The Purple Flash of Kumo Chapter 31 (A New Flower) (Patreon)

Ino

With her hair neatly tucked under her hoodie, Ino could feel the soft blades of grass gently tickling her exposed arms and long legs as she lay flat on her stomach on the ground. In her hand, her fingers curled firmly around the handle of the Kunai. Despite the wire carefully clenched between her teeth, causing her to grit her teeth tightly, Ino's gaze remained fixed on the approaching Sensei. Walking carelessly and oblivious to her presence, the Sensei was getting closer and closer. Ino cunningly utilized a bush to conceal herself, ensuring she remained hidden from sight. Although her body was plagued with an irritating itch that begged her to adjust her position, Ino staunchly refused to leave her carefully selected spot.

Ino, despite being aware of her unpleasant body odor, was suddenly startled to feel the sensation of a small bug inching its way across her back. Moreover, her hands were completely covered in dirt and emitted a similar foul smell. Her clothes displayed numerous small cuts scattered around to add to her disheveled appearance. However, despite facing such unappealing circumstances, Ino found herself completely unfazed and unconcerned by any of these factors. Her attention was solely fixated on the impending arrival of Asuma, whose approach toward her location sparked an intense wave of anticipation within her.

"I really thought I was achieving something. When I became a Genin, instead of training, all I did was think if Sasuke would find me beautiful now that I'm a Genin." Ino almost wanted to spit the words, feeling disgusted in her stomach as she remembered that day that changed everything.

As Asuma Sensei's foot landed with an unexpected thud on Ino's trap. Ino's instinctive reflex kicked in, and she swiftly released the wire clenched between her teeth, allowing it to slither out into the open air. Like a sentient creature in its own right, the wire deftly entwined itself around Asuma's unsuspecting foot. The tremendous force exerted by the wire tightened its grip, causing Asuma's sturdy pants around the wire to tear, revealing raw skin that was bleeding from the sharp wire.

Ino swiftly retrieved a kunai from her weapon pouch. This particular Kunai was intricately designed, featuring a tightly wound wire affixed to the base of its handle. Hanging from the wire were strategically placed paper bombs. Seizing the opportunity, Ino launched the Kunai precisely and quickly, targeting Asuma's feet. As the Kunai soared through the air, the paper bombs attached to it emitted a vibrant yellow glow, lasting only for a fraction of a second. Suddenly, the tranquil forest erupted into chaos as a series of ten explosive eruptions erupted in rapid succession. The surrounding trees trembled violently, their branches swaying unnaturally amidst the deafening explosions. Waves of fire and thick smoke billowed forth, engulfing the surroundings in a haze of chaos and destruction.

Where is he? Ino thought, her heart pounding in her chest as she scanned her surroundings with a growing sense of urgency. Panic gripped her as she touched down on the solid ground, her body tensing with adrenaline. Desperate to defend herself, she swiftly reached into her pouch, retrieving yet another kunai.

Ino's ears caught the distinct sound of a branch snapping, immediately causing her to freeze. Time seemed to slow down as she spun around; her senses honed in on the source of the noise. It was then that she laid her eyes upon Asuma.

Ino braced herself, matching Asuma's incoming Kunai with precise accuracy. As their weapons collided, a shower of sparkling sparks erupted, filling the air with an ethereal glow.

Ino, swiftly leaped backward, creating distance between herself and Asuma. Without wasting any time, she skillfully maneuvered her body, precisely releasing a kunai aimed directly at Asuma, who effortlessly evaded it with his lightning-fast reflexes. Ino swiftly seized hold of a nearby wire with tremendous precision.

With a firm grip on the wire, she exerted her strength, pulling it. Unexpectedly, the Kunai she had previously thrown eerily started to retreat. Drawing closer to Asuma's visage. The Kunai detonated. Tiny shards of metal were catapulted in all directions, ravaging the surrounding environment and obliterating the tranquility of the small trees that stood in their path.

Amidst the chaos, one of the sharp shrapnel found its mark with unerring accuracy. It struck Asuma with a thunderous impact, penetrating his defenses and piercing directly into his unsuspecting stomach.

"Shadow Imitation Technique!" Shikamaru shouted from a nearby tree; his shadow quickly rushed towards Asuma, who quickly jumped back into an area full of light. The shadow stopped chasing him, but Ino quickly made several hand signs.

