Chapter Three

Itachi's mind was racing as he rapidly assessed the situation. Since Jiraiya was here that obviously meant that he had died, and the list of people capable of taking down one of the Legendary Sannin was very small. Itachi had a few guesses as to who might've ultimately done the deed, but learning that was a secondary concern at this point. He knew that Jiraiya had perceived him to be an enemy when they were both alive, and not without reason; Itachi had been a member of the Akatsuki, a group that had sought to collect all of the Tailed Beasts, meaning that they had posed a direct threat to Naruto Uzumaki, Jiraiya's last disciple.

To make matters worse, the last time they had met in person, Itachi had been infiltrating the Village Hidden in the Leaves with his partner in the Akatsuki, Kisame Hoshigaki, with the purpose of their mission ostensibly being to capture Naruto. That had indeed been Kisame's intention, but not Itachi's; his had only been to serve as a warning to Danzō Shimura and the elders that governed the Village Hidden in the Leaves that he was still alive and would turn against them should they threaten Sasuke. Unfortunately, Jiraiya had not been privy to that knowledge or the fact that he was actually a double agent for the Hidden Leaf Village. As far as the Sannin was concerned, Itachi was nothing more than a murderer. He would have to play his cards with great care if he wanted to avoid a violent confrontation.

"You may understandably find this hard to believe," said Itachi, "but it was never my intention to bring any harm whatsoever to your student, Lord Jiraiya."

Jiraiya smirked. "Do you really think that throwing a fancy title in front of my name will make me any more inclined to trust your word? I know damn well that the Akatsuki were hunting the Tailed Beasts and extracting them from their hosts, killing those hosts in the process, and so do you."

"I do not deny it," Itachi replied calmly, "but I never once desired that fate for Naruto."

Jiraiya folded his arms. "Really? You had a funny way of showing it, sneaking into the Leaf Village with your partner like that and picking a fight with the Jōnin. You really worked over Kakashi in that little skirmish, you know."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "If you recall that engagement, then you may also remember that all of the Leaf Shinobi that came to the scene survived the encounter, including Kakashi. I was fully capable of killing him and his comrades, and I imagine that you were well aware of that at the time. Did you ever wonder why I let them live?"

The Sannin had an incredible degree of control and discipline, but even so he could not hide from Itachi the oh-so-subtle shift in his brow; he was genuinely considering what Itachi had just told him. "Now that you mention it, I did find that strange… but you could've done that just to throw us off guard. You always were a crafty one, after all."

"Do not confuse me with Orochimaru," said Itachi, "I do not engage in psychological warfare for my own amusement, for starters."

"Maybe," Jiraiya replied, "but you murdered your own parents simply to test your power; not even Orochimaru went that far."

Itachi shook his head. "It is true that I killed them along with the rest of the Uchiha Clan, but it was not to test my power. The last thing I wanted was to harm any of them. If there had been another path to what I truly wanted, then I would've taken it."

Jiraiya seemed a bit taken aback by this. Itachi could feel the veteran Shinobi studying him intently. He did his best to keep his breathing calm. If it did come down to a fight, he did not know if he could win. His Sharingan was gone, as were the repertoire of ninjutsu and genjutsu that he had built up over the years. He had no way of knowing if Jiraiya had been similarly depowered, and even if that were the case that did not change the fact that the Sannin was known to be a strong physical combatant. Itachi believed that he might have a slight edge in speed over the sage, but he knew that Jiraiya was both powerful and cunning. A fight would be an absolute last resort, and if it came down to it Itachi would do everything in his power to withdraw before things went too far.

I don't know if souls can die, he mused darkly, and I'd rather avoid finding out firsthand if possible…

His thoughts were interrupted by a spine-chilling roar the likes of which he had never heard before. He saw Jiraiya's eyes widen slightly, but unlike Itachi there seemed to be a sense of comprehension in his gaze.

"No…" said the Sannin softly, "Not here…"

There was a rustling coming from the tree-line across the river, and a few moments later a black ape-like creature the size of a single-story house burst out into the open. Itachi's eyes were drawn to two distinctive features; a gaping circular hole in the monstrosity's chest and white death mask where a face should've been.

"What is that thing?" asked Itachi as he shifted into a fighting stance.

"That," said Jiraiya grimly, "is a Hollow."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly at the word. The proprietor had mentioned that one of the duties of Soul Reapers was to fight unholy creatures called Hollows, but the old man had never described what one actually looked like. He also recalled the shopkeeper claiming that Hollows devoured souls, and a sickening feeling in Itachi's gut told him that his earlier musings regarding the possibility of souls dying actually had a chance of being tested tonight.

