Chapter 16: Achievement(2)

"That sounds like overkill to me, kid." Jiraiya said uncertainly after his godson had explained the new plan to hit the factory under Shio.

"We need to send the Mizukage a big enough message so that he'll show up himself." Nezumi replied, smirking underneath his mask. "I don't think anyone can ignore that." Jiraiya had to admit that, if anything, his beloved student's child was imaginative. Even he, the great Toad Sage, author of the greatest book series in the Elemental Nations, couldn't come up with the idea Nezumi had. It may have partly been because he didn't have the power to pull it off without his godson, but that was a moot point.

Yagura was definitely going to show up in Shio, and once he did, he would die shortly after.

"I agree." Mei spoke up at her side of the table. "If this doesn't cause him to show up then I don't know what will." She finished, giving Nezumi a small smile she thought only he saw, but having Neko and Karasu already knowing what to look for, it was clear as day to them.

"So when does this little play of yours begin?" The Gama Sennin asked, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Because I have things that I need to do." He added, giving Nezumi a look only he would understand.

My presence is needed elsewhere.

The blond nodded, receiving the message with ease. "We should be ready to strike tomorrow, if all goes as planned." Neko replied. She was eager to get back to Konoha, she missed her lover. "I'm guessing we'll be out of Mizu no Kuni in a couple of days."

Nezumi knew what Neko was feeling, and the woman knew he did too. She knew he didn't try and snoop on her emotions, he was just born able to feel others around him. It was still somewhat embarrassing though. He knew how much she… craved… to be with Hayate.

While she wasn't trying to hide their relationship, it was still awkward for her that someone knew her private feelings. If anyone, though, she was glad that it was the young blond, because he never used it against her or teased her about it. He let her feel the way she wanted and never brought it up, which she was eternally grateful for.

"Once this little factory is destroyed I can leave, right?" Jiraiya asked with his gaze set on Nezumi. If the boy hadn't told Neko that they had a very close teacher-student relationship then she would have been bothered by how much he directed his questions to her kohai. "Yagura should be dead after that, so I won't need to be here anymore, right?"

Nezumi could tell that whatever it was that his sensei needed to attend to was something very important. He knew his fellow Sennin was a pervert, always peeping on women for his newest porn novel, but he also knew that the man was a master spy, providing information for Konoha on a regular basis. In short, he was a busy man, and the war in Mizu no Kuni, no matter how terrible it was, wasn't his problem.

Nezumi shot Neko a look that said sorry, which was strange that she understood it considering they were both masked. "Correct. Once Yagura shows up, we can take it from there." The Uzumaki said, reassuring his sensei that he was free to go after the raid. He was upset that the man had to go so soon; they hardly got to spend any time together anymore. They were both very busy, Nezumi with his ANBU missions and Jiraiya with his spy network.

"Okay then!" The Sannin said with a smile. "We're all good to go!" He clapped his hands twice for good measure. "One dead Mizukage, coming right up!" He yelled a bit too cheery for Mei's liking. He was a bit too happy about ending the life of a Mizukage for her to be comfortable with.

She would have said something about it, but then remembered what Naruto said, how they were both Sennin. Mei knew that Jiraiya was powerful, the man was a living legend, but she hadn't known just how powerful.

The images of Naruto taking out Black Harbor raced through her head; she never wanted to fight something like that. Even if he did say he was more potent than the older man, even half of the power she witnessed that day would be terrifying to go up against.

She made the choice to just let the old man be, not wanting to risk it. She wasn't scared of Jiraiya, she was just logical. If she tried anything with him, no matter how close she was to Naruto, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would crush her to save him. It might hurt him to do so, but he would. The boy was a Konoha ANBU through and through. His people mattered the most, above all else. That was one of the reasons she liked him so much, despite his young age.

"We'll attack early tomorrow morning, right when they're loading the boats. When Nezumi and Jiraiya-sama are done with the first wave, the Resistance will come in for a second." Neko continued. "My team will be set up around Shio to help the escape." Here, she looked at Nezumi. "That's when your last part comes in, kohai."