"Fire Style: Dragon Form!" As Ino opened her mouth, a creature emerged, its body composed entirely of mesmerizing flames. With a mighty roar, the dragon surged forward, its fiery outline illuminating the surroundings. Asuma effortlessly evaded its wrathful charge. However, the unstoppable force of the dragon connecting with the earth sent shockwaves through the air, resulting in a colossal explosion. The searing flames devoured the delicate green leaves adorning the trees, reducing them to mere charred remnants. The grass succumbed to the wrath of the inferno, transforming into a haunting carpet of ash and smoldering embers. The swirling currents of heat caused the remnants to dance and twirl through the sky. The massive eruption cast an immense shadow, engulfing the area in an ominous darkness.

Ino smirked in satisfaction, it seemed their Sensei hadn't noticed it, but she saw as soon as Asuma tried to move, he quickly realised that Shikamaru's Shadow had connected with his shadow, using the shadow created by the fire.

"Checkmate!" Shikamaru smirked, as did Ino and Asuma, when a powerful fist descended from the sky, colliding with Asuma's body, shattering every bone within him and leaving a visible aftermath of destruction. The force was so intense that it created a small crater on the ground beneath, causing small rocks to scatter in every direction, accompanied by a cloud of dust. As the dust settled, Asuma's body turned into a puff of smoke, revealing a destroyed wooden log stood in his place.

Ino didn't curse; from the beginning, they had known they were fighting a clone of their Sensei. To see how much stronger they had become since the mission in The Land of Tea. Ino saw Choji land beside them, but she noticed the way he winced from the pain, his hand rubbing the top of his shoulder.

After completing their mission, it had taken Choji a while to be able to move his arm around freely, and even now, he still found it a little difficult to move it as he used to move; the doctors had said that the blade had damaged his bones, and needed a while to heal properly, the scar left from the slash was always visible, it went from his right shoulder to the middle of his stomach, Ino had tried once or twice to joke, saying that girls would like him a lot more with the scar, but just like Ino.

Choji had, too, started training much more than he used to train.

"I will fight him again one day, and when that day comes. I will be the one to Win." Choji had told both Shikamaru and Ino when they had gone to visit him in the hospital.

Ino didn't try to change his mind, she too wanted to get stronger, she too wanted to prove it to everyone that she was no fangirl. She could survive in this world, but most of all, Ino wanted to prove to Yugito that she could defeat her one day.

Will I? Ino suddenly asked herself; it wasn't like Yugito would stop training and wait for Ino to catch up to her; she would continue to get stronger. Ino wondered if she could ever catch up to her, if any of this was wo- Stop it, Ino mentally yelled at herself. No self-doubts. If I have them, then I might as well quit being a Kunoichi, Ino thought, with determination, feeling the pain in her arms.

Her hands felt dry, and the sensation of burning seemed relentless. The discomfort intensified as she noticed the skin around her fingertips had peeled off slightly, revealing the tender flesh underneath. The pain was excruciating, causing Ino to wince with each movement and making even the simplest tasks challenging. Despite the agony, Ino persevered. Retrieving a painkiller pill from the pouch she always carried, she swallowed it, eager for some relief. Washing it down with a gulp of water, she hoped for a quick reprieve. Soon enough, the pain began to subside, albeit only partially, allowing her to continue her training.

Ino's right knee had a new scar across the knee from an accident while training with Asuma-Sensei, but the scar didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. Ino escaped her thoughts as Asuma slapped his hands together, the cigarette still between his lips, looking at them with a smile of triumph.

"That was good teamwork. Ino, you did a good job, and Shikamaru, good job not falling asleep. Choji, I'm sure you will be back to your full power within a few days." Asuma praised; Ino felt slightly flustered, rubbing the back of her head. It felt good to be praised by her Sensei, but she knew they still had a lot more training until they were done for the day.

"Now. What should we do? The training for today is over." Wait, what? Ino thought, confused.

"Keep Training," Ino answered before either Shikamaru or Choji could say anything. Asuma simply nodded before Ino saw him turning his attention towards the other two, who had been quiet so far.

"Well?"