"Have you seen this thing before?" asked Itachi.

"Not this exact one," said Jiraiya, "but one similar to it attacked me when I first arrived here. It was all I could do to escape, although if I could still use ninjutsu it'd be another matter."

The Hollow appeared to be studying Itachi and Jiraiya at the moment, but the young man had a feeling that would change soon enough. Jiraiya's statement also confirmed to Itachi that the Sannin had been depowered in a manner similar to him. His gaze narrowed as he realized that there was only one way out of this mess.

"Lord Jiraiya," he said quickly, "If what you say is true, then our only chance for survival here is by working together."

Jiraiya's eyes widened a bit as he grasped the full weight behind Itachi's statement. "Wait a minute… you mean that you…"

Itachi nodded. "My Sharingan is gone, as is my ability to utilize ninjutsu and genjutsu. Taijutsu is the only weapon remaining in my arsenal, and it would seem that the same is true for you. Cooperation is our only viable option, especially if we are to prevent this Hollow from attacking the residents of this area."

"Why would you care about the people who live here?" asked Jiraiya.

"If we make it through this, you may yet get the chance to find out," Itachi replied hastily, "What will it be, Lord Jiraiya?"

He was surprised to see the sage smirk. "All right, I'll play along. Let's see what you've got without your Sharingan, Itachi."

Itachi nodded. The time for talk was over; the beast across the river looked ready to pounce. Deciding that offense would be the key to survival, Itachi made the first move. Surging forward, he darted across a series of rocks jutting out from the water and made it to the other side of the river in a matter of seconds. He didn't even need to look over his shoulder to know that Jiraiya was right behind him.

"This thing must have a weak point," he said, "Let's find it."

Jiraiya nodded. "Break right; I'll take the left."

Itachi did as Jiraiya said, and the Hollow moved right for him. The beast took a swing with one of its tree-trunk thick arms, but the strike was sloppy and Itachi was able to evade it. He seized the opportunity by leaping up onto the Hollow's arm and running across it. Reaching the creature's shoulder in a matter of moments, Itachi proceeded to punch the Hollow right in the neck.

The Hollow roared, and for a moment Itachi thought he might've hit a vein or some other vulnerable spot. However, the beast moved its arm to swat him from its shoulder a second later; it seemed more annoyed with him than anything else. Itachi flipped and managed to land on his feet, and as he did so Jiraiya charged in, slamming his fist into the Hollow's gut.

The creature bellowed and doubled over; it appeared that Jiraiya had actually done some damage to the beast. Unfortunately, it was not nearly enough to bring the Hollow down for good. It lurched forward, its jaws snapping as it tried to rip Jiraiya in half with its teeth. The sage backflipped to get out of the way, and Itachi used the Hollow's distraction to move in again. This time his target was where he guessed the creature's collarbone would be, and he brought his foot down in a hard kick. Once again, the Hollow screamed, but the creature's hide was tough, and Itachi could tell that he hadn't come close to doing serious damage.

However, Itachi's efforts were not in vain. Using the former Akatsuki's move as a distraction, Jiraiya charged in again. Swinging his fist in a vicious right hook, he caught the Hollow right on the jaw. There was an audible 'crack', and Itachi saw a small set of fissures appear on the lower left portion of the beast's mask.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, that's a start."

Itachi nodded as he rushed in again. "Indeed. Let's build on it."

He hit the creature in the exact same spot that Jiraiya had. The tiny web of cracks began to grow, but Itachi's fist stung from the impact; the Hollow's mask was harder than its hide. He was impressed that Jiraiya's punch had done as much damage as it had.

"Take a nap!" shouted the sage as he nailed the beast on the chin with a brutal uppercut.

The Hollow staggered backwards, and Itachi seized the opening to move in again. This time he aimed for the eye-holes of the beast's mask, but before he could strike the creature suddenly started flailing around wildly with its arms. Itachi was caught in mid-air, and the heavy blow nailed him right in the torso. He was sent flying by the impact and wound up slamming right into the side of the bar that he'd made his earlier delivery to. It was all he could do to keep from losing consciousness right there on the spot. Struggling to regain his footing and massaging his chest, Itachi counted at least one cracked rib.

