"So, pervy sage, what the hell are we doing here in Kirigakure?" Naruto shouldered his bag.
The two stood on a cliff overlooking the island where the Hidden Village stood. True to its name, a heavy mist shrouded the land.
The coastline was beautiful from what Naruto could see, large limestone karsts towering over the surroundings, each dotted with flora that scraped the sea.
Grass and flowers bloomed around him.
The village itself was surrounded by these earthen towers as a natural barrier, with only one opening to the village.
The bay in the island was under a bridge which should have had numerous ships in transit.
And yet, it remained barren of any vessels.
The port, too, was strange. Every single boat there was firmly anchored to the ocean floor, barely swaying to the waves.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Jiraiya grumbled. "Besides, an informant has a lead on the Akatsuki."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sure, I guess. If the Akatsuki's here, shouldn't we be going the other way?"
"Now come on, it'll take a day or two. In and out adventure. Besides, it's good to see the world while you're still young!"
Naruto shook his head before following Jiraiya as the older man ran across the rocks.
The two landed a decent distance away from the village before Jiraiya pressed his hand to the ground, causing a toad to appear.
Jiraiya motioned to it. "Get in. Just because you're not signing any summoning contracts doesn't mean that you can't use them to hitch a ride. They know that you're with me."
Naruto acquiesced, and pulled himself into it, shrinking into it.
"So what are we waiting for?" Naruto asked.
"For the toad to get in. I picked one that looks like a native species, so no one should suspect." Jiraiya forced the mouth to open a little bit, and peeked out. "Seems that we're gonna be in here for only a little bit. So why didn't you want to sign with the toads, anyway? They're nice folk. Just because they're not human doesn't make them any less good, or polite, or whatever."
"That wasn't what I disliked. They were pleasant, but I was under the impression that I'd be bringing them to combat, and I didn't want to do that."
Jiraiya snorted. "And why not? They're strong."
"It's not because they're strong. I'm not dragging in anyone to help me fight my battles," Naruto asserted.
Jiraiya smiled, and laid his head against the toad's inner cheek. "Seems like we're almost ready to come out." The mouth opened, and the two leapt out, increasing in size as they did so.
They were in an alleyway, dingy and damp. The stone walls were cracked and chipped, yet not weathered by the winds and rain.
Seems Water is the exact same as I always remembered it, Madara commented. A lot of water.
How enlightening, Naruto bit back.
"Alright, we're in. Now to go find that informant..."
Naruto kept his chakra tightly coiled as Jiraiya handed him a disguise. He put on a wig, face mask, mist headband and spare clothes.
"Is this necessary? Shouldn't we just use a transformation now that we're in?"
"Keep it simple, kid. The classic approaches are classic for a reason." Jiraiya slipped into his own disguise with ease before they stepped out.
YOU ARE READING
Sage's Resurrection
Fanfiction"I have found you to be worthy of being my successor." Naruto Uzumaki was a boy who was snubbed and looked down upon for his entire life. For him to be acknowledged by someone like the Sage... "You will be strong enough to achieve world peace..." ...