"I will go home, I haven't watched clouds for quite a while." What?! Ino wanted to scream, they needed to get stronger, they needed to train, not watch clouds, as Ino remembered Yugito, the only reason why she was still alive was because Yugito had felt pity for her. Ino didn't want to imagine what would happen if they encountered another team that was much stronger, but they weren't as merciful; Ino shuddered at the thought.

Choji and Shikamaru were lying in a pool of their blood, with Ino crying over their bodies until a sword pierced her throat from behind before slicing off the rest of her neck, holding her head upwards like a trophy by her ponytail.

Ino almost fell on her knees, overwhelmed by the horrifying image that had formed in her mind. She felt an intense urge to clutch her head, desperately trying to banish the disturbing vision from her consciousness. Her breath became labored, and cold beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks. Frantically, she vigorously rubbed her eyes. As the burning sensation spread through her eyes, she couldn't help but wince, but she persisted, determined to erase the haunting picture from her thoughts. Her gaze turned to Choji and Shika, and a wave of relief washed over her as she realized they were unharmed. Finally reassured that her worst fears were merely figments of her imagination, she exhaled a shaky breath, still trembling from the vivid ordeal.

It's alright, it's alright, they are safe. I'm safe, Ino told herself over and over again. But she escaped her thoughts when she heard Choji talk.

"I'm hungry; I think I will go to eat. See you later, Sensei, Shika, Ino." Choji said with a light shrug as both he and Shikamaru turned to walk away.

"No, Don't!" Ino suddenly said, but from the way they quickly turned to face her, Ino realized that she had shouted at them.

"We need to keep training." Ino insisted before turning to look at her Sensei, hoping he would support her, but when he was quiet, Ino continued. "Sensei, we will have another mission a week later, right?" Ino asked, turning her head to look at Asuma Sensei, who looked back at her with concern.

"Yes, but it is only a" "See. We need to keep training." Ino shouted, looking at both Shikamaru and Choji; they both looked at her strangely, though, Ino didn't know why they were giving her that look, but despite hearing her words, they turned their backs on her.

"Ino, I'm happy you want to train so badly, but you shouldn't overdo it." Before Ino could counter his words, both jumped away. Ino couldn't help but sigh in disappointment, but she knew if they didn't want to train, then she should be the one to train, she quickly turned to look at Asuma Sensei who sighed lazily, throwing away the cigarette, before looking at Ino.

"You want to train, then let's train." Asuma mused before rushing Ino, who was caught off guard by his sudden boost in speed. She didn't see him, but she felt the punch in her stomach; the air escaped her stomach as she was thrown away, rag dolling through the ground before slamming against a rock. Ino tried to catch her breath as she stood up, her legs shaking, her back burning, her eyes looking at the approaching Asuma.

"You want to continue?"

"Yes!" Ino screamed before rushing her Sensei with all the speed she had.

.

.

.

Ino, with her mouth agape in shock, felt an intense, searing pain radiating from within as she expelled a mouthful of blood, the metallic taste lingering on her tongue. Struggling for breath, each inhale came in ragged gasps, causing her chest to heave uncontrollably. She hastily reached for her sleeve, using it to hastily dab away the crimson stains that tainted her once pristine lips.

Despite her efforts to clean herself, the grimy dirt that clung to her body refused to be shed, as if it had melded with her skin, creating an uncomfortable, suffocating layer. The scorching heat only intensified her distress. The sun's merciless rays beat down on her relentlessly, its fiery presence creating an unbearable sensation as though she was immersed in a cauldron of boiling water.

An incessant flow of perspiration streamed down her face, mingling with the bloodstains she had been futilely attempting to erase. Again and again, she swiped at her drenched brow, yet no matter how many times she tried, the beads of sweat persisted, trickling down her flushed cheeks like tiny rivulets of liquid perseverance. Her trembling body betrayed the immense strain she was under, causing her legs to waver and her balance to falter. Standing became an arduous task.

Ino put her arms around a tree branch to stop herself from collapsing; it's rough surface felt like little blades, digging into her skin like little knives. Ino took deep breaths, but as she looked forward, only now she noticed that she had lost sight of her Sensei.

I need to keep going! Ino thought, telling herself the same thing over and over, her hand trembled like a leaf as it pulled out her last Kunai from her pouch, the bottom of the handle had a smoke bomb tighted to it.

