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Peter and Jiraiya traveled together, running at incredible speeds as they jumped from tree to tree, barely visible to the normal human eye. They passed a couple of travelers along the way, but the travelers didn't even notice them.
Of course, Peter could open a portal to anywhere, but the tracker that Death gave him only worked as a pointer, not providing the exact location. Besides, today was a nice day, and he hadn't explored much of this world beyond the Leaf Village, so he didn't mind running.
However, Jiraiya began to have trouble keeping up. His breath grew ragged, and he called out, "Hey, Peter! Slow down a bit, will you?"
Peter slowed his pace, allowing Jiraiya to catch up. They ran side by side as Jiraiya caught his breath. Once he did, Jiraiya asked, "Hey, how about we stop off at a nearby village? I need to do some research for my book." He pulled out a book and a pen, his face breaking out into a pervy smile.
Peter scoffed, shaking his head. "Sorry, but I'd rather not take any detours. I have to get back in time for Itachi and Shisui's training. Maybe we can stop on the way back if we have time?"Jiraiya looked disappointed as he put his book and pen away. "Fine, but can't you tell me what or who it is you're looking for?"
Peter was about to reply when he sensed something ahead. He paused, stopping on a tree branch, his eyes turning to the horizon.
Seeing him stop, Jiraiya landed on a branch in front of him, his expression turning serious. "What's wrong?"
Peter said, "Follow me," and disappeared in a burst of speed. Jiraiya followed quickly, and less than a minute later they both landed in a tree at the edge of the forest.
"?!" Jiraiya's eyes widened at the sight of thousands upon thousands of Iwagakure ninja marching toward the direction of the Leaf Village.
Without hesitation, Jiraiya immediately summoned a small messenger toad, who appeared in a small puff of smoke. And before it could say a word, he instructed it to go to Konoha and warn the Hokage.
But as the toad was about to rush off, Peter said, "Wait a moment."
Jiraiya looked over at Peter, who had his eyes closed, standing there unmoving for a moment, like a sensor ninja scanning the area. "What's the matter?" Jiraiya asked.
Peter replied, "It's not just them. There are three other armies moving toward the Konoha as well. One from a desert, one from the ocean, and another from the mountains."
Instantly, Jiraiya realized who these armies belonged to: Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure. He raised a brow and asked, "You can sense that? They must be thousands of miles away..."
Peter nodded. "They seem to all be moving at a similar pace. Each army should arrive at your village by tomorrow morning, give or take a couple of hours."
Eyes widening, Jiraiya realized the gravity of Peter's words. If these armies would arrive at the same time, that meant they were coordinating their attack. They were working together. "How did they manage to band together so quickly?" he wondered aloud.
This wasn't the first time multiple villages had formed an alliance against Konoha. Such alliances had occurred many times over the years, but never with such speed.
Typically, trust among ninja is hard-won, and forging these agreements requires significant time and effort. Yet, just one day after Konoha was attacked by the Nine-Tailed Fox, the allied forces were already marching.
Something felt off...
Peter glanced over at the Iwagakure army, spotting the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, floating alongside his troops. What caught his attention the most, however, was the paper-white figure walking beside Ōnoki, which appeared to be a Zetsu clone.
Peter instantly realized what was happening. Madara, if he was still alive, and Zetsu, must have acted as intermediaries for each major village, coordinating the attack on Konoha.
They likely saw an opportunity to retrieve Obito, and even if the allied villages lost, the chaos would serve as a sufficient distraction to break him out.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Peter turned to the toad Jiraiya had summoned. "Go report everything to Minato," he instructed.
The toad glanced over at Jiraiya for confirmation. Jiraiya nodded, and the toad disappeared in a cloud of smoke, vanishing to deliver the urgent message.
Peter noticed the worried look on Jiraiya's face and said, "You can go back to the village and help if you want. It's not like I need you here."
Jiraiya frowned as he watched the ninja army march past them, headed toward Konoha, his home. "…"
On one hand, he wanted to use this opportunity to get to know Peter better, as the village knew almost nothing about him or where he came from. On the other hand, he couldn't sit back while his home was at risk.
"But if you want to tag along still, that's fine too," Peter added. "We'll be back by tomorrow morning anyway, so you have nothing to worry about. It's up to you."
Jiraiya's frown deepened in thought. "How strong are those shadow things you gave to Minato?"
Peter smirked. "More than strong enough."
Jiraiya nodded, making his decision. "Then I'll stay with you. But I'd appreciate it if we could make this as quick as possible."
Peter nodded. "Then you better keep up." He disappeared in a burst of speed, heading toward his destination and leaving the army of Stone Ninja behind.
Jiraiya glanced back at the army headed towards his home, hesitating for a moment before following Peter, his mind made up. He would trust in Minato and the shadows, and see this through with Peter.
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-Konoha-
Seconds after Peter and Jiraiya left, Minato stood alone with Obito, who had just woken up in his cell. The silence between them was thick with tension. Minato's heart ached with a mix of anger and sadness as he stared at his former student, now a traitor.
"Why, Obito?" Minato began, his voice filled with a mix of confusion and pain. "Why would you betray the village? Why would you target my son and my wife? Where have you been all this time?"
Obito's gaze was cold and distant, his eyes refusing to meet Minato's. "You wouldn't understand," he muttered.
"Try me," Minato pressed. "I deserve to know why you did this. Why you turned your back on everything we believed in."
Obito's jaw tightened, his silence speaking volumes. Minato's frustration grew. "Answer me, Obito! Why did you do this?"
Obito's eyes flashed with anger. "You let her die."
