Déjà vu? Not Quite.

Chapter 3

Minato coughed into his fist once to clear his throat, then turned to the side, where one of Shikamaru's sensor-nin was sitting on the floor, legs crossed. "Any updates?"

"No, sir," the thin man announced, shaking his head apologetically. "No signs of any activity for two miles."

"Hmm," Minato shook his head, crossing his arms and walking back over to the Toad Sage. "This is starting to get frustrating."

Jiraiya just raised an eyebrow, still looking out over the rolling trees. "Well, think of it this way; would you rather have a bunch of action? A bunch of death?"

The man frowned to himself slightly, before pulling a pen and paper out of his kimono and frantically scribbling away inside. "A bunch of death? What am I, an Academy student?"

"No, I suppose not," Minato sighed in dejected agreement. "Still... all this tension... it's starting to frazzle my nerves." He ran a shaky hand down his coat, smoothing the ceramic-white fabric flat in what could only be described as an attempt to keep busy.

"I don't think that thing can get any smoother," Jiraiya quipped casually. He still hadn't moved. "Besides, I know why you're doing this."

"Is it that painfully obvious?"

"Minato, Naruto is still a sore subject. Not many people know about her and this person know. She had to be a threat. Not to mention the kyubi. It also died with Naruto. I'd be worried too."

The Fourth just stood still for a few moments, letting the wind whip through his hair as it ran over the treetops, up the village wall.

"Go see Kushina. You know you want to."

He blinked. "But sensei, I can't. I have to be here in case something happens-"

Jiraiya finally - finally - turned around to look his student in the eye. "You're the fastest shinobi alive, brat. If something happens, you of all people should be able to get here just in time for the action to start."

Minato sighed. "I suppose you're right. But are you sure-"

"Just go already. I'll send a toad the moment trouble arrives. That is, if trouble even does arrive."

The Hokage reached into his thigh pouch, and procured a set of tri-pronged kunai from within. He gracefully tossed one towards Jiraiya, who caught it with a light 'whap!', and then proceeded to fan the others out in a large ring throughout the wooded clearing below.

"Alright," he said finally, after leaning over and adhering one of his seals to the surface of the village walls. "I'll be right back."

"Say hi to her for me," Jiraiya said nonchalantly, as he turned back to the wall with a small smirk.

A yellow flash was Minato's response.

...

"Wait! I've got something! CONTACT! a click to the north!"

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"I'm afraid I can't just let you waltz back into the Leaf. Not again, at least, after all the havoc you caused there."

Naruto's determined expression shrank into one of surprise - and genuine confusion. "...What?"

Then, her eyes narrowed as her anger began to rise. "Wait a second... I know that voice..."

"Oh, so you have heard of me, then!" A large, burly figure leapt down out of the treetops to a limb several trees away from the blond girl, arms crossed over his green-and-red kimono. "That saves the introduction time, at least one time."