Ino almost opened her mouth to shout for her Sensei to come out, only to close it right away, almost trying to stop the words from rolling off her tongue; her eyes scanned the forest before her; she couldn't see him. But she knew he was nearby.

Ino heard the faint sound of flapping wings, looking up at the sky, she saw a bird flying overhead. Ino's lips twitched upwards before she made her hand signs, aiming at the bird.

Asuma

Did she fall asleep? Asuma wondered as he kept himself hidden; he wasn't paying much attention to Ino; after three more hours of training, he knew she was beyond exhausted; he was actually impressed that she was still trying to fight and not rest.

Perhaps I should see if she has fallen unconscious somewhere, Asuma thought as he tried to lighten the cigarette with his lighter; he decided to wait until he smoked the cigarette before searching for her, only to hear a crow's cry nearby.

Huh! Asuma looked at the tree branch nearby, and there stood a dark crow looking directly at him. Asuma closed the lighter before looking directly at the bird, who spread his wings before taking flight.

What is going- Asuma quickly jumped away as a Kunai pierced the tree trunk he had been standing on a moment ago, but Asuma quickly noticed the round smoke bomb attached to the bottom of the Kunai with a thin wire.

Shit! Asuma cursed under his breath as the smoke bomb exploded in his face. Asuma coughed as he jumped away from the smoke, but the moment he landed on the ground.

"Fire Style: Majestic Fire!" Ino unleashed a phoenix made entirely of Crimson flames from the depths of her mouth. The powerful bird whirled through the air with immense speed. Asuma recognized the imminent danger and swiftly utilized his agility, leaping effortlessly upwards to dodge the impending attack. However, despite Asuma's nimble evasion, the phoenix detonated himself near him. The force of the explosion sent Asuma hurtling through the air, his body twisting and turning uncontrollably before ultimately crashing onto the ground below. His rugged skin had a slight yet searing burn as his battered form collided with the earth. The pain coursed through his body, causing his brow to furrow involuntarily and a pained grimace to emerge on his expression.

Asuma could feel the pain, the burn on his hands and legs. Asuma quickly looked at Ino, waiting for her to keep fighting, only to see that she had fallen unconscious on the ground, lying on her stomach.

Huh! Asuma thought as he felt the cool breeze gently caressing his face and the rustling sound of the grass being swept away by the wind. With each swaying movement of the tree branches, the soft collision of their leaves against one another created a soothing melody in the air. Asuma's attention was suddenly captured by a small, lively squirrel perched on a nearby branch. Its round, attentive eyes seemed to meet Asuma's gaze for a fleeting moment before the quick creature scurried away, seeking refuge in a snug little hole within the tree trunk.

Asuma walked over to her before gently picking her up in his arms so he wouldn't hurt her. "Not bad, Ino," Asuma commented, impressed and happy to see someone like Ino finally move on from her fan girl phase.

Asuma didn't want Ino to end like Aniko; she was one of the many fangirls in the classroom this year, but unlike Ino, her enemies had been much stronger. The girl had returned to Konoha in a body bag, but she had been from a civilian home, and it happened quite often that those who were from Civilian houses would die young.

It didn't take long for Asuma to send her to the hospital; thankfully, the nurse made a quick check and told him that she needed to take a few pills and rest for a few days before training again. Asuma fully agreed with that decision; while Ino's desire to train was admirable, she shouldn't spend everyday training.

Soon, he returned Ino to her home; Inoichi thanked him for bringing his 'little princess' back home. Asuma told him that it was no problem before walking away; now that he was alone, Asuma wasted no time lightening up a cigarette; he inhaled deeply, already feeling the stress melting away like ice; he didn't understand why some people refused to smoke, Asuma felt much better every time he smoked.

"Well, this was fun. I wonder what Kurenai is doing right now." Asuma wondered out loud, knowing Kurenai had been helping Anko on her job in the Torture Apartment; since Kurenai was a master of Genjutsu, they called her every once in a while to use her 'methods' to get the prisoner to talk.

Asuma shuddered at the thought. He was sure Anko was a bad influence on Kurenai.

Ino

"I think I changed my mind!" Ino's eyes widened as the sword was raised above her neck. Ino tried to move, but her body couldn't move, not even a finger; she was frozen in place like a stone as she felt a rush of cold in her entire body.