Minato blinked, taken aback by the accusation. "What do you mean? Who are you talking about?"
Obito's fury erupted. "You really don't know? Have you already forgotten her? I guess she doesn't matter, right? Only your prized student Kakashi the murderer matters. Everyone else is just trash that you can throw away..."
Minato's eyes widened as realization struck him. "Rin... You're talking about Rin."
"Yes, Rin!" Obito shouted, his voice echoing in the cell. "The one you failed to protect. The one you let die. You think you're such a great Hokage, such a perfect sensei, but you couldn't even keep her safe! She needed you and you weren't even there!"
Minato's heart pounded as memories of Rin flooded back. "Obito, Rin's death was a tragedy. We didn't know what the enemy had planned. Kakashi did everything he could to save her."
"Save her?" Obito spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Kakashi killed her! He drove his Chidori right through her heart! And you... you weren't there. You should have been there!"
Minato's voice broke with emotion. "I know, Obito. I know it was my failure. I should have been there to protect her, to protect all of you. But this... this path you've chosen... it's not what Rin would have wanted. How do you think she'd—"
"Don't you dare speak for her!" Obito roared. "You know nothing about what she wanted. You weren't there when she needed you most. You failed her, Minato."
Minato's shoulders sagged under the weight of Obito's words. "I failed her, and I failed you. But this isn't the way, Obito. We can still make things right."
Obito's laughter was hollow and bitter. "Make things right? It's too late for that, sensei. The village you love so much will crumble to dust, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
Before Minato could respond, suddenly, a toad appeared before him in a puff of smoke, "Minato! Urgent news! All four major villages are marching toward Konoha. Lord Jiraiya believes they've allied together…"
Hearing the information, Obito couldn't help but laugh. "Things aren't going so well for you lately, huh, sensei? Looks like your perfect village is about to face its end. Just as I said it would…"
Minato's expression hardened as he listened to the toad's message, the weight of the impending threat pressing down on him. "…"
Obito's eyes glinted with malice. "Well, what are you waiting for? Run along~ Your precious village needs you…" he said, laughing as Minato turned around and left.
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Meanwhile, Peter and Jiraiya, running much faster than before, arrived at their destination in about an hour. Before them stood a large underground bunker door, which was sealed tightly.
Upon arrival, Jiraiya immediately collapsed onto the ground, exhausted from the speed they had traveled. He had done all he could to keep up with Peter, and now he was completely worn out.
Meanwhile, Peter stood there perfectly fine, not a drop of sweat on his body, and not the least bit winded.
Seeing Peter in such a state, Jiraiya looked up at him through ragged breaths. "What… kind of monster… are you?"
Jiraiya was by no means out of shape—he was a Kage-level ninja, his body in peak physical condition. Yet, he could barely keep up with Peter, and he had the impression that Peter was holding back as well.
Peter shrugged. "What? How am I a monster? You just need to stop lazing around and work on your cardio."
Jiraiya scoffed as he stood up, his eyes landing on the bunker door in front of them. He hadn't noticed until now due to his exhaustion.
Instantly, he got a bad feeling. "You're not going after Orochimaru, are you?"
After all, his former teammate loved hidden bunker bases like this, so it was very likely that this was one of them. Of course, Danzo favored them as well, but he was dead now.
Peter simply shrugged. "I'm not sure. Why don't we go and find out?"
Walking up to the door, Peter held out his hand and flicked it with his pointer finger. "Tink*
"?!" Jiraiya watched in shock as hidden seals appeared and shattered alongside the metal door, which crumbled to the ground.
Glancing back at Jiraiya, whose mouth hung wide open, Peter waved him over as he casually walked inside the dark entrance. "Come on. Let's go."
Jiraiya snapped out of his daze and followed, hoping that Peter wasn't going after Orochimaru. Despite his complex love-hate relationship with his traitorous teammate, he knew he couldn't shield Orochimaru from Peter even if he wanted to.
No one could…
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Inside the bunker, Orochimaru and Tsunade were deep in conversation. Shizune stood loyally beside Tsunade, ready to fight their way out should the need arise. After all, Orochimaru couldn't be trusted.
Orochimaru had just finished explaining why he had called her there. Tsunade looked at him like he was crazy. "What the hell are you talking about? Did all those experiments finally cause your brain to malfunction?"
Orochimaru frowned in annoyance. "It's true. I don't know what or who has entered our universe, but it's a grave threat. We need to contact Jiraiya."
*Boom!* As he said the name Jiraiya, an explosion-like force rocked the bunker, causing alarms to blare.
"!?" Orochimaru rushed to check the cameras and saw Jiraiya entering the bunker where the door once stood.
Tsunade stepped up beside him, seeing Jiraiya as well. "Oh great, the pervert's here too. Now you can explain to him how your brain is rotting into mush."
Ignoring her, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed and his pulse quickened as he spotted Peter on a hallway camera, with Jiraiya trailing behind him. 'Did he bring someone here with him?' He wondered, his eyes never leaving Peter's figure.
Orochimaru didn't know if Peter was the one he was warned about, but if he was, then he needed to prepare. Turning to Tsunade, he said. "Go and bring Jiraiya and his guest here. I need to take care of something first." He then disappeared in a swirl of wind, leaving her there.
Tsunade grumbled in annoyance as Shizune asked, "What should we do?"
Tsunade shrugged. "Let's go get the perv. The faster we can finish this, the better..."
…
Meanwhile, in a nearby room, Anko Mitarashi awakened to the sound of the alarms. "Ugh!" She groaned, a sharp pain in her neck where a tattoo-like seal could be seen…
A/N: 2183 words :)
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