A Darker World

Jiraiya had always wondered if the Land of Water was paranoid about its security because it was an island or if it was because of something in the people themselves. There was only one harbor in the entire country that allowed passenger ships, and even there, they weren't exactly welcoming. They had been docked for more than two hours now and they were still on the damn boat.

The passengers were taken off one at a time or in groups depending on how they were traveling. He had heard about this process, but didn't think how frustrating it would be. He was also starting to worry about Naruto and Konohamaru. On the voyage, he had noticed that they were the only kids on board. At first, that had not worried him, but now he was starting to wonder, they stood out and that was not good.

He had briefed the boys, of course, and kept their cover story simple. They had grown up in the Land of Fire and were tagging along on a business trip with their uncle. Yes, they were brothers but not really brothers because Shin, which was the name Konohamaru would go by, had been taken in several years ago when his parents died. Jiraiya just hoped they didn't slip up.

He wasn't afraid that his head would be taken for the bounty on it. Kiri was not too big on that, if anything they would take it to try to obtain information, but again, he doubted that. He was largely banking on two things, Kiri's general desire to stay out of the affairs of the continent, as they like to refer to the mainland, and the fact that Danzo had not been winning friends anywhere. Taking the boys along with him was a risk, but less so than if he had let them stay behind.

When their time finally came, it went a lot smoother than he had hoped. They were gently separated from each other with Naruto and Konohamaru being interrogated by a ninja only a little older than them. He was led into another room where two ninjas questioned him. They checked to see if he was using a transformation jutsu and then asked him rapid questions.

His story was more complicated but simple to stick to. Once he mentioned he was actually looking to hire some Kiri their demeanor changed, especially once they saw his account book. The account was legitimate in that there was actually Ryo in it, but the name was one of his aliases. His meeting soon ended, all three interrogators conferred for a few minutes and they were then released.

Kirigakure was only a days travel from the harbor and the road was mostly a lonely one. He kept the pace quick and gave the boys a brief history lesson as they traveled. He also started testing their observation skills again, and was pleased to discover they hadn't atrophied. They crashed at an Inn that only had one room available and food that left much to be desired. Fortunately, the Sake was plentiful and it did wash away the taste. The boys apparently thought he'd be longer at the bar than he was because he caught them about to have an intimate moment. Both boys had leveled angry stares at him.

He had been embarrassed, but when he reflected on it later, it had kind of pleased him. The Naruto he had first met those months ago would have never leveled that look at him. The blonde trusted him enough to do so. That knowledge was worth the embarrassment.

When they arrived at their destination in late afternoon, he was curious about how they would react. Other than Konohamaru grabbing Naruto's hand, they didn't. Either they didn't have any bad memories to be triggered of Konoha or Kiri was too different to be compared to it. Then again, besides the numerous numbers of ninja walking around, it was very different.

In Konoha, clients had to go to the center of the village to register for a mission, but here he was directed to a building right next to the village's entrance. He also learned this is where they were staying while any request was processed. Apparently, they didn't encourage people to wander around and take in the sights.

He was given a timeslot for a meeting and shown to a traditional room with not much of a view. Sitting the boys down, he gave them an update on what was going to happen, or at least as best as he could tell. He even mentioned the possibility that the room was being monitored and was secretly hoping for it so they could get things moving. Twenty minutes later, and ten before his scheduled appointment, a knock came at his door.

Jiraiya stood and casually slipped a kunai onto his finger. Instead of having the ringed weapon's spike stick outwards, like it was supposed to be, he had the spike facing the palm of his hand. In a worst case scenario he would summon a toad to get all three of them out of here. When he opened the door he was a little disappointed. Apparently, the Mist village thought he was only worth a single ANBU squad.

"Jiraiya you and your companions are to come with us," a woman said from behind his mask.

"Of course," he turned slightly but not enough to take his eyes off of her or the squad behind her and said, "Boys it's time to go."

They were frightened and he couldn't blame them for that. Konohamaru had latched onto Naruto's arm after grabbing his backpack and seemed to be trying to hide behind the other boy. He smiled at them, half in amusement and half in an attempt to reassure them.

Jiraiya's ego was boosted when they left the building and he spotted several other masked figures lingering around. He didn't feel any danger, though, as they were rushed through the streets to a much larger building. In fact, he was suspecting that the extra guards were merely there to distract them from noticing other features of the village.

Of course, being who he was, he made an extra effort to notice things. The streets had been closed off, but the people themselves had been pushed back and he saw a lot of ninjas of all ages milling with the civilian gawkers. He carefully filed that fact away.

