Desert Flower

Water Balloon Training

  Leaving town, Guy took Sasuke and even gave Naruto a green bodysuit like his own. The man tried to give me one as well, but I wasn't nearly as enthused with the garment as Naruto was.

  Walking along the dirt road, birds chirped from the trees and power lines overhead. The blond boy walking beside me had been awfully quiet for a while now, and when he suddenly stopped, he looked to the old man while speaking lowly.

  "Pervy Sage.... Why are they after me?" Jiraiya just looked back at Naruto with a firm expression. "You know, don't you, Pervy Sage? Tell me why."

  "They're not really after you.... They're after what's inside of you."

  "What on earth is this thing? It's a horrible demon that attacked Konoha, right? And was dreaded by all.... So why do they want it so much?" Naruto rubbed his stomach where the black seal was located.

  "Indeed, the Nine-Tailed fox is a demon that appears at each critical juncture throughout the ages destroying everything in its path.... And people feared it like an act of nature. The reason they want that thing....for what purpose....honestly, I can't quite say. Just that now that the Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed up inside of you....they might be thinking they want that power in their control. It must be harsh to know that ninja like them would keep coming after you, but well, that's your destiny." The man explained, and Naruto glanced at me.

  "Then why weren't they after Sayuri, too? They didn't even know or care that she was there."

  "I don't think they knew." Jiraiya waved his hand. "The village knows about the fox in you, Naruto, but none of us, not even the previous Hokage, knew about Sayuri. So, I'm not surprised they didn't either."

  "But now they do." I piped up, shifting on my feet. "I mean, now they know I can take chakra, and that's not quite a normal thing. They'll no doubt figure it out."

  "I'm not too sure about that." The old man rubbed his chin. "Not even I have figured out what's inside of you."

  "But it's got to be a demon, too, right? I mean, she did defeat Gaara, and he's like me."

  "Possibly. But there's more in this world than just demons and people. Remember that."

  "Do you think maybe this Tsunade person might know?"

  "It's possible."

  "Okay! Let's go find them then!" Naruto perked up. "We can ask her and have her save Sasuke, and get down to some serious training!"

~

  "The beautiful woman you want to conduct 'research' on....that's this Tsunade person, isn't it?" Naruto questioned.

  "Whoa! That's sharp coming from you! And what about it?"

  "She's part of the Sannin thing like you, right, Pervy Sage?"

  "Yes, and what of it?"

  "How....old is she?"

  "My age." Jiraiya gave a thumbs up.

  "So, well....what kind of person is this Tsunade like?"

  "Oh, you want to know?"

  "Yes."

  "Let's see.... Put simply, she's an unpleasant type. Besides that, she's a die-hard gambler, and her face is known far and wide for it."

  "Then we should have no problems finding her if she's that famous!"

  "She's famous, all right.... Legendary, you might say. She's known as the Legendary Sitting Duck! But no matter how famous the Legendary Sitting Duck is, I doubt we'll find her right away."