The Newest Member (A Naruto-Akatsuki Fanfic)

Chapter 8: Evidence

The man threw up his hammer in suprise and it landed on his head, he groaned and slid off the roof and landed on a pile of Sake, girly magazines and foos supplies yet to be stocked inside. He mumbled as imaginative birds tweeted around his head, he opened his eyes and gasped

"Hinata ..."

"J... Jiraiya Sensei ..."

"What on earth are doing here ... I know you left the village but the Hidden rain would be the last place I would expect to see you"

"We need to talk"

"Lucky enough, I'm done the last of the renovations, do you think you can help me bring in the supplies ?"

"Yeah sure ..."

She carried boxes of food and equipment into the house and set it on the counter, Jiraiya pulled out a chair for her and the two sat at the table, he shakily poured two cups of tea and sat back with a heavy sigh of relief.

"I have hundreds of questions to ask you ... but you go first ...I can see it is the same for you"

"What are you doing here ? what is this place ?"

"This place was an old home of mine, i spent 3 years here training some Hidden rain War orphans who needed my help, they were starved and weak so I took them in, those were some of the happiest days of my life ... what am I doing here ? well ... Not living in the Leaf... that's for sure, I just can't look at it the same way anymore ... it's not the village it used to be ... It's not Tsunade's fault ... far from it, I feel she is caught up between the elders and the people ... how about you ?"

"Well ... They refused to believe Sasuke and Sakura had something to do with Naruto's death, they want to bury it so quickly. They forbid me to further investigate so ... I cut my ties with the village"

"I guess that makes two of us ..."

"So ... forgive me for asking ... but this house ... it is ..."

"Hahaha it's okay Hinata ... Stay here for as long as you like, we both are missing a true home ... there's a spare room over there, my old student Konan liked her teenage privacy as well ... so long ago hmm"

"Thank you Jiraiya-Sensei"

"aaarh don't call me that ... now that I have left the village i'm just a pervy old sage ... Hinata"

"Yes ?"

Jiraiya looked solemn for a second, he wondered how Hinata had found him, surely it was not a coincidence, any passer-by would ignore such a beat up shack and head towards the main city.

"How did you find me ... you said we needed to talk so I am guessing my answer will come from such a conversation ?"

"Yes well ... I was shown to here ... given directions and advice ..."

"Really ? ... By who ?" his brows furrowed in confusion and deep thought

"Itachi Uchiha ... member of the Akatsuki ... he told me to find you ... he wanted me to join ..."

"Join the Akatsuki right ?"

"how did ..."

"I was asked the same thing ... but by a plant like creature, who also wore the Akatsuki cloak ... it seems they want all the Ex Konoha Ninja they can get ... I turned them down ... I know they wanted to abduct Naruto and kill him for his tailed beast ... I don't know if they are trust worthy ... even the Hidden leaf wanted to use Naruto as a weapon ... no one is good now ..."

"Did you discover anything new about Naruto's location ... ?"

"No ... Nothing ...well ... it's a small lead ... but I think its just something a wolf or bear has left behind ..."