Then they were in a building being led up a twisting flight of stairs. With a mild sense of satisfaction, he noticed the boys were having no trouble keeping up with the demanding pace. The guards started to drop off one at a time as they left the staircase and only one guard showed them to a large, enclosed room with the vague instructions to wait here.

Once the door slid shut behind them, Jiraiya spared the boys a reassuring smile. "Relax, everything is going like I thought it would." Neither of the boys seemed reassured and he decided not to tell them any background on the current Mizukage. Instead, he drew their attention to the artwork on the wall paneling. Each wall depicted a different season and were very detailed. Konohamaru delighted in pointing out small features. It was one way to negate the hurry up and wait tactic.

When another door finally slid open to allow two figures to walk in the intimidation factor was much lower than it would have been under other circumstances. Jiraiya simply turned and bowed politely. "Mizukage. Thank you for meeting with me."

"Jiraiya, I presume you have reason to believe I won't take your head."

That comment made Naruto and Konohamaru give him a nervous look, but he couldn't spare them any reassurance right now. "Because we can be mutually beneficial to each other, and you've always been a practical man, Zabuza Momochi."

That might have produced a smile, but with the lower part of his face wrapped it was impossible to tell. Instead, the man addressed his companion. "Haku, entertain our younger guests so the adults can talk."

"Of course," the slightly effeminate boy smiled at Naruto and Konohamaru. "I don't think you've examined our autumn walls yet. Why don't we do that now?"

Jiraiya took in the information that they had been watched the entire time, even as he encouraged the two boys to follow the third. They had either enough trust in him or enough residue of their training to do so even. Konohamaru still latched onto Naruto's arm again. It was a small distance but the message was clear. If he tried anything, at best he could rescue one of them. Well, he didn't have violent intentions anyway.

"Speak your case," Zabuza prompted.

"Very well, I would like an alliance of sorts. That's all." Jiraiya was intentionally being glib. Maybe it wasn't the best move, but he was not a diplomat.

"Kirigakure does not form alliances with those on the continent, particularly with rebels."

His words could've ended the meeting there and then, but he stayed where he was. Jiraiya took that as a good sign, along with the fact that he was referred to as a rebel and not a missing-nin. "Semantics and really, what we desire would be more along the line of a contract. You see, in a brief time the organization I represent will be in charge of Konohagakure. There will be a short time when others may view my village as weak and with old scores to settle may use that opportunity. I believe a temporary alliance between our two villages would solve the situation. A small fee and referencing you some missions that we wouldn't be able to fill at the time should be adequate compensation."

"If we were to agree to this, it would be on the condition that you would seize power successfully?" Zabuza queried.

"Of course, but that's a foregone conclusion." Jiraiya's new failure was a possibility, but there was no point dwelling on it.

The other man was silent for a moment, mulling things over. When he spoke again, it was not what Jiraiya was expecting. "One could argue I owe a debt to Danzo. After all, because of his coup d'état, the previous Mizukage sent some of their more loyal personnel to monitor the situation, I seized that opportunity. It would take a lot to overcome my residual good feelings."

Jiraiya almost laughed out loud. It was hard to reconcile this man was the one who had reportedly slaughtered an entire class to become a ninja. He wondered if the man had changed, or was it the position that had changed him. "It's not like your village isn't hurting for jobs. I saw how many ninja are just loafing around and how excited your guards were at the harbor when they thought I was just bringing one job."

Zabuza laughed but without humor. "True, even the great villages struggle with Konoha these days. Of course, I could just sit back and wait for all three to attack it and then move in to pick up the pieces."

With that understanding, negotiations began. Jiraiya hated every moment of it.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Naruto had liked the traveling with Jiraiya. It was so different from his former, cloistered life that he really hadn't recognized how much he enjoyed it until it had ended. Then he had become used to living at Inari's home and was beginning to think he preferred it over traveling. Not that traveling was bad. At least that was until those men had shown up and had started rushing them around.

They had been led to this room with no windows, but at least it had nice pictures. When the door had opened, he had felt a sense of fear. The tall man was scary in a way that was new to him. Naruto had learned to read the signs of those who enjoyed hurting others to one degree or another, but this guy was not like that. He had the distinct impression this guy could either kill them or let them live and it didn't really matter to him either way. It had taken him a few seconds to realize he wasn't alone. The young teen boy next to him was the complete opposite and he found some comfort in that, even as Konohamaru squeezed his hand.

He hadn't leaped at the opportunity to leave Jiraiya's side. Still, he didn't have a choice. He had the feeling that something was going on over his head and he hated that feeling.

The teenager that had led them over to the far wall suddenly spoke, "I'm Haku."

"Naruto, Konohamaru" he gestured to himself and then to Konohamaru, who was latched to his right arm.

"Konohamaru," Haku repeated. "That's a very interesting name. Do you know how you got it?"