"But you said you would let me Live. Please I want to Live!!" Into begged with tears rolling down her cheeks as the figure looming over smirked smugly, her face hidden by shadows, but her long blonde hair was easily recognizable.

"Sorry, 'Little Princess,'" the voice mocked her before bringing down the sword. Ino felt a sharp pain in her neck as her vision suddenly turned blurry, and the world whirled around her; the last thing she saw was a body without a head...

Ino gasped loudly, her breath catching in her throat as she abruptly awoke from her sleep. Her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and confusion, sending adrenaline coursing through her veins. In a flurry of movement, she hastily sat up on her bed.

Her eyes darted around the room with frantic intensity, desperately searching for any familiar object. For a disorienting moment, the surroundings felt foreign. Panic threatened to engulf her, and she felt a primal urge to call out for help, her voice straining against the constriction of her throat.

However, before the cry could escape her lips, Ino's wide, horrified gaze landed upon a small, intricately adorned doll resting on a nearby shelf. It was the same doll that her father had lovingly bestowed upon her when she had celebrated her seventh birthday.

A wave of relief washed over Ino, a serene sigh escaping her lips as she gradually realized that she was indeed back in the safety of her own home. The chaotic dream now crumbled away. The weight lifted from her shoulders.

Ino's trembling hand slowly reached up and gently brushed against the delicate skin at the top of her neck, only to withdraw quickly as the sensation of cold sweat trickled down like tiny rivulets. It felt as if an icy blade delicately traced its way across her warm flesh, causing her to shudder involuntarily. The overwhelming feeling of distress caused Ino to swallow loudly, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent room. As anxiety surged through her veins, she could almost hear the pounding of her own heart, intensifying the throbbing sensation in her head.

She mustered every ounce of strength and pushed herself upwards from the comfort of the bed. However, her weary legs betrayed her, unable to bear the weight, buckling under the pressure. Ino's desperate attempt ended abruptly as she found herself stumbling forward, her face shudderingly meeting the floor's hard surface. A sharp sting shot through her nose.

Her legs almost throbbed with burning pain, every muscle felt like it was on fire, but Ino ignored the pain, and tried to stand up using her hands for support, only to notice that her hands were fully bandaged, from her fingertips to her wrists.

Ino tried to stand up, her hands gripped the edge of the nearby desk, trying to stand up, but the sudden pain cursing through her hands made her give up. Ino clenched her teeth, feeling tears behind her eyes; she looked up at her bandaged hands; the white bandage slowly turned red as Ino felt a wetness spreading through her hand; she didn't feel the pain, but she felt exhausted.

Ino didn't know for how long she laid on her back looking at the ceiling, but it felt forever, the only sound she could hear was the sound of the clock.

Tick-Tock

Tick-Tock

Tick-Tock

For a brief moment, she wondered why the clocks didn't Tock-Tick. Instead. Why it must always be, Tick-Tock?

Ino heard the sound of the door opening and someone rushing in, but their voices sounded so distant, like a shout that she could hardly hear, but she felt her body being lifted up, and her eyes met her father's face, his mouth opened up, but Ino didn't hear anything. Did he even say anything? Ino suddenly wondered as the darkness embraced her.

Five Days Later

"Don't go anywhere until we return back." Her mother said the same thing for the tenth time now. Ino was at the end of her wits; she never understood why she needed to say the same thing so many times; she had understood her after the second time; the eight extra times were hurting her ears.

This time, Ino didn't bother to say anything to her mother as she walked away from their house, leaving Ino alone in the family shop. Usually, Ino didn't find pleasure in the tranquil atmosphere that enveloped the shop. However, in this particular moment, she reveled in the stillness, finding solace in the fragrant scent of the myriad flowers surrounding her. Ino decided to take advantage of this rare moment of tranquility by leaning her head against her arms, which served as a makeshift pillow. As she did so, she noticed that the shop was void of customers, reinforcing her belief that nobody would disturb her peaceful interlude. Succumbing to the serenity, she allowed her head to rest gently against the cool surface of the desk, finding comfort in the silence and knowing that she had a brief respite from the bustling world outside.

