoha would be responsible for everything. Sasuke isn't emotionally stable, Itachi; he's a fire waiting to be lit. And when that fire lights, he's going to burn himself to see everything around him be consumed as well, even if it costs him his life."
Itachi listened to everything. He wanted to deny Kakashi's words; he'd spent these years planning his death after all, running through medication to keep himself as healthy as possible just so he could die at the right moment.
"So what would I do?"
Kakashi gazed at Itachi's lost expression and had to remind himself that the man in front of him was just 17 or 18 years old.
"Live."
Itachi laughed at that, a dry laugh.
"You'd ask ME to live? After everything."
Kakashi nodded.
"I don't agree with what happened, but you were 13 years old and backed into a corner without time to think. You've had to endure a lot of pain, but you shouldn't bear the responsibility for the circumstances that led to it. Danzo perpetuated everything and was even killed recently, if you didn't know. He had collected the eyes and bodies of your clan. Even the babies. He used a technique called Izanagi to repeatedly bring himself back until he ran out of the sharingan embedded on his arm. So, live, Itachi. If not for yourself, then for your brother."
Itachi absorbed everything before speaking up.
"Sasuke is in trouble?"
Kakashi hummed.
"He'll likely be in trouble no matter what, but if you were around, he'd certainly be safer."
Kakashi watched his expression before speaking a bit more boldly.
"That man who claims to be Madara is a fake, and if you were to die, he'd seek Sasuke out. He'd manipulate and use him until he no longer needed him. Don't follow the path he expects you to take, Itachi. You can act your role, but let me help you get over that sickness of yours."
Kakashi had to fight the smirk that threatened to tug at his lips as he managed to genuinely surprise Itachi for the third or maybe fourth time now.
"And how do you plan to help me when I'm constantly with Kisame?"
Kakashi chuckled as he felt like Itachi was digging for more, and he was happy to oblige.
"Kotoamatsukami. You could use it on him, or you could try convincing him first before drastically using it."
Itachi stared at Kakashi as if he were a complex puzzle with missing pieces.
Kakashi was enjoying this far more than he should, but it was entertaining to see such a stoic guy lose his composure.
"Just think about it and send a little crow with your answer when you've decided. As for me, well, I've decided that I'm tired of being bound, and it should help you decide if you see that I have the strength to back up my talk, nee?"
Before Itachi could question what Kakashi was going to do, a wave of force reverberated from Kakashi and slammed into his mind, and cracks appeared in the red sky of his genjutsu world. The space meant to be Itachi's domain was violently collapsing in on itself, reaching a breaking point and shattering.
Kisame caught Itachi on reflex as he fell to the ground, looking over at Kakashi as he stood there seemingly fine.
"Itachi? What happened?"
Kisame was very confused. In his eyes, Itachi collapsed as soon as he cast his genjutsu.
"We're leaving, Kisame."
Itachi replied, launching a fireball from his lips at Kakashi.
Kakashi played along and quickly encased himself in the water wall jutsu, dropping it when the fire was extinguished, and he felt Itachi and Kisame jump outside the village.
'Let's see what he will choose.'
Kakashi left the area before anyone showed up, not wanting to explain anything to anyone other than Hiruzen if he ordered it.
- Chapter End -
2.2k words, hope this was good. I just got done with finals, thank everything that is good and holy for that.