The teen seemed to be attempting to sound friendly, but Konohamaru was suspicious of that, judging by the way his grip tightened. Naruto answered for him, "It's just a name. Why should it mean anything?"

The teen nodded. "You are right. Some parents do put a lot of thought into naming their children and others pick something that sounds nice. Even if there is meaning, it is often lost or misinterpreted. Like autumn," he gestured towards the panels, "some say it's the most beautiful season and others say it's the saddest. Same name, different thoughts."

"Yeah," Naruto said, even as he thought this guy was weird.

Haku seemed to realize that too as he laughed. "Sorry, I go off on tangents sometimes. So, how long have you two been training to be ninjas?"

Naruto suddenly wished the guy had continued talking about autumn. He had talked about his ninja training before, but that was with Inari and he didn't count because he knew. Then again, apparently Haku did too. Was he a ninja? Not sure what to do, he decided to go with the vague answer. "A few months."

"Really? Both of you? You two must be dedicated." Haku said.

"All right, why do you say that?" This was starting to become one of the weirdest conversations Naruto had ever had.

The teenager shrugged. "It's the little things. You have calluses in the right places, and you in particular, Naruto, carry yourself like you're prepared for a fight. I'm guessing you routinely spar against someone or at least a clone of some sort." Naruto's surprise must have been written across his face because Haku giggled. "Sorry, I'm teasing you."

Naruto smiled and laughed a little before his curiosity got the best of him. "You're right. How did you guess?"

Haku shook his head. "It wasn't a guess. I just know a little about training. You see, at an academy, classes are large and each student can't be given individual attention. However, when you're an apprentice like I was and like you are, well, we get individual attention. Learning to fight against a clone is ideal because there's no subconscious desire that you might hurt one of your classmates or even a desire to do so. It's standard, especially in situations like ours."

"Our situation?" Naruto repeated.

"When I was trained by Zabuza, it wasn't just because he wanted to see me become a strong ninja. He needed me to become his tool. I suspect your situation is similar." He smiled gently and then added, "I would be interested in sparring with you. They say it's the best way to get to know someone. Maybe a two on one match? What do you think of that, little one?"

Konohamaru didn't like the nickname and fired back with why he was wearing a dress. That didn't faze Haku, who explained it was local fashion and perhaps Konohamaru should try one on. That seemed to start a argument, but it was a good-natured one. When the meeting broke up a few minutes later, Naruto wasn't sure what to think of Haku. He seemed nice, but that tool comment had left him uncertain.

The three of them had a quiet meal. Jiraiya was mulling things over and the day seemed to have caught up with Konohamaru, who mostly picked at his food. Their new rooms were in the same building that they had the meeting in and right across from each other. This time, the room had twin beds and an attached bathroom, so he thought it was a big upgrade. Konohamaru wasted no time in grabbing one of the beds and squirming under the covers.

Naruto smiled, thinking it was early, but whatever he wanted. "I'm going to take a shower."

"All right," Konohamaru muttered.

He walked into the bathroom and started a shower before stripping. It took a few minutes for the water to heat up, but it was nice when it finally did. He started to think about Haku, or at least what he said. That stuff about being a tool was disheartening. Tools were used and he didn't like the idea of being used. He had been used and he didn't like it. He scrubbed his skin harder as memories of past events that he thought he had left behind came back to him.

The thing was he had never thought Jiraiya was using him or Konohamaru. He liked him too, and he thought the old man liked them. So, Haku had to be wrong. Jiraiya was training them so they could be strong and never go back there. He remembered talking about this before, sort of, but the memory was vague back from when they were first traveling together. Then, Naruto realized that hadn't been six months ago.

That caught him by surprise. Not six months, and really, barely five. He didn't feel like the same person. He stared down at his hand, really noticing the calluses from handling weapons and wondered how many punches he had thrown in spars against clones. Yeah, he was definitely different. He stood there for several minutes, even as he turned off the shower, just trying to really digest everything.

Shaking his head, he put those thoughts off for tomorrow. Naruto wondered if Haku had been serious about sparring. He wasn't sure what he thought of Konohamaru joining in, but the idea sort of sounded fun, and that was a thought he never had before.

It was only after he dried his hair that he remembered he should try to be quiet since Konohamaru was sleeping only a few feet away. When he stepped out of the bathroom, though, he found the boy not only awake, but sitting on top of the covers and naked.

"I think you woke me up when you turned off the shower," Konohamaru said with a smile. "Now I'm not tired."

The blonde smiled, taking in the view. "I don't know, I just took a shower."

Konohamaru stood, "We can take another one together."

Naruto took a step forward and thought maybe he hadn't changed that much.