Suddenly, Ino heard the sound of the bell against the door ring. As the door opened, Ino quickly looked up, expecting a customer, but she quickly recognized Sakura as she walked in. Something she noticed right away before Sakura could even talk, was the perfume she was using; Ino wondered why she had used so much perfume.

"Ino-pig, how are you doing?" Ino didn't know why, but she didn't feel as angry as she used to be whenever Sakura called her a 'pig'; she even wondered why that used to bother her; it was just a word, after all.

"I'm fine, Sakura. How is it going with your team?" Ino asked, ignoring her comment as Sakura approached the counter with a puzzled look on her face.

"Huh!" Ino heard her say, but again, she ignored it, waiting for her to continue.

"It's amazing; you have no idea what it is like to have Sasuke on my team. He's wonderful, much better than Sai. Who is quite boring-" Sakura started talking about her team, with Kakashi being the Jonin, but Ino quickly noticed how often Sakura was bringing up Sasuke and how little she spoke about their training and missions.

Ino knew her friend had a crush on him; she, too, had a crush on him. At least I used to have one, she thought. Ino wasn't really sure anymore; since the mission in the Land of Tea, Sasuke had barely been in her thoughts, unlike before the mission when she used to think of him every day and even when she lay on her bed and touched herself.

"Sakura." Ino suddenly interrupted her as Sakura started talking about Sasuke again.

"What?!"

"What about training?"

"What about it?! Ino blinked several times, before clearing her throat. "Sakura, is Kakashi-Sensei not teaching you anything? I mean, he is the best Jonin in Konoha." Ino asked, almost baffled. Asuma would often bring up the days when he had been a Jonin and how Kakashi had always been the best of them. Asuma would often bring up many people who weren't even alive anymore; names he usually brought up were Arashi, Obito, Rin, and a few other names.

"Why are you even bringing up training? That's boring." Sakura quickly complained, rolling her eyes, Ino couldn't help but frown, feeling a little irritated.

Was Sakura always so annoying? She wondered, but before she could elaborate, Sakura suddenly wrinkled her nose before stepping away from Ino, looking at her almost disgustingly. Ino wondered what was going on when Sakura spoke.

"You are stinking!! Did you not shower today?!" Sakura shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Ino.

"Shower?" Ino blinked several times. "No, I don't think I have, for three days at least." Ino answered casually with a little shrug.

"Three Days!!" Sakura screamed Ino closed her ears with her hands, not understanding why she needed to scream.

"What happened to bathing twice a day!?" Sakura asked further, her voice not lowering until Ino motioned for her to keep it down.

"Sakura, we are Kunoichi right now. We go on missions where we might die. Bathing won't increase your chances of winning when you are fighting the enemy."

Sakura brushed off her words with a wave of her hand as if she were scaring away a fly. "This is why we have Jonins, they will deal with the enemy."

"Sakura, Kakashi won't always be there to protect you. Sooner or later, you will need to rely on your own strength to survive." Ino said, her voice increasing slightly with a hint of irritation, but she didn't wait for Sakura to counter her words.

"What will happen if, because of you, your teammates die? What happens when a more powerful Kunoichi uses her sword to cut your head-" Ino stopped mid-sentence, realizing she had started talking about her encounter; her eyes widened as she felt cold sweat on her neck.

"Ino, are you alright?" Ino didn't know the answer to that, but she felt sweat rolling down her face; suddenly, she felt cold as her skin crawled, and she quickly wiped away the sweat with her arm.

"I'm fine, but remember to train yourself. Sooner or later, you will need to use your own strength to win."

Hiruzen

At this time, he was usually busy with paperwork, but not today. Today, he had ordered his secretary to deal with most of the paperwork and had ordered every hidden ANBU to leave the office. They all had obeyed without saying a word, but Hiruzen knew they all did, reluctantly.

It didn't take long for the window to open and for Jiraiya to burst inside, still with the same energy he always carried with him, even when he had been a simple Genin. Sometimes, Hiruzen wondered if Jiraiya had ever truly grown up.

"Was the door not an option?"

"You know me, Sensei. Doors are a waste of time; why waste time opening a door when you can jump from the window?" Jiraiya asked with a wide grin on his face. Hiruzen let out a sigh but still chuckled in amusement.

"Maybe Windows are the future, but I didn't call you here to talk about windows. First, tell me what your spies have picked up on the other Villages?" Hiruzen asked, his tone changing from friendly to serious in the blink of an eye, almost like flipping a switch.