Nezumi nodded. He knew what was going to happen, and he knew that Mei hated it with a passion. She knew how strong he was, and that he could take care of himself, but it would be almost like they were abandoning him, something she never did.

The plan was simple: do something that Yagura wouldn't be able to ignore – destroy the base, hightail it out of there, and leave Nezumi behind. Once Kiri 'captured' the boy, he'd let them take him to the Hidden Village, where he would do what he did best; eliminate them.

All of them.

"Get some good sleep everyone." Mei ordered, giving the blond another warm glance. "You're going to need it." She finished, ending the meeting for the day.

The two Sennin sat in the elder of the two's personal lodgings, speaking in private. They couldn't speak about certain things in front of the others, even the other members of Team Ro.

"Are you ready for the other reason you're here, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked in a low and serious voice. This was something only he and the Hokage knew of. It was the most important secret in Konoha, even more so than the secret child of the Yondaime. If the other nations realized what was happening, they would be furious. It would mean total war, with Konoha at the center, besieged by all other nations.

"I am." Naruto replied, once again in the presence of someone he could be himself with. "I'm not worried at all; it should be as easy as last time." He reassured the Sannin. "More importantly, when am I going to see you again?" He asked with a frown on his face. "You hardly ever come around Konoha anymore…" he folded his arms across his chest. "…I miss sparring with you." Naruto hated how well Jiraiya could read him; the Sannin could tell what he was feeling almost as if he had the same abilities as him.

To prove his thoughts, Jiraiya gave him a knowing smirk. "Sorry about that, gaki, but you know my work is important." He sighed. "And you're not in Konoha all that much either." He added, causing his godson to chuckle.

"I guess that's true." Naruto agreed. "Neither of us have enough free time." He added. He loved his job, it was the most important thing in the world to him, but he did wish that he had more time to spend with his precious people.

"You should quit the ANBU then." Jiraiya said sarcastically.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Or you should quit your spy network." He retorted.

The room was silent for a moment before they both busted out in laughter. They each knew that they could never quit what they both loved doing, which was protecting and serving Konoha.

After a few minutes of laughter, the Sennin finally calmed it down just enough to talk to one another again.

"In all seriousness though, if you do encounter some kind of trouble-" The Sannin was cut off by the blond with a wave of his hand. Naruto could already tell what he was going to say. It warmed his heart that the man cared so much for him to actually worry about him, but it wasn't necessary. He could handle anything that came his way. He wasn't cocky or arrogant, just confident in his abilities. He stopped being challenged by Jiraiya a year ago… he was sure he'd be fine here.

"I'll be fine, sensei." He said again. "I won't be alone." He touched his stomach and smirked. "I'm never alone." He finished, causing Jiraiya to return the smirk. Minato knew what he was doing; sealing the Kyuubi inside Naruto was an extremely smart move.

No one before Naruto was capable of harnessing the greatest of the Bijuu. Not even Kushina, with her special chakra and chakra chains, could control the chakra entity. And yet, her son could at such a young age. It was amazing.

"I guess you're right, kid. I never really thought about it that way." Here, Jiraiya rubbed his chin with his right hand. "You know, that's really something you should be proud of." He smiled at his godson. "I know I am." His smile grew when the boy's eyes widened. He knew the blond always treasured the compliments he got from him more than others, for whatever reasons. Probably because he always treated the Uzumaki like an actual kid.

After Naruto spent only a few seconds to recover from the kind words, he gave a heartwarming smile. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei." He brought his right hand to the back of his neck. "I really appreciate it, coming from you." He added. Jiraiya nodded. Both Sennin knew the other with great detail, even without the blond's special skills.

They had a special relationship. Naruto could feel how the Sannin cared for him like family, which was odd for him at first, but he quickly enjoyed the warm, familial feeling coming off of the man. Jiraiya himself had the, sometimes annoying, ability of reading him like a book, which, admittedly, brought a smile to his face. They were both Sennin, capable of feats no other shinobi could accomplish, so they could both understand each other in a different way.

Even if Naruto didn't know it yet, they really were like family.

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