This thing has no combat training to speak of, he thought, but it makes up for that with raw power fueled by primal fury. Chakra no longer flows through Jiraiya or myself; neither of us have a firm grasp on this new spirit energy that's taken its place. This is clearly an uphill fight for us…

Itachi wasn't the only one who was injured; Jiraiya had taken a solid hit as well. The cracks on the monster's mask had grown even more, indicating a successful strike by the sage, but he had paid for it with what looked like a dislocated left shoulder. The Hollow was screaming in fury, currently consumed with pain, but Itachi doubted that would last for long. If there was any time that a withdrawal was possible, it was now.

It was tempting, but it was ultimately not an option that Itachi would take. If he withdrew it would only give the Hollow a chance to start hunting the souls of the Rukon District. It was true that Itachi didn't know any of them apart from the shopkeeper, but the fact remained that they were innocent people who had already died once, and Itachi would do everything in his power to prevent them from dying again tonight.

Much to his surprise he saw Jiraiya smirking at him. "I'll be damned."

"What?" said Itachi, his eyes narrowing as he studied the Sannin.

"I thought for sure that you'd take this chance to retreat," Jiraiya replied, "No Sharingan, no ninjutsu, no genjutsu, and you don't have a single weapon on you… and yet I can tell just from the look in your eyes that you're not going to run."

Itachi nodded firmly. "That's right. If you wish to withdraw, I shall not stop you. I will hold this beast back for as long as I can. In that time, you may be able to find reinforcements."

Jiraiya laughed. "Maybe, but I doubt I could find them before this thing tore you apart. I have no intention of letting that happen."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. "What… why?"

"Don't get me wrong," said Jiraiya, "I've still got some bones to pick with you. However, the way you've been fighting tonight… well, if we both make it through this alive, I might just be willing to hear you out."

"You may regret that decision," said Itachi with a nod at the Hollow, "We've hurt it, but not as bad as it's hurt us."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Oh, I know that. Our backs are to the wall, no doubt there, but that's the time to fight harder than ever. If this thing wants to feast on souls tonight, it's gonna have to take mine first, and I'll be damned if I don't make it work for it."

Despite their situation, Itachi could not help but smirk ever so slightly. "Like master, like student… I didn't know Naruto that well, but from what I do know it would seem that his teacher is as stubborn as he is."

Jiraiya grinned. "You got that right! So, what do you say? Shall we put this thing in the ground?"

Itachi nodded as he saw the Hollow begin to regain its composure. "Can you shatter that mask?"

"Yeah," said Jiraiya, "I just need one more good hit. I'll give it everything I've got."

"In that case," said Itachi, "I'll make the first move. Once his attention is on me, make your attack."

"Watch yourself," Jiraiya cautioned, "Another hit from that thing and you'll have more than just a cracked rib or two."

"I'm well aware of that," said Itachi, "Here goes nothing."

He raced forward, picking up a rock as he did so. As soon as the Hollow's gaze was on him he threw it as hard as he could. His missile found its mark, going right into the eye-hole in the Hollow's mask. The beast screeched in agony but was still locked onto Itachi. The former Shinobi used that to his advantage, stopping long enough to crook his finger and motion for the monster to come and get him. In its fury, the Hollow was all too vulnerable to the taunt, and it came charging headlong at Itachi. He rolled to the side at the last moment and leapt up onto the creature's back before punching with all his might at the Hollow's neck. Once again, the Hollow screamed in pain before grabbing Itachi and throwing him. This time he hit the river and skipped over the surface like a rock before coming to a halt on the opposite shore. Even as he climbed to his feet he saw the beast charging him, and this time Itachi knew he would not be able to dodge.

That was where Jiraiya came in. Just as the Hollow was about to sink its teeth into Itachi, the wandering sage nailed the monster with an insanely powerful right hook in the exact spot he and Itachi had hit it before on its mask. This was no ordinary punch; Itachi could actually perceive what looked like an aura of white spirit energy surrounding Jiraiya's fist. It didn't appear to be deliberate; the Sannin seemed to have summoned it from pure instinct.

The blow was devastating. The Hollow's mask completely shattered, and for just a moment Itachi was shocked to see what looked like a human face behind it. It was only for a moment, though; a second later the creature dissolved completely.

Itachi fell to one knee, grasping his chest as he tried to catch his breath. "How… did you… do that?"

Jiraiya started laughing as he clutched his left shoulder. "Not a damn clue, but it felt good!"

I'll have to see if I can pull that trick off later, he mused, I can't believe he was able to do that, but I'm not complaining. We actually managed to win, and that's enough for now.

Or at least it was until a series of roars nearly identical to the one that had heralded their late foe's initial appearance ripped through the night.

Itachi's face paled as his eyes turned to the tree-line. "No…"

Jiraiya shook his head. "You have got to be kidding me…"