"Not much." Jiraiya answered casually as he used a ledge beneath the window to sit down, his right leg resting on top of his left knee.

"The Revolution in Kiri is still going on, but I hear Mei Terumi is the leader, she might be able to defeat Yagura." Jiraiya explained further, but Hiruzen's ears almost perked up when he heard the last name.

Terumi, huh, He thought; he had thought the last male of that clan had died long ago during the War. Hiruzen remembered when he had crushed the chest of Seishin Terumi, The Twin Dragon Head.

The man had been a beast with mismatched eyes and the ability to increase the air's temperature and lower it at will. Hiruzen had lost a lung because of him; his right lung had been frozen; thankfully, Danzo had been on time to deal a blow to him behind his back, leaving Hiruzen open to use his staff to crush his chest in; his body then had been taken by Konoha ANBU to be studied and potentially benefit from it.

Jiraiya went on and gave information about the other villages, which was a little, except it seemed Old man Ohnoki had recently had a discussion with his two Jinchuurikis. But what caught Hiruzen's attention was what Jiraiya said about Kumo.

"The Black Cat of Kumo has returned?!"

"Apparently, my little bird sent me a message, Kumo has a new Purple Lightning user in their hand. But my informer didn't know his name, but he described him as being young and with blonde hair." Jiraiya further explained as he rubbed his shoulder, Hiruzen knew how dangerous The Purple Lightning was and for Kumo to have a second user.

Hiruzen inhaled deeply on his pipe, hoping it would dull the stress he was feeling; it had been fourteen years since Konoha lost Naruto and Kyuubi. Hiruzen had tried for a very long time to hide that Konoha currently didn't have a Jinchuuriki anymore, but he knew for certain that everyone from the small and big council had already figured out that Konoha currently had no Jinchuuriki in every meeting; Hiashi would inform him that the Hyuga clan had doubled the amount of time their members spend training, and instead of waiting until a Hyuga child reached six years to train, now they would start training as soon as they reached five years.

Hiruzen knew how exposed they were; having a Jinchuuriki was like a safe card, something he knew he could use if things went really badly, but Konoha didn't have one, and it had only two S-Rank Shinobis, Hiruzen and Danzo.

Hiruzen wasn't sure if he was an S-Rank anymore; he was old and not as strong as he used to be; if Kumo suddenly decided to attack Konoha, then Hiruzen hated to admit that they had no way to win. Kumo currently had multiple S-Rank Shinobis, including a Perfect Jinchuuriki, and now they had a new Purple Lightning User, and if what Asuma told him was true. Kumo had three Jinchuurikis, and Kyuubi was one of them. The Most Powerful One.

Hiruzen exhaled deeply, feeling a headache that was only getting worse. I need to talk with the Small Council, Hiruzen thought, knowing the Chunin Exams were approaching and would be held in Konoha. Danzo had tried to convince him in the last meeting that they should threaten Tsunade to return, telling her she would become a Missing Nin if she refused to return home. Danzo went on and explained that having her in the village would increase morale and would help their Medical Shinobis to get better at their job. Hiruzen had refused; he didn't want to force Tsunade to do anything, especially after what Hashirama and Tobirama had done for the village.

"We all have lost people, Hiruzen, you, me, and everyone you see every day. Tsunade is not special, we all grieve, but it's been over a decade now. If a Konoha shinobi dies in the hospital right now, and that shinobi would have been saved if Tsuande was still around, will you tell the family that they lost their loved one because Tsunade's grief is simply more important than their loved one. Tell me, Hiruzen?" Hiruzen remembered Danzo's words.

Hiruzen turned his attention back to Jiraiya and knew what he needed to do. "Jiraiya, the reason you are here is not just to give me information."

"I figured as much. After all, the information I gave you could have easily been delivered with a coded scroll."

"Right. My son, Asuma Sarutobi, recently had a mission in the Land of Tea. There they encountered a Genin Team from Kumo." Hiruzen explained this made Jiraiya lean away from the window and now standing in front of Hiruzen's desk.

"What about it?"

"While their team was normal. My son informed me that one of the Genins looked identical to Minato." Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock.

"The name?"

"His name is Naruto. Naruto Yotsuki."