Strolling Amongst Stalactites

Healthy Heart

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Once the blue spiders tucked their legs in they looked no different than a pair of blue earrings and a matching hair clip. Well ... this will be fun to explain to her friends ...

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Jiraiya looked absolutely stunned and weakly stumbled back against a tree, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Kakashi said seriously and handed over several photos that he unsealed from a scroll on his belt. "I spent most of the last three months investigating ... look." He handed over the photos and Jiraiya took them with a shaky hand. "That run down shack in the photos is where she lived for a year. The orphanage kicked her out at about four years old ... she was diving in dumpsters for food, Jiraiya! Everything the hokage was telling us was wrong! How do we know she didn't run to save her life? I listened to the civilians and the things they bragged about ... it's sick."

"This ... sensei wouldn't allow this ..." The toad sage said, sounding less than sure and more like he was trying to convince himself as he flipped through the photos of the place Naruko was forced to live in.

"Do you honestly think something of this scale just escaped the hokage's attention for a full year? He told me many times that she was being cared for. That someone was watching her. Did she ever get my presents for her birthday? ... you can't sit there and tell me you believe the old fool?" Kakashi yelled more than a little pissed off at this.

The toad sage gritted his teeth, but finally gave a defeated sigh. "No."

Kakashi nodded, "Good. I have my dog summons hunting for her. When Naruko is safe I'm confronting that bastard-"

"Wait a minute ... that may not be a wise move." Jiraiya said, pondering a problem that just occurred to him.

"And why not? Get Tsunade involved and he won't stand a chance." Kakashi remarked in a bloodthirsty tone that promised pain.

"It's his desperation that bothers me." Jiraiya commented and paused for a second to think. "Sarutobi has been sending me letters hinting that Naruko may be brainwashed depending on who took her and to find her fast so she can be treated ..." He trailed off only vaguely aware of the fact that he switched from calling the hokage 'sensei' to a much less caring 'Sarutobi' ...

The silver haired ninja nodded, "He told me as much before allowing me to leave, which means he wants us to give her to him and keep her from talking ... he also hinted that I would be needed to train a team, but that won't happen. Once I find Naruko I'm retiring and taking her away." Kakashi said firmly.

"Maybe you should train a team." Jiraiya mused and held up a hand to silently tell Kakashi to listen to what he has to say first before flying off into a rant, which the normally calm and collected ninja seems to be doing a lot of lately. Of course, being betrayed like this is a good reason to be a little out of sorts. "You just said that the civilians were hurting Naruko, right?"

"Yes and I suspect several ninjas were behind it too since she was supposed to have bodyguards" Kakashi answered feeling even more bitter about the village he once loved.

"That's what I thought, but this means the council is involved and if we give them even one reason they will banish us and keep Naruko for themselves. You know very well that Danzo would jump at that opportunity and try to legally take Naruko, which he couldn't do with us making a point of returning to the village on a regular basis. Hell, the old warhawk was probably fooled by the hokage's stories too like we were ... at least, I assume that Sarutobi would make it difficult for Danzo. Naruko is still the nine tailed fox's vessel and, despite the horrid treatment, she wouldn't just be allowed to fall into the wrong hands ... wait ..." Jiraiya paused to think about something.