Rest Your Love: Sequel to Nothing Special

Chapter 27

Aceso came back the next day, she had been summoned to the Hokage's office, it was early morning, there were frogs in the room, they were just waiting on Naruto and Kakashi. She was caught up on everything about Master Jiraya's death, Naruto being the Child of prophecy. Aceso was there along with Team 7, Naruto was confused when he showed up. 

"So this Jiraya boy's student, is it?" Fukusaku asked.

"Yes," Tsunade answered. "This is Naruto Uzumaki. The child of prophecy you spoke of."

"What's with the old geezer frog?" Naruto asked. "Who's he?"

"Pipe down," Tsunade demanded. "Watch your mouth, Naruto. He is one of the two great sages of Mt. Myoboku, Lord Fukasaku. He traveled all the way here just so that he could speak with you."

"Well, to be more accurate, I'm a Great Sage Toad," Fukasaku corrected. "But never mind that. It doesn't matter. Answer me this. Are you really Jiraya boy's student, or aren't you?"

"Jiraya boy?" Naruto asked. " A boy? Don't treat the pervy sage like a kid. Who does this geezer frog think he is, anyway?"

"I told you already, watch your mouth!" Tsunade snapped.

"Naruto, he's the one who taught Sage Jutsu to Lord Jiraya," Shizune informed. "He's Jiraya's master. "

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

" So you call him the Pervy Sage?" Fukasaku laughed. "I've never heard a more fitting name for Jiraya boy."

"What does this geezer sage want?" Naruto asked. "What did he come so far to talk to me about?"

"I'm not exactly sure where to begin this," Fukasaku admitted bowing his head. "But let me see. I suppose the most important thing is." He looked at Naruto. " I'm afraid Jiraya boy has died in battle. Naruto's face went cold.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked as his voice began to tremble. Everyone remained silent. 

"I know that this is very sudden, so I understand if you don't believe me," Fukasaku said. "For some time now, rumors had been circulating that the leader of the Akatsuki was operating out of the Village Hidden in the Rain, so Jiraya boy went there in person to verify whether these rumors were true."

"The leader of the Akatsuki was in the Hidden Rain Village?" Sakura asked. 

"As I recall, that village is difficult to infiltrate," Sai said. "It's closed off entirely from the outside world."

"I recall having to avoid it during my travels," Aceso recalled. 

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "But Master Jiraya was exceptionally skilled in infiltration and espionage tactics."

"Yes. Exactly," Fukasaku said. "Jiraya boy encountered Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki. However--Pain was a former student of Jiraya's boys, from many, many years ago."

"He was his student?" Sakura repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know the particulars, but Jiraya boy called him Nagato," Fukasaku answered. 

"That goes way back to a time during the chaos of the Third Great Ninja War," Tsunade said. "The Hidden Rain Village had become a battlefield, and Jiraya took some war orphans under his wing. Who would have imagined those kids--"

"But to defeat a shinobi as powerful as Jiraya--how did this Pain accomplish such a feat?" Kakashi asked.

"It was because Pain possesses the Rinnegan," Fukasaku answered. 

"What did you say?" Aceso asked. "Rinnegan?"

"It's an ocular Jutsu said to have been possessed by the father of all shinobi the Sage of Six Paths," Shizune answered. "But I believed that it was nothing more than a legend."