The sealed kunai

Chapter 39: The Foundation Holds Strong

(Konohagakure no Sato – Hokage Tower)

The rain was still falling heavily in Konoha as the early morning began. It had been for over a week, going on ever since two days after Naruto and Jiraiya left. Tsunade had a horribly uneasy feeling about something, and the only pressing issue on her mind that could have been doing so at the moment was the situation that she had sent Naruto and Jiraiya into in Amegakure. While she hadn't expected any news back soon that still didn't mean she wasn't worried.

As she entered her office, Shizune gave her the basic rundown of the day that she listened to half-heartedly, still getting the gist of what she was meant to do that day. Upon finishing, the dark-haired attendant bowed to her and left the room, allowing Tsunade's mind to drift once again.

Eventually however, she felt the presence of an intruder in the office and stood up to prepare herself to defend against it, only for the intruder to be revealed as a small, elderly female toad. Tsunade calmed down and retook her seat, sighing in relief, "Damn nerves..." She muttered to herself before addressing the toad, "Yes, can I help you?" She asked.

Shima hopped onto Tsunade's desk and looked her in the eyes before uttering what she had come to say, "Little Jiraiya and his apprentice are missing." She said somberly.

Tsunade froze for a moment before speaking, "H-How? Why? What happened to them? What do you mean missing?"

Shima shook her head, "They wound up fightin' with two members of Akatsuki. One of them happened to be the leader. The last thing I remember happenin' before I was sent away to return here to you was Jiraiya-chan losing his left arm. Pa stayed to help him but he hasn't returned to Mt. Myoboku either."

Tsunade slumped back in her seat and looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to divert her tears from spilling, "Tell me everything you can." The blonde woman said, trying to hide her pain behind a business-like voice.

XxX

(Unknown Location)

Naruto's eyes opened to a dark room that was thoroughly unfamiliar to him. His mind started functioning in overdrive, giving himself a quick systems check. He felt fine for a guy that had been smashed by an invisible wall hard enough to be thrown for over a mile and a half and had been impaled straight through. Why would the Akatsuki heal him? And why wasn't he bound? As a matter of fact why was he even conscious? Did they really think he posed that little of a threat, even after having been defeated? A living Naruto Uzumaki was a dangerous Naruto Uzumaki, and it was time for these fools to realize that.

Let's see, nothing in the room that he could use as a weapon. Well at least they weren't that arrogant if nothing else. Fine, he didn't need a weapon, his hands were his weapons. After all, even if he failed again, they wouldn't kill him, they still needed him. No clothes except for a pair of boxers on his frame, his body was wrapped in bandages. He still couldn't get over the fact that they treated him. Why would they do that?

Naruto quietly made his way to the door of his room and stuck himself to the ceiling right above it and waited patiently for anyone to enter so that he could begin his swift escape. After a decent amount of time waiting, the door slowly opened and shut before someone began taking steps inside of the room. Naruto quickly landed on the ground behind them, ignoring the pain in his torso and wrapped his arms around the person's neck in a chokehold to quietly put them down.

That would have been his course of action had the person he grabbed a hold of not replaced themselves in a Kawarimi with a chair near his bed.

"I'm very glad I prepared that Kawarimi before I entered the room Naruto-senpai or you might have killed me just now."